FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2000
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Cindy Price, 202-651-7038
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American Nurses Association Applauds Release Of Ergonomics Standard
Washington, DC -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) applauds yesterday's release of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Ergonomics Standard that will protect nurses from disabling back injuries and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). ANA has long supported the standard's release and testified last summer at a Senate hearing on the need for the Standard to prevent back injuries and MSDs.
"We applaud OSHA and Labor Department Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Charles Jeffress for the publication of the standard," stated ANA President Mary E. Foley, MS, RN. "This standard will play a major role in preventing the back injuries that affect up to 38 percent of all nurses."
There is strong data demonstrating the problem of overexertion injuries in hospitals, nursing homes and home care settings for more than a decade. Sixty seven percent (67%) of the disabling injuries in nursing were due to sprains and strains (Bureau of Labor Statistics,1994b), mostly overexertion injuries to the back or trunk from lifting patients.
ANA was particularly pleased that the OSHA Ergonomics Standard includes work restriction protections and that the "action trigger" in the standard focuses on identification of hazards.
"The identification of hazards is crucial in preventing disabling back injuries and musculoskeletal disorders," Foley said. "OSHA should be commended for its persistent efforts to make this final standard a reality for all workers. The ANA believes that this standard will make a tremendous difference in the health and safety of its members," Foley said.
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million Registered Nurses through its 54 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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