HUMA 5 - Chpt. 1 Introduction

Question 1

Lost-time Injury

Answer 1

A workplace injury that results in the ee missing time from work.
p.3

-Grant: ee cannot work the next scheduled shift

Question 2

Injuries are concentrated by industry.

True or False?

Answer 2

True.

• in Canada, construction, manufacturing, and transportation are the most dangerous industries in terms of workplace fatalities.
  p. 3

Question 3

Occupational H & S statistics vary widely by province and need to adjust for the size of the population in order to compare occupational H & S statistics across jurisdictions.

True or False?

Answer 3

True.

p.3

Question 4

Less than half of workplace fatalities are attributable to occupational diseases.

True or False?

Answer 4

False.
More than half of workplace fatalities are attributable to occupational diseases; asbestos account for most of these deaths.
p. 4

Question 5

Occupational Health & Safety (OH & S)

Answer 5

The identification, evaluation, and control of hazards associated w/ the work env’t

• recognition, assessment, and control
  p. 5

Question 6

Hazards associated with work env’t:

Answer 6

1) chemical
2) biological
3) physical
4) psychological disorders
p. 5

Question 7

Goal of an organization’s H & S program is to reduce occupational injuries and illnesses.

True or False?

Answer 7

True.

p.5

Question 8

Occupational Injury

Answer 8

Any cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation resulting from a workplace accident.
p.5

Question 9

Occupational Illness

Answer 9

Any abnormal condition or disorder caused by exposure to env’tal factors associated w/ employment.
p.5

Question 10

OH & S issues affect everyone.

True or False?

Answer 10

True.

• ERs, EEs, and their families to all these who contribute to the insurance and compensation system
• H & S are not limited to industrial workers, also a concern for white-collar workers (eg. repetitive strain injury and sick building syndrome).
  p. 5/6

Question 11

As societies become more technologically advanced, there is less occupational injuries.

T/F?

Answer 11

False.

• cases of vomiting, copper-induced dermatoses (skin diseases), and hepatic (liver) degeneration began to occur.
• labourers that work w/ iron and in various alloying operations risked symptoms such as high fever, coughing, headache, and lung cancer.
  p. 6

Question 12

Brown Lung (byssinosis)

Answer 12

A disease of the lungs caused by excessive inhalation of dust; the disease is in the pneumoconiosis family and often afflicts textile workers.

• resultant dust from hemp and flax
• Industrial Revolution
  p. 7

Question 13

In Canada, when was there first evidence of concern for OH & S?

Answer 13

Late 19th century.

• Ontario passed legislation that established safety standards.
• Quebec soon followed suit
• early 20th century: every jurisdiction in Canada passed factory laws to regulate heating, lighting, ventilation, hygiene, fire safety, and accident reporting.
• factory inspectors were appointed in each province and territory to enforce these standards and to conduct regular inspections of workplaces.
  p. 7

Question 14

Royal Commission on the Relations of Capital and Labour in Canada (1889)
p. 7

Answer 14

• impt influence on the dev’t of H & S regulations:
  1) several recommendations for improving H & S by establishing standards and mandating regular inspections.
  2) first to recommend a system for compensating victims of industrial accidents, regardless of who was at fault.
  3) recommended that a labour bureau be created to oversee these activities.

Question 15

Decades when the Canada Labour (Standards) Code and the Canada Labour (Safety) Code was implemented?
p.7

Answer 15

1960s and 1970s.

• 1974 Royal Commission on the Health and Safety of Workers in Mines was formed
• Dr. James Ham: 3 principal rights of workers –> right to refuse dangerous work w/o penalty; right to participate in identifying and correcting H & S problems; and right to know about hazards in the workplace.
• 1988: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) –> establish in every jurisdiction in Canada

Question 16

Assumption of Risk

p. 7

Answer 16

The belief that a worker accepted the risks of employment when he or she accepted a job.

• this was the dominant model until the early 20th century when dealing w/ hazards in the workplace.
• ER: not responsible for providing compensation to injured workers unless the accident was SOLELY the fault of the ER (very few)

Question 17

Accident Proneness

p.8

Answer 17

The notion that some individuals are inherently more likely than others to be involved in accidents, as a result of individual characteristics

• 20th century doctrine; associated w/ assumption-of-risk
• little empirical support

Question 18

ERs, EEs, and the public should care about OH & S for economic, legal, and societal reasons.
p.8

T/F?

Answer 18

False.

ERs, EEs, and the public should care about OH & S for economic, legal, and moral reasons.

Question 19

Economic costs associated w/ work-related injury are both direct and indirect.
p.8

T/F?

Answer 19

True.

Question 20

Direct costs of injury include worker’s lost time, time spent in investigating the incident, and finding/training of a replacement worker.
p.9

T/F?

Answer 20

True.

Question 21

Indirect cost can include:

p.9

Answer 21

-potential increase in Worker’s Compensation Board assessment and the potential fines and legal costs associated w/ allowing an unsafe condition in the workplace.

Question 22

Indirect costs are always less than direct costs.

p.9

Answer 22

Indirect costs can be more than 10 times the direct costs of the incident.
-these costs come right from the bottom line - every dollar in cost is a dollar lost in profit.

Question 23

The costs of workplace injuries are roughly 10 billion a year.
p.9

T/F?

Answer 23

False.

-the costs of workplace injuries exceed 12 billion a year and costs are unequally distributed

Question 24

Direct and indirect estimates are accurate estimates of the true costs of workplace illness and injury.
p.9

T/F?

Answer 24

False.

• direct and indirect estimates underestimate the true costs of workplace illness and injury because:
  1) workplace injuries are not accurately reported
  2) occupational illnesses are not typically accounted for in statistical analyses of occupational fatalities.
• other associated costs: (to the ER) work stoppages and strikes due to unsafe working conditions, EEs quitting or refuse to work, ; negative publicity associated w/ a death, accident, or serious health problem

Question 25

ERs that are not concerned about the H & S of their EEs affect other ERs and taxpaying citizens.
p.10

T/F?

Answer 25

True.

• Worker’s Compensation rates are determined by industry sector.
• a negligent ER forces others in the sector to pay higher rates, and these costs are significant
• unsafe working conditions cause insurance premiums to escalate and H expenditures to increase.

Question 26

What is New Experimental Experience Rating?

Answer 26

A program that rewards ERs for implementing safe work practices by reducing Worker’s Compensation costs based on the company’s actual experience.