Q1. The Gauley Bridge disaster took place in the 1920s, before appropriate health and safety requirements were imposed upon industries to protect workers. Workers were often forced to tolerate such conditions because they had no other options by which to make a living. Furthermore, a certain degree of physical risk to workers was acceptable in the eyes of employers. To some extent, this is also true in many developing world nations such as India, where the Bhopal gas tragedy took place. If there was a sudden absence of federal and state mandates in the United States, workers would still bring contemporary safety expectations to the workplace in many industry sectors. Also, despite the fact there has been substantial attrition of the power of unions, unions still have enough clout in some areas to demand better conditions.Thus, lapsing back to where things were within a year might be overstating the case. On the other hand, within a decade, worker conditions would likely decline. Even within the United States today, the conditions in many industries, such as the livestock industry, garment factors, and lawn care services are dominated by immigrant workers, often illegal, who have little clout and no voice in a union. They often face workplace risks comparable to those of employees in the early half of the twentieth century. Of course, in some industries, employers might feel compelled...
I agree that repetitive stress injuries are likely to be the injuries that employees must be protected from to a greater degree than ever before. A very high percentage of the workforce is made upon of white collar workers who work at desk jobs. Furthermore, more and more people are taking work home and spending more time in front of the computer for work-related reasons as a result. Finally, even leisure time activities have become more sedentary and people spend many hours a day texting and Facebooking with friends. Coupled with jobs which require typing for hours on end, there is a toxic combination of activities that can result in repetitive strain injuries.
Workplace Safety Employee health and safety management Most U.S. firms are offering disease management and health promotion programs to employees to address the increasing health care costs through improving employee lifestyle and overall health. Nevertheless, the U.S. has not been efficient in providing employees with integrated comprehensive health programs. Comprehensive programs of promoting employee health might encompass a series of strategies including supportive environments, health education, accessing support services, employee integration into
Furthermore, in respect of the various cultures and languages within the workforce, the manual could also be printed in each representative language, as far as this is deemed necessary. This will ensure full understanding of the rules and regulations, and also promote the function of the entire workforce as a group (Nonprofit Risk Management Center, 2005 (b)). Writing such a manual would then address the various important aspects of the
Boosting job satisfaction by offering employees safety nets should they get MSD or offering as many preventative measures as possible will lead to a corporate culture more conducive to long-term profitability. Firms should move away from the prevailing business model that discounts employee satisfaction (and employee health) and shift toward a more holistic vision of business. No industry or organization will fare well for long if they cannot maintain
6). DO-IT stores have been designed in the past to keep the safety of its employees and customers constantly in mind. The company understands that accidents can happen but that any steps taken to avoid an accident is money well invested. It knows that doing business in a country like the United Kingdom "puts direct cost of accidents in the billions of dollars" (Thye, par. 10) per year. With
Thus, employees are discouraged from reporting abuses and safety issues because of fear of retaliation. As noted, if they are illegal immigrants, they fear deportation or reporting to INS, and they fear losing their jobs, and so, they do not report safety issues that could be life threatening. Retaliation should not occur, and a worker should not have to fear for their livelihood just to protect themselves and their
Workplace Safety Inspection One of management's most pressing priorities within any workplace setting, from the floor of a factory to a site of office cubicles, is to ensure that all employees are provided diligent protection from the array of hazards which inevitably arise during any professional pursuit. Signage must be clear and accurate, warning labels must be affixed to any and all dangerous substances, and machinery capable of injuring or
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