Employee Health and Safety

• Employee safety and health involves managing safety and health hazards in the workplace

• Safety hazards are conditions that can cause immediate harm

• Health hazards are characteristics that slowly damage an employee's health

• Factors like the physical environment, defective equipment, poor lighting, improper dress, and personal actions can cause accidents

• Chemicals, toxic fumes, and secondary smoke may produce negative health effects over time

• Occupational illnesses include skin diseases, lung issues from dust, respiratory problems from toxic agents, poisoning, and disorders from physical agents or repeated trauma

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

• OSHA authorizes the U.S. government to set and enforce occupational safety and health standards
• The Department of Labor is responsible for enforcing these standards
• OSHA inspectors may visit workplaces randomly or by invitation
• Employers must maintain detailed records of illnesses and injuries
• Employers must report accidents and illnesses resulting in death or serious health hazards
• Some critics find OSHA too comprehensive, technical, arbitrary and enforcement is relatively uneven

Controlling Accidents

• Safety engineering involves designing safer workplaces
• Safety engineers identify dangerous situations and recommend solutions
• Providing protective clothing and safety devices is important
• Training should cover safe work procedures and how to report unsafe conditions
• Safety incentives and behavior modification training are beneficial
• Organizations can reduce accidents for example by reducing the amount of lost workdays due to accidents
• A strong safety climate, where safety is a priority influencing employee behavior, is crucial

Workplace Diseases

• Addressing workplace diseases requires reducing or eliminating hazardous conditions
• Companies should inform employees about job risks and hazards

Physical Environment Factors

• The number of hours worked affects employee health
• Compressed schedules can cause fatigue and reduce productivity
• Adapting to shift work can be difficult due to circadian rhythm disruption
• Illumination, temperature, and workspace affect productivity, attitudes, and behavior

Stress At Work

• Stress is an adaptive response to excessive psychological or physical demands
• Stressors include task demands (occupation, security, overload) and physical demands (job setting, temperature, office design)
• Stress is caused by role ambiguity, role conflict, group pressure, leadership style, and conflicting personalities

How Individuals Experience Stress Differently

• Type A personalities are highly competitive and work-focused, experiencing more stress
• Type B personalities are less aggressive and more patient
• Hardiness is an individual trait that helps people handle stress
• High self-esteem reduces susceptibility to stress-related problems
• Gender influences how individuals experience stress, which may be linked to differences in stressors

Consequences of Stress

• Consequences of stress include behavioral, psychological, and medical issues for individuals

• Consequences of stress also include decline in performance and changes in attitudes for organizations

• Burnout occurs when individuals experience too much pressure and too few sources of satisfaction

• Dysfunctional behavior resulted from stress includes turnover, absenteeism, theft, sabotage, harassment, violence and aggression

Wellness Programs

• Institutional programs are conducted through organizational structures
• Collateral stress programs directly help workers deal with stress
• Employee-fitness programs reduce stress
• Promoting humor and massage can combat stress

Other Interventions

• During the swine flu outbreak, OSHA issued guidelines
• Some companies closed, while others had remote employees during COVID-19
• Restrictions were put in place regarding public gatherings, events, and activities
• A survey reports that anxiety and depression symptoms increased from 11% in January 2019 to 41% by January 2021

Bullying

• Workplace bullying is recognized as a significant source of job stress
• Over 27% of adult workers in the United States have observed bullying at work
• Women and nonwhite employees are more likely to be bullied
• Strong organizational rules against bullying may be the best response

Workplace Security

• Living in a safe and secure environment is a basic human need
• Factors contributing to insecurity at work include layoff announcements, insurance and retirement plan concerns, terrorist threats, privacy issues, and election result questions
• Schools are specific workplaces where physical safety has become more problematic
• Possible solutions include tougher gun laws, enforcement of current laws, bans on weapons, and mental health focus
• Natural disasters like hurricanes also threaten workplace security