Topic: Unsafe Working Environment

Responsible Operations Project

Topic: Unsafe Working Environment

Points of interest:

1)  No/Lax safety regulation

a.  Health concerns

i.  Unhealthy work conditions are still commonplace in many aspects of American work culture, especially in minimal wage service jobs

1.  Examples of

a.  Reusing potential biohazardous or viral materials

b.  Exposure to work areas with asbestos without proper protection

c.  No safety protocols followed with some companies that hired illegal workers

ii. There has been many legal offices founded to sue businesses that have do not protect their workers

1.  Has helped increase health regulations for legal workers

iii.  some businesses have responded to the requirements of safety (in addition to many other requirements) by outsourcing their jobs to 3rd world nations

1.  while the US has safety standards for its workers, not all nations do

a.  conditions include but are not limited to,

i.  long hours, with little pay

ii. poor rations

iii.  physical abuse

iv.  dirty work environments

v. no protections or compensation if injured while on the job

iv.  to prevent abuses in safety in the United States we have

1.  OSHA

a.  Occupational safety and health administration

i.  Part of the Department of Labor

ii. Aimed to prevent work injuries and improve health conditions

iii.  Covers private and public work areas

iv.  Has been weakened over the years to allow for more free trade

b.  Emergency policy

i.  OSHA enforces these policies as well

1.  main goal of enforcement is to minimize deaths

ii. Most employers have policies in place, or follow OSHA’s policies

1.  Expanded greatly from abuses in the early 1900s

a.  Triangle Shirt Waist Fire

i.  March 25, 1911

ii. 196 workers killed in a fire because the way out had been locked

1.  Increased demand for safety regulation

2.  Union growth

iii.  Sweatshops have policies similar to the Triangle shirt waist company

1.  Poor ventilation caused 26 deaths at a Bangladesh sweatshop in 2010

2.  17 die in a Chinese sweatshop fire, caused by an electric short circuit last month

a.  There is very poor safety regulation in china

iv.  While we have safety regulations, most developing nations do not have safety inspectors or they are corrupt or bribed to look away

SOURCES:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110321122112AAWvlHM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_Safety_and_Health_Administration

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/17-killed-24-injured-in-beijing-sweatshop-fire-20110425-ncx

http://uhstudentsagainstsweatshops.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/fire-in-bangladesh-sweatshop-kills-21/