Chapter 14: Occupational Health and Safey

Question 1

Lost Time Injury Rate

Answer 1

measures any occupational injury or illness resulting in an employee’s inability to fulfill full work assignments, not including any fatalities

Question 2

Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

Answer 2

laws intended to protect the health and safety of workers by minimizing work related accidents and illness

Question 3

Principle of Joint Responsibility

Answer 3

an implicit and explicit expectation that workers, supervisors, and employers must maintain a hazard-free work environment and enhance health and safety in the workplace

Question 4

Employers Role in Safety

Answer 4

• due diligence

Question 5

Due Diligence

Answer 5

Employers responsibility regarding taking every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of their workers

Question 6

Supervisors Role in Safety

Answer 6

• Advise and instruct workers about safety
• Instill in workers the desire to work safely

Question 7

Employee’s Role in Safety

Answer 7

• Right to know about workplace safety hazards
• Right to participate in the occupational health and safety process
• Right to refuse unsafe work if they have “reasonable cause” to believe that the work is dangerous

Question 8

Reasonable Cause

Answer 8

a complaint about a workplace hazard has not been satisfactorily resolved or a safety problem places an employee in immediate danger

Question 9

Joint Health and Safety Committees

Answer 9

Provide non-adversarial atmosphere where management and labour can work together to ensure a safe and healthy workplace

Question 10

Fostering a Culture of Safety

Answer 10

• Teamwork to be involved in safety
• Communication and collaboration about safety matters
• Shared vision of safety excellence
• Assignment of critical safety functions to specific individuals of teams
• Continuous effort towards correcting safety problems
• Encouragement of incident reporting

Question 11

Three Basic Causes of Workplace Accidents

Answer 11

1. Chance Occurrence
2. Unsafe Conditions
3. Unsafe acts

Question 12

Factors that Contribute to Unsafe Conditions

Answer 12

1. the job itself
2. the work schedule and fatigue
3. the psychological climate

Question 13

Behaviour-Based Safety

Answer 13

an approach in which an organization focuses on increasing safety behaviors and conditions and reducing risky behaviours by observing and providing regular feedback on employee behaviour

Question 14

Occupational Health and Safety Challenges in Canada

Answer 14

1. alcohol and substance abuse
2. job related stress
3. repetitive Strain Injuries
4. Workplace Toxins
5. Violence at Work

Question 15

Drug and alcohol testing is only legal in Canada under 3 conditions

Answer 15

1. The test is rationally connected to the performance of the job
2. The test is adopted in an honest and good-faith belief that is necessary for the fulfillment of a legitimate work-related purpose
3. The test is reasonably necessary to the accomplishment of the work-related purpose

Question 16

Four Traditional Techniques for Dealing with Substance Abuse

Answer 16

Discipline, discharge, in-house counselling, and referral to a outside agency

Question 17

Job Stress has Two main sources

Answer 17

1. Environmental Factors
2. Personal Factors

Question 18

Burnout

Answer 18

Total depletion of physical and mental resources caused by excessive striving to reach an unrealistic work goal (poor work/life balance)

Question 19

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Answer 19

A series of symptoms that can develop after exposure to an actual or perceived threat of death or serious injury, or after threat of injury to self or others (re-experiencing events, avoidance of emotions or persons or space associated with the event, increased arousal)

Question 20

Repetitive Strain injuries

Answer 20

aches and pains associated with soft-tissue injuries caused by damage associated with performing repetitive motions over a long period of time

Question 21

Ergonomics

Answer 21

the art of fitting the workstation and work tools to the individual, which is necessary because each employee’s body shape, physical needs, and workstation set-up differs (reduce injury and increase productivity and efficiency)

Question 22

Video Display Terminals

Answer 22

cause eye problems such as burning, itching, strain, backaches, neck aches, psychological distress, carpal tunnel syndrome

Question 23

Prevention and Control of Workplace Violence

Answer 23

1. identify jobs with high risk of violence
2. Institute a workplace Violence Policy
3. Heighten Security Measures

Question 24

Employee Wellness Programs

Answer 24

A program that takes a proactive approach to employee health and well-being