Search in book...
Toggle Font Controls
Create new playlist

Name your new playlist

Playlist description (optional)
Sign In

Email address

Password

Forgot Password?

or

Continue with Facebook

Continue with Google
Sign Up

Full Name

Email address

Confirm Email Address

Password

or

Continue with Facebook

Continue with Google

CHAPTER 16 Managing Workplace Safety and Health

CHALLENGES

After reading this chapter, you should be able to deal more effectively with the following challenges:

1 Explain the reasons for safety and health laws, as well as the extent of the employer’s responsibility to fund a workers’ compensation system and maintain a safe and healthy work environment.
2 Identify the basic provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
3 Develop an awareness of contemporary health and safety issues, including AIDS, workplace violence, smoking in the workplace, cumulative trauma disorders, fetal protection, hazardous chemicals, and genetic testing.
4 Describe the features of safety programs and understand the reasons for and the effects of programs designed to enhance employee well-being.

Work is engaged in by choice, with employees providing labor for wages. Safety and health regulations help assure that the choice to provide labor does not involve unnecessary risks. Most of us probably share the belief that the majority of employers are mindful of worker safety and take seriously their duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace environment. Although we are probably correct in that belief, there are some examples of unsafe workplace conditions that make it clear that worker safety and health can be an area of real concern. Companies that have received large fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provide some of the most notable and flagrant examples of workplace safety issues. The following are some recent examples of companies that have received fines from OSHA of $100,000 or more.

Source:© Bob Kreisel/Alamy.

▪ A & B Foundry and Machining in Franklin, Ohio, received a total of over $170,000 in fines from OSHA. Among the safety and health violations that led the fines were a lack of appropriate personal protective equipment and a lack of training for employees. OSHA also cited the company for inoperative safety latches on crane hoists and a lack of guarding on machinery, among other safety regulation violations. Following a previous OSHA inspection, the company also was cited for repeat violations, including failure to provide a fire extinguisher and not providing noise and chemical hazards training.
▪ Environmental Enterprises, Inc. is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has facilities in other states. The company is an environmental management and disposal company that specializes in areas such as hazardous waste management and laboratory chemical packaging. OSHA cited the company with 22 safety and health violations, with fines totaling $325,710. OSHA cited the company for lack of training regarding potentially dangerous interactions among materials and tools. This citation came after a fire and explosion at the company killed one worker and severely burned another worker. OSHA also found that the company willfully disregarded legal requirements by failing to develop and implement hazardous waste handling procedures and by not providing training to employees assigned to handle hazardous waste, among other deficiencies. The OSHA safety citations and health citations regarding Environmental Enterprises can be found at:
- ▪ www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/EEI_Safety_citations.pdf
- ▪ www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/EEI_Health_citations.pdf
▪ IVEX Protective Packaging is headquartered in Canada and has facilities in numerous locations. The IVEX operation in Sidney, Ohio, manufactures polyethylene foam and was found to have 21 safety violations, receiving fines from OSHA totaling $128,700. An explosion at the company injured three workers and caused significant damage to the factory. Overall, OSHA concluded that the company has disregarded safety standards and failed to adequately train workers. Citations against the company included lack of detailed operating procedures for its equipment, lack of employee training on equipment operation and maintenance, and not providing flame-retardant clothing for workers exposed to fire hazard, among other safety shortfalls.
▪ Brillo Motor Transportation received fines totaling $131,000 after terminating one of their truck drivers. The driver had already exceeded the federal limit for allowable driving hours. When the driver refused to violate the law and take on another delivery, he was terminated. OSHA’s judgment was that the company’s action was to intimidate a worker and could place the worker and public at risk. OSHA’s resolution of this case included reinstatement of the driver, paying the driver back wages, and payment of compensatory and punitive damages.

The Managerial Perspective

The examples in the chapter opener dramatically illustrate the devastating consequences of paying insufficient attention to safety concerns and social responsibility. Ensuring a safe working environment is legally mandated. More importantly, it is an obligation for any socially responsible manager. Safety and health must be a priority in all that you do.

An organizational culture that places a greater value on speed or saving money than on safety can result in workplace accidents—some that involve the loss of human life. To disregard safety and health issues can cause more than fines for an organization. It can sever the trust between workers and management, irretrievably damage employee commitment and performance, and ruin an organization’s reputation. Managers, then, must understand safety and health issues and take steps to maintain a safe work environment with the help of HR staff.

In this chapter, we consider the contemporary context of the safety and health issue and how managers build and develop safe and healthy working conditions. First, we deal with the legal issues of workplace safety and health by exploring management’s legal obligations to fund a workers’ compensation system and to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Next we examine a variety of contemporary safety and health issues, including AIDS, violence in the workplace, cumulative trauma disorders, fetal protection, dangerous chemicals, and the use of genetic testing on employees. Finally, we describe and evaluate programs designed to maintain employee safety and health.

Sources:Based on McClatchy Tribune Business News. (2013, June 22). Company fined $325,710 for 22 violations after worker dies from burns; Smith, S. (2013). Lack of PPE among 33 OSHA violations at A & B foundry and machining. EHS Today, accessed on September 28, 2013 at [no longer online] http://ehstoday.com/osha/lack-ppe-amond-33-osha-violations-b-foundry-machining ; McClatchy Tribune Business News. (2013, July 28). Company fined $128,700 by OSHA; Whistler, D. (2013). Fleet ordered to pay $131,000 to driver terminated for refusing to violate HOS rules. Fleet Owner, accessed on September 28, 2013 at [no longer online] http://fleetowner.com/regulations/fleet-ordred-pay-131000-driver-terminated-refusing-violate-hos-rules .

..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.

Table of Contents for CHAPTER 16 Managing Workplace Safety and Health

Create new playlist

Sign In

Sign Up

Table of Contents for
CHAPTER 16 Managing Workplace Safety and Health