The Association of Washington Business (AWB) voted overwhelmingly to endorse Initiative 841 repealing the state’s ergonomics rules.

According to AWB President Don Brunell the Association’s Board of Directors voted 75-3 to support the repeal, which has been organized by the Building Industry Association of Washington, (BIAW).

AWB has long opposed the state’s ergonomic rules and supported legislation to repeal them. That legislation failed to pass this year so AWB took the unprecedented action of endorsing the initiative before signature gathering was complete.

“As a rule, we wait until the signatures are gathered, but in this case there is such a high level of frustration over the way L&I forced the rules on to all employers,” Brunell said.

AWB, which led the formation of the WE CARE coalition — a group of public and private sector employers — is also participating in a court challenge to the way L&I developed the rule. That decision is expected later this year.

AWB is encouraging its members to address muscular stress-related work conditions and injuries. “We have long advocated pilot programs to address the workplaces where there is a high propensity toward ergonomic-related injuries,” stated Brunell. “We believe it is better to take a surgeon’s knife to pinpoint the problem and correct it.”

Brunell said AWB will continue to work with L&I to address ergonomics.

“Our collective goal is the same-preventing and treating injuries,” Brunell stressed. “We just think they’re going about it in the wrong way. We’d welcome a new approach and hopefully passage of I-841 will give us that.”.