NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only.
Patrick Tyson, Constangy, Brooks, and Smith
MR. TYSON: You know, when I was approached by Margo Daniel and Jennifer Silk to be a moderator in this program, I've got to tell you I was a little nervous. Because, as many of you may not realize, the job of a moderator is twofold. The first is to introduce the speakers, but the second is also to break up any fights.
In the issue of ergonomics, that latter problem, I was at least concerned, might be a major part of my job. Clearly, that's not going to happen, and I think that reflects something.
It reflects maybe the maturation of the safety and health movement over the last ten years with respect to this issue. I can tell you that ten years ago when I would go into my client's operations, the issue of ergonomics was shrouded in mystery. It was almost a secret issue. I had plant managers get upset if I uttered the term "carpal tunnel syndrome," within earshot of employees because if they hear that, they'll get it.
I also have had employees come to me and ask me about, you know, we've heard about this Coppertone syndrome; what is that and how do you catch it.
We've come a long way since then. There's still a lot of controversy left, and I'm sure there's still a lot of fear and concern left, but this conference I think will lead us a long way out of those concerns and into and area where I think we can move ahead in a good way.
I don't want to leave without calling note to one activity that OSHA did several years ago, and I've forgotten the date, when the Agency put out the ergonomic guidelines for the meat-packing industry. And if you have to look back over the years of the maturity of the ergonomics issues and where that knowledge spread, I think that particular effort by the Agency really went a long way in providing good tools to employers and, at the same time, providing good information for employees.
That effort was the result of Jerry Scannell's term when he was the head of OSHA. Jerry now is the President of the National Safety Council. He's one of the sponsors of this program and is with us today in the front row, and I didn't want the day to go by without acknowledging that.
As I said earlier, we're going to try to give you a lot of tools. You're going to have the opportunity to learn a lot. I hope you will take advantage of that opportunity. I hope that this will be a very positive experience, positive experience for all of you, and then we can move ahead together on this issue and come up with resolutions from all fronts.
One of the themes that I've noticed, as these programs have been implemented among the clients I represent, is that there is an element of surprise that occurs as these programs become implemented.
As I indicated earlier, there's a lot of fear and concern about them when you first get into the issue, and a very, very healthy respect, I guess for the implications of some of the things that ergonomics could lead to. I mean, taken to extremes, obviously, you're talking about the ultimate in automation.
It never seems to work out that way. The concerns from the standpoint of employees are that jobs will be lost. Concerns from the standpoint of employers are that productivity will decline and expenses will go up.
What I've seen in most cases is that there's been a great surprise on the part of both parties, that through a program that's well thought out, well developed, and has adequate input from all concerned, both management and labor, a program can be developed that will be successful in addressing the problem. Quite frankly, I don't think that any program will totally eliminate cumulative trauma disorder problems, but it can go a long way, but, at the same time that those programs will be successful from the standpoint of decreasing costs, both from the standpoint of workers' compensation and also increasing productivity.
These things can work. We need to find a way to make them work better. We need to find a way to remove some of the animosity and mystery from the issue, and I hope that this program and what we'll learn in the next two days will go a long way toward that.
Again, thank you very much for your attendance. We will break now, I think for about a 15-minute break, and go into concurrent sessions. Your program will tell you what's available. Again, thank you, and have a great day.
(Whereupon, Plenary Session ended.)
