Safe Patient Handling Bill Passes In California; Unions See Push For Fed Action

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has signed legislation requiring that health care facilities maintain safe patient handling programs to protect health care workers from muculoskeletal disorders (MSD), in what organized labor calls a key victory and possibly a further impetus for federal action. Hospitals resisted the move at first, but worked with lawmakers to craft a bill that ultimately excluded some documentation requirements that unions had sought, according to a source. A union source said this is the biggest safe patient handling bill in the nation because of California's population, and