Motion Commotion Changes in OSHA's final ergonomics rule fail to satisfy small businesses.

OSHA issued its final rule on ergonomics in November. Althoughthe agency tried to smooth out some of the rough edges from lastyear's proposal, business groups complain the final rule hastoo many splinters. So the National Coalition on Ergonomics, analliance of associations and businesses representing employers,filed a lawsuit to stop implementation of the rule, which forcescompanies to revise the way employees perform physically stressfuljobs involving excessive amounts of repetitive motion.

Small-business groups were particularly irked because there areno small-business exemptions in the final rule. Damon Dozier,director of government and public affairs for National SmallBusiness United (NSBU), says his group and other small-businessrepresentatives aren't against worker protection, particularlybecause entre-preneurs gen-erally hire relatives and friends.Rather, he is concerned that OSHA doesn't have the scientificbacking to go forward with this rule.