Chapter Eleven – STRESS AND SAFETY
TRUE OR FALSE: Place T or F in the space provided.
_____1. Stress has been defined as the response that occurs when the
requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of
the workplace.
_____2. Workplace stress involves a worker’s feelings resulting from a
perceived di”erence between the demands of the job and a person’s
capacity to cope with these demands.
_____3. The human response to stress may be likened to that of a rubber
band being stretched.
_____4. All sources of stress on the job can be eliminated, if precautions are
taken.
_____5. One of the most important factors with stress is learning to recognize
its symptoms and taking the symptoms seriously.
_____6. Unions view stress as the result of excessive demands, poor
supervision, or con.icting demands.
_____7. A poll for a life insurance company shows an epidemic of industrial
stress.
_____8. Psychosomatic reaction to stress may eventually lead to autoimmune
disease.
_____9. Psychosocial questionnaires evaluate workers’ productivity on the
job.
_____10. Shift work can require some employees to work when the majority
of people are resting.
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Circle the letter before the correct answer.
1. A pathological, and generally undesirable, human reaction to
psychological, social, occupational, or environmental stimuli is which of the
following?
A. Heart disease
B. Nervous disorder
C. Stress
D. Back problems
2. Sources of on the job stress involve all of the following except:
A. Physical working conditions
B. Work overload
C. Personal and family problems
D. Job enrichment
3. M. Selye’s three stages of the human stress response are which of the
following?
A. Overload, temper, and reaction
B. Alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
C. Resistance, reaction, and alarm
D. Alertness, resistance, and alarm
4. The best policy regarding stress is which of the following?
A. Learn to do away with all stress
B. Learn to adapt to it
C. Avoid all stressful situations
D. Learn to adapt to being sick because of stress
5. Which of the following is not a strategy for stress reduction?
A. Increasing employees’ hourly pay rate
B. Employees can work .exible hours
C. Employees are given information on how to cope with stress
D. Employees work spaces are not crowded
10. T
5. A
1. Define stress.
2. How is workplace stress di”erent from general stress?
3. List five sources of workplace stress and give an on-the-job example for
each source.
4. Explain why lack of job autonomy may cause workplace stress.
5. Give five categories of human reaction to workplace stress.
6. How are psychosomatic reactions to stress and actual physiological illness
related?
7. How are some autoimmune diseases and workplace stress related?
8. Explain three stages of human reaction to stress.
9. Explain three ways in which mental workload can be measured.
10. Discuss e”orts to rid the workplace of all causes of workplace stress.
11. What type of data do psychosocial questionnaires provide? Discuss the
bias in this type of data.
12. Discuss how shift work causes workplace stress. Give suggestions for
minimizing workplace stress from shift work.
13. Give specific steps that can be taken by managers to help reduce
workplace stress.
14. Discuss at least five methods to reduce workplace stress, according to
the life insurance company research.
15. Explain how individuals can reduce workplace stress.