Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Work Environment

1
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Eighth
Edition DeCenzo and Robbins
Chapter 13 Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Work
Environment
2
Read the following

• Ethical issues in HRM Safety and Health Programs
  (p. 338)

3
The Occupational Safety and Health Act

• 1970 Federal legislation
• Established health and safety standards.
• Authorized inspections and fines for violations.
• Empowered OSH Administration to ensure standards
  are met.
• Requires employers to keep records of illnesses
  and injuries, and calculate accident ratios.
• Applies to almost every U.S. business engaged in
  interstate commerce.

4
OSHA Enforcement Priorities

• 1. Imminent danger Where an accident is about
  to occur.
• 2. Accidents that have led to serious injuries or
  death
• Employer must report within 8 hours.
• 3. Employee complaints Employees have right to
  call OSHA.
• Inspect industries with highest injury/illness
  rates, such as
• chemical processing
• roofing sheet metal
• meat processing
• Additionally, special emphasis is placed on the
  handling of hazardous waste.
• 4. Random inspection
• Supreme Court ruled that employers are not
  required to let OSHA inspectors enter without
  search warrants.
• It is recommended that companies cooperate with
  inspectors.

• lumber wood products
• mobile homes campers
• stevedoring

5
The Occupational Safety and Health Act

• OSHAs Record-Keeping Requirements
• Basis for record-keeping is Form 300
• Must report any work-related illness report
  injuries that require medical treatment besides
  first aid, involve loss of consciousness,
  restriction of work or motion, or transfer to
  another job.
• Incidence rate Number of illnesses, injuries or
  lost workdays per 100 full-time workers.
• OSHA Punitive Actions
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 allows
  fines up to 70,000 if violation is severe,
  willful and repetitive.
• Fines can be for safety violations or failure to
  keep adequate records.
• Courts have backed criminal charges against
  executives when they have willfully violated
  health and safety laws.

6
OSHA A Critique

• has made organizations more aware of health
  safety
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and
  Health (NIOSH) researching setting standards
  for new areas
• blood-borne pathogens
• chemical process safety
• motor vehicle safety
• Hazard Communication Standard (1983) requires
  orgns to communicate information about
  hazardous chemicals by
• labeling containers
• distributing data sheets (Material Data Safety
  Sheets)
• training employees in their safe handling
• Since 9/11 has provided assistance on contingency
  planning to deal with emergencies.

• protective equipment
• ergonomics

7
Job Safety Programs

• Costs of Accidents
• Workers compensation premiums.
• Time lost due to injury.
• Time to investigate/report accidents.
• Damage to equipment/ materials.
• Work stoppages/ personnel changeover.

• Causes of Accidents
• Accidents generally classified as human or
  environmental.
• Human causes responsible for majority of
  accidents.
• Environmental causes include
• tools
• equipment
• physical plant
• general work environment

Preventive Measures education, skill, training,
engineering, protection devices, regulation
enforcement (see exhibit 13-5)
8
Job Safety Programs

• Ensuring Job Safety
• Management needs feedback from inspections,
  reports, observations.
• Safety should be part of organizational culture.
• Top management must be committed to safety.
• Safety committees empower employees to maintain a
  safe environment.
• A Safety Issue Workplace Violence
• Homicide is the 2 cause of work-related death.
• Recommended HRM actions
• Develop a plan, incl review of policies
  employee treatment.
• Train supervisors to identify deal with
  troubled employees.
• Implement stronger security mechanisms.
• Prepare employees to deal with violent
  situations.

9
Maintaining a Healthy Work Environment

• Sick buildings are office environments that
  contain harmful airborne chemicals, asbestos, or
  indoor pollution.
• Suggestions for keeping the environment healthy
  include
• Making sure workers get enough fresh air.
• Avoiding suspect building materials and
  furnishings.
• Testing new buildings for toxins before
  occupancy.
• Providing a smoke-free environment.
• Keeping air ducts clean and dry.
• Paying attention to workers complaints.

10
Maintaining a Healthy Work Environment

• The Smoke-Free Environment
• Costs of smokers include
• increased health premiums
• absenteeism
• lost productivity due to smoke breaks
• maintenance costs
• harm to coworkers by second-hand smoke
• Smoke-free policies at work include banning
  smoking or restricting it to properly ventilated
  designated areas.
• Employees should be involved in phase-in of
  programs.
• Some employers offer incentives help for
  employees to stop smoking.

11
Maintaining a Healthy Work Environment

• Repetitive Stress Injuries
• Injuries resulting from continuous, repetitive
  movements, such as typing.
• Also referred to as musculoskeletal disorders
  (MSDs).
• The most frequent injury is carpal tunnel
  syndrome, which occurs in the wrist.
• Ergonomics, or fitting the work environment to
  the individual, can prevent repetitive motion
  injuries.
• Includes design of environment furniture to fit
  the individual.

12
Defining Stress

• Dynamic condition in which an individual is
  confronted with opportunity, constraint or demand
  related to what he or she desires for which
  outcome is uncertain and important.
• May be caused by either positive factors
  (opportunities) or negative.
• Eustress - positive stress that accompanies
  achievement exhilaration
• Distress - harmful stress, feelings of insecurity
  inadequacy
• Alarm reaction - karoshi, death from overworking,
  illustrates the pervasive nature of stress.

13
Common Causes of Stress

• Organizational Factors
• Task demands job design, working conditions,
  physical layout, work quotas.
• Role demands role conflicts, role overload
  role ambiguity.
• Interpersonal demands lack of social support
  poor interpersonal relationships.
• Organizational structure excessive rules lack
  of opportunity to participate.
• Organizational leadership supervisory styles
  which cause unrealistic pressures, tight
  controls, threat of job loss.
• Personal Factors
• family issues, personal economic problems,
  inherent personality characteristics

14
Symptoms of Stress

• Physiological symptoms (increased blood pressure,
  headaches, increased pulse rate, etc.) are the
  most difficult to observe.
• Psychological symptoms (increased tension
  anxiety, boredom, procrastination, etc.) can lead
  to productivity decreases.
• Behavioral symptoms (increased smoking or
  substance consumption, sleep disorders, etc.)
  also affect the organization.

15
Reducing Stress

• HRM approaches include
• matching individuals to their jobs
• clarifying expectations
• redesigning jobs
• offering involvement and participation
• Dilemmas for HRM include
• balancing the need to energize people with the
  need to minimize dysfunctional stress
• deciding how much an employer can intrude on
  employees personal lives

16
A Special Case of Stress Burnout

• Burnout is a function of 3 concerns
• Chronic emotional stress with emotional and/or
  physical exhaustion
• Lowered job productivity
• Dehumanizing of jobs
• Causes symptoms of burnout (exhibit 13-7)
• Orgn characteristics caseload, turnover rate
• Perceptions of orgn commn, peers, rules,
  support
• Perceptions of role autonomy, pressure,
  meaningfulness
• Individual characteristics sex, age, tenure,
  family
• Outcomes satisfaction, turnover
• Reducing burnout - 4 techniques are proposed
• Identification, prevention, mediation,
  remediation

17
The Employee Assistance Program

• Provides employees visits with counselors at
  company expense usually visits are off-site.
• Help control rising health insurance costs.
• Employees and supervisors must be familiar with
  and trust the program and perceive EAPs as
  worthwhile.
• Confidentiality is guaranteed.
• For every dollar spent on EAP programs, studies
  estimate a return of 5.00 to 16.00 in savings.

18
Wellness Programs

• Programs to keep employees healthy
• include smoking cessation, physical fitness,
  weight control, etc.
• Designed to cut employer health costs lower
  absenteeism.
• Employees must view programs as having value.
• Must have top management support.
• Should also provide services for employees
  families.
• Need opportunities for employee input.

19
International Safety and Health

• International Health Issues
• An up-to-date health certificate providing
  records of employee vaccinations
• A General First Aid Kit should include
  over-the-counter prescription medications and
  other supplies that might not be available to
  U.S. workers abroad.
• Emergency plans help expatriates anticipate
  medical needs locate resources.
• International Safety Issues
• U.S. Department of State hotline provides
  travel alerts about such issues as terrorist
  activity or disease outbreaks.
• Security concerns prompt recommendations
  regarding travel modes, attire, blending in.