8 - Employee Safety and Health

Question 1

the mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is to “assure the safety and health of America’s workers by setting and enforcing ______; providing _______, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvements in workplace safety and health.”

The act has been very effective in reducing the number of ________ resulting in lost work time, the ______ of specific injuries such as back problems and the number of job-related deaths.

Answer 1

standards

standards

injuries

incident rate

Question 2

OSHA has the responsibility for the development and _______ of mandatory job safety and health standards. These standards cover the workplace, machinery and equipment, materials, power sources, processing, protective clothing, first aid and administrative requirements.

It is the responsibility of ______ to become familiar with those standards that are applicable to their establishments. OSHA can begin standards-setting procedures on its own initiative or on petition from other parties, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Other bodies that may also initiate standards-setting procedures are state and local governmental units, national standards-oriented organizations, employers and labor representatives.

Answer 2

enforcement

employers

Question 3

OSHA obtains compliance with its standards in several ways. It has the authority to conduct workplace inspections, to issue citations and to impose penalties in the form of fines upon employers.

Additionally, OSHA provides a free on-site ______ service to help firms identify hazardous conditions and determine corrective measures. The service does not involve any ______ actions. (However, employers must agree to eliminate any hazardous conditions that the consultants warn could result in death or serious physical harm.) OSHA also is involved with voluntary, cooperative relationships among employers, employees and unions.

Answer 3

consultation

citation

Question 4

(OSHA) There are four specific cooperative programs—

1. ________enable organizations to collaborate with OSHA to prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
2. _________ are long-term agreements between employers and OSHA aimed at reducing serious workplace hazards and achieving a high level of worker safety and health.
3. ___________ are designed to extend worker protection beyond the minimum OSHA standards. They are designed to give recognition to those who have successful and comprehensive safety and health programs, motivate others to achieve excellent safety and health results, and establish a cooperative relationship among employers and OSHA.
4. ________ provides recognition to small businesses that demonstrate exemplary achievement in workplace safety and health.

Answer 4

Alliances

Strategic partnerships

Voluntary protection programs (VPPs)

SHARP

Question 5

Employees are required to comply with all applicable OSHA standards, to report hazardous conditions and to follow all employer safety and health rules and regulations including the use of prescribed protective equipment.

Employees have a right to demand safety and healthy conditions on the job without fear of ________, and to request and receive information about safety and health conditions.

Answer 5

punishment

Question 6

Most state and federal laws require that employers provide information to employees about the hazardous chemicals they handle. These laws are commonly known as ________ laws. The laws typically address such issues as definition of toxic or hazardous substances, and duties of employers and manufacturers to provide health risk information to employees.

Answer 6

right-to-know

Question 7

employers are required by law to provide safe working conditions for their employees. to achieve this objective, the majority of employers have a formal ______ program. typically, the human resources (HR) department or the industrial relations department is responsible for the program

Answer 7

safety

Question 8

The success of a safety program is dependent largely upon _____ and ______ personnel of operating departments. Managers and supervisors must explain and reinforce the importance of safety to their workers.

Additionally, it is recognized that it is critical that firms today try to create an organizational _________ that goes beyond managing operational processes. This exists when health and safety permeates the organizational climate along with customer service, work processes and innovation.

Answer 8

managerial and supervisory

culture of safety

Question 9

The safety rules and regulations of an employer generally are communicated through supervisors, bulletin board notices, employee handbooks and signs attached to equipment. Safety rules are also emphasized in regular safety meetings, at new employee orientations and in manuals of standard operating procedures.

Penalties for rule violations typically include an oral or written warning for the first violation, ________ for repeated violations and dismissal as a last resort. Some serious violations involve immediate dismissal even on the first offense.

While being disciplined may force employees to work safely, the most effective adherence to safety rules occurs when employees willingly comply to and “_________” safety rules and procedures. This can be achieved when managers actively encourage employees to participate in all aspects of the organization’s safety program. One study showed that engaged employees were ______ times less likely than nonengaged employees to have a safety incident and ______ times less likely to have a lost-time safety incident.

Answer 9

suspension

“champion”

five

seven

Question 10

OSHA requires employers with ____ or more employees to maintain a log and summary of occupational injuries and illnesses.

All must be entered in the log. A _______ is any injury or illness that results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, or medical treatment beyond first aid. Each year the summary portion of the log is to be posted for a specified period where notices to employees are customarily posted. For every recordable case written in the log, an ________ on the case must be completed.

Answer 10

11

recordable case

Injury and Illness Incident Report

Question 11

_______ is a major safety issue in organizations that operate around the clock or have night shifts. studies show that ___% to ___% of night shift workers report falling asleep at least once a week while on the job

Answer 11

Fatigue

30% to 50%

Question 12

The leading cause of worker fatalities each year is motor vehicle crashes. According to the National Highway Traf c Safety Administration, _________ accounts for 80% of all accidents. To help prevent these accidents, a growing number of employers are adopting mandatory cell phone policies for their employees. Others are doing much more; they are outfitting their employees’ phones with software (mobile apps) that prevent them from texting, browsing the Web, or checking e-mail when they are traveling above a certain speed.

Answer 12

distracted driving

Question 13

Recommendations suggested by OSHA and others for reducing workplace violence include:

1. (a) Analyzing the _______ to uncover areas of potential violence
2. (b) Providing _________ training throughout the organization
3. (c) Having workers team up in pairs rather than working alone and making environmental _______
4. (d) Having the HR department effectively communicate to a firm’s employees that it has a ________ policy for violence.

Answer 13

1. workplace
2. violence prevention
3. adjustments
4. zero tolerance

Question 14

An emergency action plan must include, among other things, procedures for reporting a ____ or other emergency, evacuating a facility and ______ for employees after an evacuation.

The plan must also include procedures for employees who remain in facilities to ensure __________ continue, as well as procedures for workers performing rescue and medical duties. A copy of the emergency action plan should be either provided to employees or kept in a convenient location where employees can access it.

Answer 14

fire

accounting

critical plant operations

Question 15

One way to help eliminate health hazards in the workplace is through ergonomics.

The approach focuses on ensuring that jobs are designed for safe and efficient work while improving safety, comfort and performance of users. Ergonomics can be as simple as rearranging a workstation so fewer steps are needed to gather items or organizing items so they are within easier reach.

Part of ergonomics involves looking at the ______ of equipment and the _______ of the operators who use it. There is substantial variation in the way people move depending on their physical sizes, genders, ages and other factors.

Answer 15

design

physical abilities

Question 16

Many jobs such as meat cutters, fish filleters, dental hygienists, textile workers, violinists, flight attendants, office workers at computer terminals and others require the use of _______ of the fingers, hands or arms. People in these types of jobs are reporting repetitive motion injuries (also known as cumulative trauma disorders) in growing percentages. These injuries involve muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints and spinal discs from the repeated stress and strains. One of the more common conditions is _______.

Answer 16

repetitive motion

carpal tunnel syndrome

Question 17

When computers and video display terminals (VDTs) are used in a workplace, managers must confront three major groups of problems from operators and others:

(1) ________ difficulties often are experienced as blurred vision, sore eyes, burning and itching eyes.
(2) ______ aches and pains in the back, neck and shoulders are common.
(3) ______ resulting from eye strain, posture problems, insufficient training, excessive workloads and monotonous work are common complaints.

Answer 17

Visual

Muscular

Job stress

Question 18

In the case of _______________, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers may not bar women of childbearing age from certain jobs because of potential risk to their fetuses. The decision was rendered on the basis that such policies constitute illegal sex bias.

The additional impact of the case is that employers have to take positive actions to warn women workers about fetal health risks on the job.

Answer 18

International Union v. Johnson Controls

Question 19

in addition to eliminating hazardous working conditions, many employers take positive steps to improve the general level of ______ and _______ health among their employees.

Many firms have __________ to help employees get assistance with problems of stress, personal crises, alcoholism and drug abuse. Employers are also launching or improving programs specifically designed to help employees maintain or lose weight by exercising and eating properly.

Nutritional programs address two lifestyle changes:

• (1) increasing a person’s _________ and
• (2) adopting ________ programs that emphasize eating lots of fruits and vegetables, sh and low-fat dietary products

Answer 19

physical

emotional

employee assistance programs (EAPs)

1. physical exercise
2. nutritional dietary

Question 20

Stress is any demand on the individual that requires _______ behavior.

Stress comes from two sources: ______ and _______. The physical reaction of the body to both sources is the same. Moreover, stress has positive and negative forms.

_______ is positive stress that accompanies achievement and exhilaration, such as the stress of meeting managerial challenges that forces individuals to forge ahead against obstacles.

The negative and harmful form is ______ which involves feelings of a loss of security and adequacy, helplessness, desperation and disappointment.

________ can result in fatigue, exhaustion and even physical and/or emotional breakdowns such as heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and ulcers.

Answer 20

• coping
• physical activity
• mental or emotional activity
• Eustress
• distress
• Prolonged stress

Question 21

______ is a severe stage of distress. It enerally occurs when a person begins questioning his or her own _______. The person does not feel that what he or she is doing is important any longer. The symptoms of burnout are depression, frustration and a loss of productivity. It is due primarily to a lack of personal _______ or positive feedback about performance.

There are many sources of stress associated with an organization. The organizational stressors involve

• high ______ (having too much to do in too short a time)
• high _____ (having to expend too much mental or physical energy over too long a period)
• low ____ (having too little in uence over the way a job is done on a day-to-day basis)
• low _____ (receiving inadequate feedback on performance and no recognition for a job well done).

Other recognized job stressors include layoffs and organizational ________; disagreements with managers or fellow employees; prejudice because of age, gender, race or religion; inability to voice complaints; and poor working conditions. Even minor irritations such as lack of privacy, unappealing music and other conditions can be distressful to one person or another.

Answer 21

Burnout

personal values

fulfillment

• demand
• effort
• control
• reward

restructuring

Question 22

The subject matter of a typical employer-sponsored stress management program might include _______ techniques, _____ skills, ______ skills, ways to deal with _______, time management and assertiveness.

These techniques are designed to break the pattern of ______ that accompanies stress situations and to help participants achieve greater personal control of their lives. Organizational techniques, such as clarifying the employees’ work role, redesigning and enriching jobs, correcting physical factors in the environment and effectively handling interpersonal factors, also may be included in the process of teaching employees how to handle stress

Answer 22

relaxation

coping

listening

difficult people

tension

Question 23

Employers must remember that alcoholism is classified as a ________ under ADA. Alcoholism is regarded as a disease, similar to a mental impairment. Therefore, a person disabled by alcoholism is entitled to the same protection from job discrimination as any other person with a disability.

However, under ADA, employers can discipline or discharge employees when job performance is so badly affected by alcohol usage that the employee is unable to perform the job.

Answer 23

disability

Question 24

The federal antidrug initiatives include the following:

(1) The Drug-Free Workplace Act of ______, which requires federal contractors and recipients of federal grants to take specific steps to ensure a drug-free work environment. One of the main provisions of the act is the preparation and distribution of an ______ statement.

(2) Department of Defense (DOD) contract rules, which specify that employers entering into ______ with DOD must agree to a clause certifying their intention to maintain a drug-free workplace

(3) Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, which require that employees whose jobs include safety- or security-related duties be tested for _______ under DOT rules.

Answer 24

1. 1988 / antidrug policy
2. contracts
3. illegal drug use

Question 25

ADA considers an individual with a serious, life-affecting drug problem as disabled, provided the person is enrolled in a recognized ________ program and not currently using drugs.

While a recovering addict is entitled to ____ protection, an active user of illegal drugs is not. (Individuals using legal drugs (taking prescription drugs or over-the-counter drugs) to treat a disability also are entitled to the protection.)

Answer 25

drug treatment

ADA