Human Resource Management

Dr. Karim Kobeissi Islamic University of Lebanon - 2014

Chapter 11: A Safe and Healthy Work Environment

Smoke-Free Workplaces: Dealing With the Low-Hanging Fruit

• The Surgeon General has concluded that there is no safe level

of secondhand smoke exposure.

• Having smoke-free workplace policies helps to fulfill an

employer’s legal obligation to provide a safe workplace under

OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

act .

• The policy also reduces the risk of lawsuit, potentially reduces

workers’ compensation premiums, and protects employees

from harm.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (or

OSHA) ensures worker safety and health in the United States

by working with employers and employees to create better

working environments.

• Employers are required to provide employees a safe and

healthy place to work, and this responsibility also extends to

providing safe employees.

• The courts have reasoned that a dangerous worker is

comparable to a defective machine.

Possible Financial PenaltiesEven though OSHA would like a successful partnership

relationship with employers, at times financial penalties

must be imposed. A serious hazard citation has a

maximum penalty of $7,000. A willful citation might have a

maximum amount of $70,000 per violation. Calculated

instance by instance, if 10 employees were exposed to

one hazard that the employer intentionally did not

eliminate, the penalty amount would immediately jump to

$700,000.

OSHA Inspection

The average employer will not likely see an OSHA inspector

unless an employee instigates an inspection. About 70

percent of OSHA inspections have resulted from

employee complaints. When OSHA inspectors come to a

site, the employer has the option of denying the inspector

access to the work site. If the employer refuses access to

certain documents, OSHA must obtain an administrative

subpoena.

Cases When Employee Can Legally Refuse to Work

• Employers cannot retaliate against workers who exercise their

rights, and employers who do so may be subjected to penalties.

• Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, an employee

can legally refuse to work when the following conditions exist:

- The employee reasonably fears death, disease, or serious

physical harm The harm is imminent.

- There is too little time to file an OSHA complaint and get the

problem corrected.

- The worker has notified the employer about the condition and

requested correction of the problem, but the employer has not

taken action.

Unsafe Employee Actions: Prevention• Training and orientation of new employees that emphasizes

safety is critical.

• The first approach in a safety program is to create a

psychological environment and employee attitudes that

promote safety.

• Accident rates decline when workers consciously or

subconsciously think about safety.

• Management’s role is clear, as OSHA places primary

responsibility for employee safety on the employer.

Reasons for Management Support of Safety Program

• Safety programs are supported by management for a

variety of very good reasons, and not just the potential

lost productivity of an injured worker.

• Every phase of human resource management is

involved. For instance, the firm may have difficulty in

recruitment if it gains a reputation for being an unsafe

place to work. Employee relations weaken if workers

believe that management does not care enough about

them to provide a safe workplace.

Job Hazard Analysis

• Job hazard analysis is a multistep process designed

to study and analyze a task or job and then break down

that task into steps that provide a means of eliminating

hazards. It results in a detailed written procedure for

safely completing many tasks within a plant.

• OSHA publication 3071, Job Safety Analysis, provides a

good overview on how to conduct this analysis.

Developing a Safety Program• One way to strengthen a safety program is to include employees

in the process. Larger organizations will typically have a full-time

safety engineer or safety director to provide safety training for

company employees. This involves educating line managers

about the merits of safety, and recognizing and eliminating unsafe

situations.

• Accidents can happen even in the most safety-conscious firms.

Whether or not an accident results in an injury, an organization

should carefully evaluate each occurrence to determine its cause

and to ensure that it does not happen again. The safety engineer

and the line supervisor should jointly investigate all accidents.

Ergonomics • Ergonomics is the process of designing the workplace

to support the capabilities and needs of people, rather

than requiring employees to make the adjustments.

• Ergonomics includes all attempts to structure work

conditions so that they maximize energy conservation,

promote good posture, and allow workers to function

without pain or impairment. Failure to address

ergonomics issues results in fatigue, poor performance,

and repetitive stress injuries.

Workplace ViolenceOSHA defines workplace violence as:

• physical assault

• threatening behavior

• verbal abuse

• Hostility

• harassment directed toward employees at work or on duty.

Workplace violence affects more than two million workers each year. In the

United States, 20 percent of all violent crimes occur in the workplace.

Legal Consequences of Workplace Violence

• In addition to the horror of workplace violence, there is also the

ever-present threat of legal action.

• Civil lawsuits claiming negligent hiring or negligent retention are

a constant threat.

• Negligent hiring and negligent retention are similar: It is the

liability an employer may incur when it has people on the

payroll whose records indicate a strong potential for

wrongdoing, and fails to take steps to prevent violence.

Preventive ActionsThere are two basic parts to violence prevention. First, there must be a

process in place to help with early detection of worker anger. Second,

supervisors and HR staff need to be trained in how to skillfully handle

difficult employment issues. Firms should consider the following

actions to minimize violent acts and to avoid lawsuits:

• Forbid weapons on company property, including parking

• Under suspicious circumstances, require employees to submit to

weapons searches or examinations for mental fitness for work

• Policy of zero tolerance toward violence or threats of violence

• Have employees report all suspicious or violent activity

Preventive Actions (cont.)

• Relationships with mental health experts for recommendations in dealing with emergency situations

• Train managers and receptionists to recognize warning signs of violence and techniques to diffuse violent situations

• Equip receptionists with panic buttons to alert security instantly

11-25

Potential Consequences of Stress

• Stress can be as disturbing to an individual as

any accident. It can result in excessive use of

alcohol or drugs, poor job performance, or even

overall poor health.

• Workplace stress is one of the top reasons

employees say they leave organizations.

Twelve of the most stressful jobs are:

1. Manual worker2. Administrative assistant3. Inspector4. Clinical lab technician5. Office manager6. Foreman

7. Manager/administrator8. Waiter-person9. Machine operator10. Farm owner11. Miner12. Painter

Managing Stress• Exercise • Good diet habits • Know when to pull back • Find someone who will listen • Establish some structure in your life • Recognize your own limitations • Be tolerant • Pursue outside diversions • Avoid artificial control • Put stressful situation into perspective

Wellness Programs• Wellness programs are becoming widespread as more

employers become conscious of the impact employee health has

on the firm.

• There is growing evidence that, in addition to containing direct

medical costs, effective health programs boost productivity,

reduce absenteeism, lower turnover, and improve morale.

• Optimal health can be achieved through environmental safety,

organizational changes, and healthy lifestyles.

• Some companies offer wellness programs that promote healthy

lifestyle measures such as not smoking, and exercising more to

help prevent common lifestyle diseases.

Alcohol Abuse

• Alcoholism is a medical disease characterized by uncontrolled and compulsive drinking that interferes with normal life. It is a significant problem that affects people at every level of society, and it can both result from and cause excessive stress.

• 40% of workplace fatalities and 47% of workplace injuries are related to alcohol consumption

11-35

Substance-Abuse-Free Workplace

Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to agree that they will provide drug-free workplaces as a condition of receiving a contract or grant from a federal agency.

11-37

Substance Abuse Testing

• Most employers use urine testing. • Experts regard blood tests as forensic benchmark

against which to compare others. • Hair sample analysis claims it can detect drug use

from 3 to 90 days after drug consumption. • The use of an oral fluid method is a great

preventive because it can be done immediately in the workplace and it does not give an individual an opportunity to substitute a urine specimen.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) (cont.)

• Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires federal

employees and employees of firms under government

contract to have access to EAP services.

• Primary concern is getting employees to use program.

11-41