International Community Ergonomics Principles:

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International Community Ergonomics
Principles Promoting Corporate Responsibility in
Developing Countries
Maria Julia Brunette University of
Wisconsin-Madison Industrial Engineering
Department
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Workers in Industrially Developing Countries
About two-thirds of human beings live in the
Third World. This is where poverty and inequality
are relatively more common. This is where much
work is still degrading and far from being
humane. This is where ergonomics has yet to make
its presence felt in practice
(Shahnavaz, 1996)
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Industrially Developing Countries (IDCs)
IDCs ?
North/South ?
Developed/Developing?
First/Third World?

• Low wages
• Long working hours
• Intense work
• Poor workplace safety and hygiene

(International Labor Organization, 1998)
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Developing countries
Most of the countries in Africa, Latin America
and the Middle East
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Globalization
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Corporate Social Responsibility

• Irresponsible MNCs practices have resulted in
• Environmental Impacts
• Extensive waste and degradation of natural
  resources (tropical forests, marine coastal
  resources, freshwater resources)
• Global climate the ozone layer
• Social Impacts
• Unacceptable and degrading working conditions
• Threats to livelihoods and cultures
• Community residents affected by pollution and
  waste
• Consumers health and nutrition levels

(Utting, 1999)
(Utting, 1999)
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Corporate Social Responsibility
MNCs can be good citizens assuming
responsibility for the huge and growing social
environmental impact of their operations

• CSR has been approached to
• CHARITY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
• ENVIRONMENT
• WORKING CONDITIONS (less emphasis)

(Lloyd Salter, 1999)
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Working Conditions

• Working Conditions
• Working conditions are factors determining the
  situation in which the worker lives
• Wages and benefits
• Working time
• Certain work organization aspects
• Welfare services
• Physical environment
• Occupational safety health
• Discrimination-related issues

(Clerc, 1985)
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Working Conditions
Not only do bad working conditions cause
occupational accidents and diseases they are
also the source of tension, fatigue and
dissatisfaction leading to poor health, high
absenteeism, rapid labor turnover and mediocre
productivity
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Conditions of Work in Latin America Todays
Reality

• Wages
• Working time
• Occupational Safety Health
• Freedom of Association Collective Bargaining
• Child labor
• Weak government regulations among Latin American
  countries do not protect workers from
  inadmissible working conditions

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International Community Ergonomic
Principles (Derjani-Bayeh and Smith, 2000)

• Principles focus on a goal of
• Social responsibility
• Fairness
• Social justice

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International Community Ergonomic
Principles (Derjani-Bayeh and Smith, 2000)

• The FIT principle
• The BALANCE principle
• The SHARING principle
• The RECIPROCITY principle
• The SELF-REGULATION principle
• The SOCIAL-TRACKING principle
• The HUMAN RIGHTS principle
• The PARTNERSHIP principle