Obscurity Ahead For The Ergonomics Killer

ByMichael Verespej The Congressional Review Act -- a 5-year-old unknown piece of legislation before it was used by Republicans and business to repeal the controversial ergonomics standard from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) -- will likely retreat into even greater obscurity. "This will likely be the only time you see this procedure invoked," says G. John Tysse, employment law attorney with the Washington law firm of McGuiness, Norris & Williams. The reason? Because the law that no one ever expected to be used killed a major initiative from an outgoing administration, future administrations will now alter regulatory timetables so that promulgated standards fall outside of the scope of review that the act permits.