In late January, the United States Department of Labor's
OSHA withdrew two controversial proposals: (1) the proposed
interpretation on occupational noise, and (2) the proposed column
for work-related musculoskeletal disorders on the Form 300.
On January 19, 2011, OSHA announced that it was withdrawing its
proposed interpretation on occupational noise. The agency stated
that "[h]earing loss caused by excessive noise levels remains
a serious occupational health problem in this country." OSHA,
however, also acknowledged that there was wide-spread concern about
the proposal because of costs associated with improving hearing
protection. OSHA decided to suspend work on this proposal while it
studies "other approaches to abating workplace noise
hazards."
On January 25, 2011, OSHA announced that it was temporarily
withdrawing its proposal to restore a column for work-related
musculoskeletal disorder on employer injury and illness logs. OSHA
took this action to seek greater input from small businesses. Small
businesses had expressed concern that this new recordkeeping
requirement would be a burden to employers, where they claimed that
musculoskeletal disorders are not well understood by employers or
the medical profession. According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 28 percent of
all reported workplace injuries and illnesses requiring time away
from work in 2009. OSHA implemented the temporary withdrawal to
facilitate "an active dialogue between the agency and the
small business community."
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