Chapter 12

Question 1

How have workplace safety responsibilities shifted over time?

Answer 1

1900s: assumption of risk 100% on the employees (careless worker model = assumes most accidents were from workers’ failure to be careful or to protect themselves)
Later 1980s/90s: shifted to a shared responsibility model cooperation between management and workers = cooperation between management and workers
Now: only employers pay really now, and how much depends on industry

Question 2

What are some stats for workplace injuties?

Answer 2

• 800,000 claims each year in Canada aprox
• around 25% involve young workers
• within ^ group most are in first 6 months of working there

Question 3

What are some examples of workplace health hazards?

Answer 3

• physical agents (noise, temperatures, radiation)
• biological agents (viruses, and parasites)
• ergonomically related injuries (sitting is the new smoking!)
• chemicals @WHMIS
• even something like fluorescent lights can make people sick
• ‘sick building syndrome’ is unseen harm that can mess with immune systems or other things for people spending time in there (esp with weak immune systems, such as asbestos or lots of dust in the air)

Question 4

Are workplace safety regulations federal or provincial?

Answer 4

Both! each has detailed legislation that addresses health and safety

Question 5

What are the 3 fundamental rights employees have in regards to workplace safety?

Answer 5

1) the right to know about hazards in the workplace
2) the right to participate in correcting those hazards
3) the right to refuse dangerous work

Question 6

What are two main regulations/requirements regarding health and safety?

Answer 6

• workplace health and safety committees are usually required in workplaces with 20+ employees
• suppliers have to lable all all hazardous products –> WHIMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) (need say where they are in the area, how to transport safely)

Question 7

Which levels of management are responsible for workplace health and safety?

Answer 7

All hands on deck type of vibe!

1) Top management = set policies, make health and safety an essential part of org culture and strategy
2) supervisors = need be good at managing safety, so knowing health + safety laws, regulations, trained in observing safety violations, have communication skills to convey necessary information to employees
3) employees = trained to understand safety rules and how to operate equipment safely

^ everyone needs to model the right choices for others (dont just talk the talk, walk it!)

Question 8

What is a safety audit?

Answer 8

Routinely conducted to ensure the organization is compliant with safety rules and routines and back up safety communication with the necessary paperwork and safety related committees meet periodically

Question 9

What is the safety climate?

Answer 9

The perceptions about the value and importance of safety in the workplace
–> an important factor affecting safety knowledge and motivation, which in turn impacts safety behaviour
= employee attitude toward safety procedures

‘climate’ bc it changes a lil more often and easily than culture

Question 10

What are the 8 dimensions of the safety climate?

Answer 10

1. Management commitment to safety (gotta be INTO IT)
2. Supervisory support for safety
3. Supportive human resource management practices (good training!)
4. Work group support for safety policies and practices
5. Workplace safety systems (bundle of programs policies etc that work and fit together – something like merit pay would work against bc people sacrifice safety for better performance)
6. Quality of communication between people and other stakeholders
7. Assessment of workplace risks (all orgs gotta assess, even places that are quite safe relatively speaking, such as UofA campus/classrooms)
8. Work and performance pressures

Question 11

What are some issues with high workplace stress?

Answer 11

• contribute to an unsafe workspace
• can lead to burnout = mental, emotional, physical exhaustion from prolonged stress –> disengaged from work :. more unsafe
• karoshi! = death by overwork (Japan: started from big economic growth post-WWII, work very hard for collectivist country lol, working too much overtime)
• mental health issues

Question 12

What are some stats regarding workplace stress? What are some strategies and other changes that are being used to counter workplace stress and mental health issues?

Answer 12

Stats:

• mental health accounts for around $6 billion in absenteeusm in Canada
• workplace violence is also on the rise (employee v. employee, customer v. employee)

Strategies:

• fitness and employee wellness programs
• org need recognize how they contribute to stress! (ex: sometimes a culture thing, like get shunned/judged if leave before 8pm)