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N.C. Labor Commissioner Drops Ergonomics Lawsuit

Jan. 29, 2001

Cherie Berry, North Carolina's new labor commissioner,\r\ndropped a law suit last week that her predecessor filed over proposed ergonomics rules.

EHS Today Staff

Cherie Berry, North Carolina''s new labor commissioner, dropped a law suit last week that her predecessor filed over proposed ergonomics rules.

Former Commissioner Harry Payne led the fight to get state ergonomics rules passed in North Carolina.

He sued the state''s Rules Review Commission when the committee rejected his proposal, claiming the panel overstepped its authority.

The statewide rules were designed to reduce workplace musculoskeletal disorders.

When OSHA released the federal ergonomics standard in November, North Carolina adopted the rule but the North Carolina Labor Department''s suit against the Rules Review Commission stayed on track.

Last week, Berry said she couldn''t justify the cost of the lawsuit when a federal standard was already in place.

"I thought it was absurd for one state agency to be suing another state agency at a cost of $200,000 to the taxpayer," said Berry. "Under the old lawsuit, the Labor Department basically was suing to create what would now be a second layer of rules. We are not spending $200,000 of the taxpayers'' money to do that."

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.