A Pain for Business

摘要

Pop quiz. what is "rsi"? If you answered "repetitive-strain injury," chalk up a point. How pervasive is it? Don't bother. There is no correct answer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a.k.a. OSHA, estimates that such injuries account for 60 percent of all "workplace illnesses." The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the figure at 7 percent. The National Safety Council thinks it's 4 percent. That's the problem—and the reason RSI is the workplace's most complicated and controversial problem. There's nothing new about the phenomenon, of course. But it was back in the news last week when, in the face of intense political opposition, OSHA shelved plans to issue tough new regulations protecting workers from such injuries. Business execs cheered.