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Workplace Safety
Do you agree or disagree that ergonomics in the workplace should be covered by federal regulations?
Employers are responsible for maintaining a safe, if not enjoyable, working environment for their employees. Not only are they liable for sudden injuries caused on the job, but employers are also obligated to protect their employees from musculoskeletal disorders that develop over time. There is no reason why OSHA's proposal should be controversial. The only thing preventing business and industry from wholeheartedly embracing the OSHA-sponsored regulations is short-sightedness. Keeping profitability in mind, corporations would better off supporting workplace safety even though it seems more costly in the short-term. Absenteeism, health care costs, and high employee turnover rates are costly consequences of workplace injuries including MSDs. Firms do not need to choose between profitability and workplace safety. Even if that were the case, the ethical choice is clear.
Moreover, retaining employees creates improved morale, which can lead to numerous long-term benefits for any firm. 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 a healthy workforce. Firms and their leaders also have an ethical obligation to provide their employees with the best ergonomic equipment and the latest knowledge about MSDs.
MSDs are not a problem, regardless of arguments that insufficient research backs up OSHA's claims. Enough research is available and enough case studies testify to the problem. The federal government absolutely should intervene and mandate complete coverage for MSDs because one of the purposes of government is to help maintain public safety.
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
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
Safety Incentive Programs Safety should always be a main concern for employers. It is cost-effective to care about your employees. It is good employer-employee relations. It's also great public relations when employers and employees work together for the sake of safety. Give the horse a carrot. We've all heard this expression but have you ever really thought about how true it is? Basically, reward the worker and the work will get done.
Workplace violence is a major threat to American companies, and costs billions of dollars each year is lost wages, health care, and legal fees. In light of current trends towards company downsizing and higher levels of job stress, these acts of violence are on the rise, and affect every employee and the entire community, as well. Since violence can come from any number of sources, including threats, actual physical violence,
Workplace Violence Violence in the workplace is an everyday event that affects employees throughout the nation. It must be addressed, clearly defined, and possible solutions presented that will eventually identify the potential aggressor and victim. According to the United States Department of Justice (1998) the workplace is the most dangerous place to be in America. In fact, workplace homicide is the fastest growing category of murder in the United States (U.S.
They dropped back slightly to 1.5 million in 2002" (Mason-Dreffen 2003). Those increases occurred despite the fact that age discrimination can be difficult to prove, although the Supreme Court had eased the plaintiff's burden of proof (Ormsbee 2002). Song 2001 University of California at Davis professor of computer science, Dr. Norman Matloff, noted that in the IT world, "old" can begin at age 35. In addition, "The market has become