The American National Standards Institute recently upheld its adoption of ergonomic standards in the construction industry. Rejecting an appeal by the Construction Industry Employer Coalition to withdraw adoption of the approved voluntary consensus standard on the reduction of musculoskeletal problems (ANSI/ASSE A10.40-2007), ANSI reaffirmed the importance of ergonomic design and safe practices in preventing injuries to construction workers.
The appeal by a coalition of five construction trade associations was the latest attempt to derail the ANSI standard approved last year. The coalition first appealed the ergonomic standard during hearings held in May 2007. An appeals panel found those complaints to be without merit, a decision supported by the American Society of Safety Engineers, and the standard was formally approved on July 23, 2007. Shortly thereafter, the coalition filed the formal appeal that was just rejected.
“We are pleased with ANSI Board of Standards Review’s decision to uphold the approval and publication of the A10.40 standard, said ASSE VP James Smith, CSP.” At ASSE we are committed to the protection of people, property and the environment and this standard is an excellent step in protecting workers from injury and in helping to create safer and more healthy workplaces.”
“National consensus standards, such as A10.40, reflect the insights of the final users and the opinions of professionals who work at all levels of public and private sectors in technology development, safety and health, manufacturing, training, financial analysis, personnel and academia,” said A10 Committee Chair Richard King, CSP, CRSP. “This balanced perspective enables standards to be crafted in a manner that benefits and protects standard users.”