Chapter 13 Meeting Employee Safety and Health Needs

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Chapter 13Meeting Employee Safety and Health
Needs
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HRM and Competitive Advantage
HR Planning Job Analysis
Recruitment Selection
Output Retention Legal Compliance Company Image
Competence Motivation Work Attitudes
Cost Leadership Product Differentiation
Training/Develop. Performance App. Compensation Pr
oductivity Imp.
Workplace Justice Unions Safety
Health International
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Linking Safety and Health Practices to
Competitive Advantage
Reduced Absenteeism
Reduced Turnover
Minimize Employee Health Problems
Competitive Advantage
Reduced Medical Costs
Increased Productivity
Reduced Litigation
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The Costs of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

• Medical and insurance
• Workers compensation
• Survivor benefits
• Lost wages
• Damaged equipment and materials

• Production delays
• Other workers time losses
• Selection and training costs for replacement
  workers
• Accident reporting

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Laws Regulating Safety and Health Practices at
the Workplace

• Occupational Safety and Health Act (1970)
• Employee Right-to-Know Law (1984)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

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Occupational Safety and Health Act (1970)

• Sets and enforces workplace safety standards
• Promotes employer-sponsored educational programs
  that foster safety and health
• Requires employers to keep records regarding
  job-related safety and health matters

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Agencies Created by OSHA

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and
  Health

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OSHA Areas of Basic Concern

• Fire safety
• Personal protection equipment
• Electrical safety
• Basic housekeeping
• Machine guards

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OSHA Inspection Priority Classification
High Priority

• Imminent danger
• Fatality or catastrophe investigations
• Employee complaint investigations
• General programmed inspections

Low Priority
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Requirements of Employee Right-to-Know Law (1984)

• Develop a system for inventorying hazardous
  substances
• Label the containers of these substances
• Provide employees with needed information and
  training to handle and store these substances
  safely

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Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

• Prohibits employment discrimination based on a
  persons disability

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Causes of Workplace Accidents
Most Frequent

• Employee error
• Equipment insufficiency
• Procedure insufficiency

Least Frequent
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Accident Prevention Strategies

• Employee selection
• Employee training
• Safety incentive programs
• Safety audits
• Accident investigations
• Safety committees

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High-Risk Personality Characteristics

• Risk-taking
• Impulsiveness
• Rebelliousness
• Hostility

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Employee Training

• Training on safe and proper job procedures
  reduces accidents.

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Safety Incentive Programs

• Motivate safe behavior by providing workers with
  incentives for avoiding accidents.
• Formulate safety goals and reward employees if
  these goals are met.

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Accident Investigations

• Determine accident causes so that changes can be
  made to prevent future occurrences of similar
  accidents.

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Safety Committees

• Assist with inspections and investigations.
• Conduct meetings.
• Answer workers questions.
• Identify safety concerns.
• Develop programs.

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Safety Committees

• Identify improvements.
• Develop safety incentive programs.
• Develop ideas to improve safety.
• Prepare evacuation plans.
• Prepare disaster procedures.

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Employee Health Problems

• Repetitive motion disorders
• Lower back disorders
• AIDS
• Substance abuse
• Employee wellness
• Workplace stress
• Workplace violence

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Repetitive Motion Disorders

• Repetitive stress injuries which affect tendons
  that become inflamed from the strains and
  stresses of repeated, forceful motions

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• A repetitive motion disorder in which people
  experience pain in the eight wrist bones, or
  carpals, that form a tunnel

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Task Conditions Associated with Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome
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Task Conditions Associated with Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome

• Frequent, repetitive use of the same movements of
  the hand or wrist
• The generation of high force by the hand
• Sustained awkward hand positions
• The regular use of vibrating or hand-held tools
• Frequent or prolonged pressure over the wrist at
  the base of the palm

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Strategies for Reducing Repetitive Motion
Disorders

• Ergonomics
• Training
• Physical fitness training

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High-Risk Activities for Sustaining Lower Back
Disorders

• Lifting objects
• Pushing and pulling objects
• Carrying objects
• Sitting
• Body vibrations

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Strategies for Reducing Lower Back Disorders

• Prescreen individuals with existing back problems
  or the propensity to develop them
• Job training (proper lifting techniques)
• Fitness training (strengthen the lower back)

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Strategies for Dealing with AIDS in the Workplace

• Do not screen out or terminate qualified
  HIV-infected victims unless the disease impedes
  their job performance.
• Educate employees about how the AIDS virus is
  transmitted (and how it is not transmitted).

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Substance Abuse Costs to U.S. Employers

• Lost productivity
• Accidents
• Workers compensation
• Health insurance claims
• Theft of company property

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Strategies for Reducing Substance Abuse Problems
in the Workplace

• Screen out applicants and discharge employees who
  have been identified as substance abusers.
• Train supervisors to detect substance abuse.
• Provide employee assistance programs.

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Employee Wellness

• Seeks to eliminate certain debilitating health
  problems that can be caused by a persons poor
  lifestyle choices

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How Poor Employee Health Affects Competitive
Advantage
Absenteeism Turnover Medical Costs
Productivity
increases
decreases
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Employee Wellness Programs

• Physical fitness facilities
• On-site health screening
• Smoking cessation
• Stress management
• Nutrition and weight management

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How Workplace Stress Affects Competitive Advantage

• Workers may perform poorly.
• Workers may quit their jobs.
• Workers may suffer low morale.
• Conflicts among workers may occur.
• Workers may miss work.
• Workers may be indifferent toward coworkers and
  customers.

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How HRM Programs can Reduce Stress
Match workers to jobs
Clarify job expectations
HRM Programs
Lower Stress
Clarify performance expectations
Clarify reward expectations
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HRM Practices that can Reduce Stress

• Effective selection and training procedures
• Clearly written job descriptions
• Effective performance appraisal systems
• Effective pay-for-performance programs

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Costs of Workplace Violence

• Victims medical and psychiatric care
• Repairs and clean-up
• Insurance rate hikes
• Increased security measures
• Increased absenteeism

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Employers Legal Liability for Workplace Violence

• It knew or should have known that a criminal act
  was probable.
• It could have reasonably protected the employee
  from criminal assault, but failed to do so.
• Its failure to protect the employee caused the
  subsequent injuries to occur.

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Strategies for Reducing Workplace Violence

• Improved lighting
• Employee escort services to and from parking lots
• Reception areas that can be locked when no one is
  on duty
• A policy stipulating that there are always at
  least two people on duty
• Security systems

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Strategies for Reducing Workplace Violence

• Policies regarding visitor access
• Curved mirrors at hallway intersections or
  concealed areas
• Bullet-proof glass

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Line Managers and Employee Safety

• Help employees want to work safely.
• Ensure that workers are doing their jobs safely.
• Investigate accidents.

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Line Managers and Employee Health

• Ensure legal compliance (ADA).
• Alleviate worker stress.
• Maintain confidentiality of employee information.

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The HRM Department and Employee Safety and Health

• Develop safety and health programs.
• Select safety and health programs.
• Evaluate safety and health programs.
• Ensure OSHA compliance.
• Incorporate safety and health concerns in HRM
  practices.

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How to Conduct a Safety Audit

• Step 1 Observation
• Step 2 Employee discussion
• Step 3 Recording and follow-up

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How to Investigate Accidents

• Ensure the safety of all employees.
• Identify both immediate and underlying causes of
  the accident.
• Make sure the accident scene is kept intact until
  the investigation is finished.
• Inspect the location and interview injured or
  affected workers, eyewitnesses, and others with
  information.