AAOHN COMMENTS ON OSHA’S DRAFT ERGONOMICS GUIDELINES FOR RETAIL GROCERY STORES

ATLANTA — The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) submitted comments this week to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about the agency’s proposed ergonomics guidelines for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in retail grocery stores. AAOHN’s comments reflect the association’s stance that guidelines be based on three principles: prevention, clarity and employer incentive.

"AAOHN is pleased with OSHA’s effort to provide practical recommendations to help employers and employees reduce the number and severity of MSDs in the retail grocery industry," said AAOHN President Susan A. Randolph. "We believe the guidelines can be made even stronger by including language to encourage employers to practice proactive intervention in a way that will positively impact the bottom line."

AAOHN’s comments included suggestions for OSHA to:

• include more information about how to assist employers in recognizing transitional or modified work as an effective form of treatment;
• provide additional detail on how to rotate workers so that they perform jobs that use different muscle groups to prevent injury;
• elaborate on the training section to include more information about training employees to become more knowledgeable about MSDs, how to recognize symptoms, when to report symptoms and how to submit appropriate documentation; and
• help employers identify ways to decrease language barriers and identify groups of workers who may be more prone to injury.

The complete comments can be found here. OSHA’s draft guidelines can be downloaded from the OSHA Web site via www.osha.gov/ergonomics/guidelines/grocerysolutions/index.html.

Established in 1942, AAOHN is a 10,000 member professional association dedicated to advancing the health, safety and productivity of domestic and global workforces by providing education, research, public policy and practice resources for occupational and environmental health nurses. These professionals are the largest group of health care providers serving the worksite.

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