Chapter 13—Promoting Safety, Health, and Well-Being in the Workplace
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. In the chapter opening vignette “Managing Human Resources at Deere & Company”, the company’s
focus on safety, health, and well-being has been successful in all of the following EXCEPT:
a.
reducing the company’s injury frequency and severity rate to below the industry average
b.
having no employee miss a day or more of work due to injury in its Cylinder Division
since 1995
c.
winning the Grenhardt Award in 2008 for its occupational health and industrial hygiene
programs
d.
all of the above are areas of success for Deere & Company
e.
only a and b
2. As Sam was driving past a construction site, he noticed the following sign: “Congratulations to all
Miller Construction employees. We have gone 458 days without an accident.” Why would the
construction company be so proud of this fact?
a.
Fewer accidents mean more productivity owing to fewer lost workdays.
b.
A reduction in the number of accidents means a reduction in medical and insurance costs.
c.
A reduction in the number of accidents leads to lower workers’ compensation rates and
direct payments because of fewer claims being filed.
d.
Fewer accidents have resulted in increased efficiency and quality from a more committed
workforce.
e.
The decreased accidents would have resulted in all of the above conditions.
3. A company that made a concerted effort to reduce the rate and severity of its occupational accidents,
diseases, workplace violence, and stress-related illnesses would experience:
a.
strong employee resistance to this effort because it means a change
b.
enhanced productivity and could become significantly more effective
c.
increased insurance costs
d.
decreased flexibility and adaptability in the workforce as a result of the change
e.
an increase in employee fear for their jobs as they are forced to learn new tasks
4. Workplace safety, health, and well being:
a.
is only concerned with protecting workers from bodily harm
b.
has not proven to offer organizations any financial benefits
c.
is promoted by firms to help them better serve their multiple stakeholders’ objectives
d.
protects employees on and off the job
e.
is accurately defined by none of the above
5. The potential costs of poor workplace safety and health include all except:
a.
increased employee distrust
b.
increased worker’ compensation insurance premiums
c.
more hospitalization
d.
lost productivity
e.
all of the above are potential costs
6. _____ considers changes in the job environment in conjunction with the physical and physiological
capabilities and limitations of the employees.
a.
task synergy
b.
ergonomics
c.
physical science
d.
job redesign
e.
job specification
7. Which of the following is an example of an occupational physiological-physical condition?
a.
Warren developed a terrible headache after being exposed to a barrel of benzene at work.
b.
When her alarm clock rang to wake her up for work, Ann fell out of bed and sprained her
wrist.
c.
Terry experienced such stress at her ad agency that she developed insomnia.
d.
Irena was involved in a car wreck as she was driving to work.
e.
Ross became depressed after he was unable to master a piece of CAD/CAM software.
8. Which of the following is an example of a psychological condition caused by the individual’s activities
at work?
a.
Barb has developed carpal tunnel syndrome because she has to perform the identical
movement over 1,000 times a day at her assembly line job.
b.
The research department members have been irritable and cranky as they urgently try to
determine why the company’s new product failed.
c.
Pena gets headaches every day from staring at her computer monitor at work.
d.
Paul has a backache from having to carry fifty-pounds of fertilizer at work.
e.
Roger broke his leg when he fell off paint scaffolding while painting the outside of his
employer’s warehouse.
9. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a.
Psychological symptoms can be used to predict workplace accidents.
b.
Certain personality characteristics cannot be used to predict workplace accidents.
c.
Psychological symptoms cannot be used to predict workplace accidents.
d.
Certain personality characteristics can be used to predict psychological symptoms.
e.
None of the statements are true.
10. Which of the following is NOT a way in which training can effectively be used to improve workplace
safety, health, and well-being?
a.
training employees about safety policies and about behaviors that reduce the likelihood of
accidents and injuries
b.
teaching employees how to use new equipment intended to protect them from workplace
hazards.
c.
teaching disabled employees how to use technology or equipment that helps them be
productive.
d.
training managers in the relevant laws and regulations that govern workplace safety, health
and well-being
e.
all of the above are ways to use training to improve workplace safety, health, and
well-being
11. Which of the following is not a safety-issue clause that could be included in a collective bargaining
agreement (CBA)?
a.
management’s duty to provide safe work conditions
b.
allowing employees to refuse hazardous work s
c.
providing protective clothing
d.
forming health and safety teams that make inspections and examine records
e.
all of the above are clauses that could be included in a CBA
12. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a.
The technology that a firm uses can have a considerable effect on safety, health , and
well-being.
b.
The introduction of new technologies often greatly improve workplace safety, health, and
well-being.
c.
The introduction of new technologies can introduce new hazards into the workplace.
d.
A “macho” culture that tends to belittle safety and romanticize danger sets the stage for
accidents and injuries.
e.
All of the above are true.
13. Emily, a secretary at the local weekly newspaper, accidentally slams her index finger in the file
drawer. She gasps and passes out. After a minute or two she regains consciousness. She gets some ice
from the kitchen for her finger and continues to work the rest of the day on projects that don’t require
typing. Must this incident be recorded for OSHA?
a.
No, this did not require medical treatment other than first aid
b.
No, this did not result in a transfer to another job
c.
Yes, this resulted in a loss of consciousness
d.
No, the loss of consciousness was momentary and due to shock, not injury
e.
Yes, Emily suffered psychological stress from this accident
14. Of the following occupational injuries, which would NOT have to be recorded for OSHA?
a.
An employee is treated for a concussion and loses only a half-day work time.
b.
An employee is treated for a concussion during his lunch hour and loses no work time.
c.
An employee falls and breaks his leg while working overtime.
d.
The supervisor treats an employee’s small paper cut by putting an antiseptic on it and a
bandage.
e.
An employee needs stitches after he loses two front teeth because he was inattentive, not
because a machine was out of adjustment.
15. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:
a.
calls for safety and health inspections of all organizations, no matter how big or small
b.
requires all employers to record occupational accidents and illnesses
c.
made OSHA responsible for establishing and enforcing occupational safety and health
standards
d.
does not require employers to record minor employee injuries that require only first aid
and don’t involve medical treatment
e.
is accurately described by all of the above
16. Which of the following statements about the International Labor Organization (ILO) is True:
a.
The ILO has official regulatory power to set minimum labor standards for members of the
United Nations in a variety of domains, including workplace safety, health, and
well-being.
b.
The ILO is the directing and coordinating authority on international labor issues within the
United Nations.
c.
The ILO strives to improve labor conditions around the world under the aegis of the
United Nations
d.
The ILO promotes internationally recognized labor rights
e.
is accurately described by all of the above
17. Employees from countries high in uncertainty avoidance:
a.
have shown more positive attitudes toward safety.
b.
have shown less positive attitudes toward safety.
c.
have shown more positive attitudes toward health.
d.
have shown less positive attitudes toward health.
e.
shown more positive attitudes toward well-being.
18. Employee responsibilities in creating safe and healthy workplaces include:
a.
not reporting aches and pains to supervisors to save time and money
b.
always try to work faster and more productively
c.
being willing to change the way in which they work when solutions are found
d.
staying on the job even when injured to keep incident rates down
e.
all of these are employee responsibilities
19. _________ do not discriminate or retaliate against an employee for using their rights under OSHA.
a.
Line managers
b.
HR professionals
c.
OSHA representatives
d.
All of the above
e.
None of the above
20. According to the text, workplace accidents are most affected by:
a.
the average educational level attained by an organization’s employees
b.
organizational culture
c.
the cultural diversity of the employees
d.
working conditions
e.
employee psychographics
21. Which of the following is NOT a reason why shift work has become more prevalent in the workplace
during the past two decades?
a.
the demand for 24-hour consumer services
b.
just-in–time delivery practices in manufacturing
c.
the globalization of business
d.
the desire by workers to maintain “real” wages
e.
the desire of workers to earn higher pay
22. Which of the following statements describes a person who is LEAST likely to be “accident-prone?”
a.
Beverly is a very optimistic and trusting person who has a lot of empathy for her
co-workers who have problems.
b.
Geoffrey is 63 years old and very worried about whether he has enough money for his
retirement.
c.
Rubina is in the middle of a nasty divorce that has made her quite unhappy.
d.
Rashmi does not like to work in close contact with other employees and feels that people
in general are not to be trusted.
e.
Jackson is a very happy-go-lucky kind of guy who likes to drink a couple of beers with his
lunch and have a six-pack or two after work.
23. Which of the following statements about the consequences of an unsafe and unhealthy work
environment is true?
a.
Knee injuries are the most prevalent of all workplace injuries.
b.
Agriculture is typically the safest industry to be in nationwide.
c.
The rate of workplace death is consistently the same across states.
d.
Sprains, strains, and tears are the most prevalent type of nonfatal injury.
e.
Workplace injuries are a problem mainly for blue-collar workers.
24. What do benzene, arsenic, cotton dust, and vinyl chloride have in common?
a.
They are identified disease-causing hazards in the workplace.
b.
They are suspected of causing diseases in the workplace, but there is no proof.
c.
They are disease-causing elements in the workplace that have been eliminated.
d.
The Environmental Protection Agency has decreed these substances to be safe in the
workplace.
e.
They are non-hazardous elements found in numerous workplaces.
25. Forms of workplace stressors include all of the following EXCEPT:
a.
organizational change
b.
the physical environment
c.
poorly designed jobs
d.
stress-prone employees
e.
all of the above
26. Work pacing may be controlled by:
a.
production department policy
b.
either machines or people
c.
the way the job is designed
d.
the type of industry
e.
the type of product being produced
27. Vinny works at an assembly job in which he is responsible for operating the machine that installs belts
on lawn mowers. He only has three minutes to get three belts installed properly before the next mower
appears on the conveyor belt. This is an example of:
a.
organizational pacing
b.
task repetition
c.
machine pacing
d.
task rotation
e.
employee pacing
28. Amanda, Jorge, and Curtis are all managers at the New Covington City Hall. Over lunch, these three
managers discussed the many physical ailments, mostly respiratory problems, they and their associates
have been experiencing over the last year. Many people are also reporting feeling tired, “dragged out,”
and rundown at work. Amanda, Jorge, and Curtis decide they should investigate the possibility of:
a.
a problem with the physical environment in the building
b.
a problem with the pace of work
c.
a problem with job burnout
d.
a problem of low quality of work life
e.
a problem of contagious hypochondria
29. Which of the following examples describes how a concern about job security can cause stress?
a.
Lavinia thinks she earns less than anyone else in the accounting department does even
though she is the only one who is a CPA.
b.
Albert is constantly running afoul of the numerous petty rules his supervisor has devised.
c.
Cheri is afraid her position will be the first to disappear if the new strategic business
objectives are established.
d.
As soon as Varina gets close to meeting her sales quota, her sales manager increases it.
e.
All of the above examples describe how a concern about security can cause stress.
30. Maura has been described as a Type A, while Dean is a Type B. Which of the following statements
best describes how Maura and Dean would act in the workplace?
a.
Maura is more patient than Dean is when it comes to receiving instructions for a sales
presentation.
b.
Dean is more likely to become angered before Maura when both are told they have to
work Memorial Day weekend.
c.
Dean is more detail-oriented than Maura and more likely to be upset when the details of a
contract are not adhered to.
d.
Maura is less concerned about noncompliance than Dean when they are both assigned the
duty of team leaders of two competing sales teams.
e.
None of the above statements about Dean and Maura is correct.
31. Zeke is a high school special education teacher. He wakes up every weekday morning dreading having
to go to work and face his students. He feels like he is literally at the end of the rope and he is
beginning to resent and dislike his students. Zeke is experiencing:
a.
task repetitiveness
b.
job anxiety
c.
emotional exhaustion
d.
stress overload
e.
a loss of empathy
32. Which of the following statements about job burnout is true?
a.
One of the first signs of job burnout is emotional exhaustion.
b.
People in the later stages of job burnout have become calloused by their jobs and cynical
about their clients.
c.
A feeling of low personal accomplishment is one sign of job burnout.
d.
People in jobs in human services are most likely to experience job burnout.
e.
All of the above statements about job burnout are true.
33. Which of the following types of employees is most likely to experience job burnout or emotional
exhaustion?
a.
real estate agents
b.
bank auditors
c.
assembly line workers
d.
national park rangers
e.
police officers
34. Which of the following characteristics describe burned-out employees:
a.
cynicism
b.
depersonalization
c.
low sense of accomplishment
d.
disengagement
e.
all of the above describe burned-out employees
35. In 2007 Hale Industries had 16 work-related injuries and illnesses. It has 120 employees who work
40-hour weeks, with two weeks of vacation each year. The employees work no overtime. The total
number of work hours lost during 2007 was 11,264. Two employees were killed in an on-the-job
accident. Calculate the incidence rate for 2007.
a.
7.5
b.
9.38
c.
13.33
d.
37.5
e.
66.67
36. In 2007 Hale Industries had 16 work-related injuries and illnesses. It has 120 employees who work
40-hour weeks, with two weeks of vacation each year. The employees work no overtime. Total hours
of worked lost during 1997 was 11,264. Two employees were killed in an on-the-job accident.
Calculate the frequency rate.
a.
.677.5
b.
9.38
c.
13.33
d.
37.5
e.
66.67
37. In 2007 Hale Industries had 16 work-related injuries and illnesses. It has 120 employees who work
40-hour weeks with two weeks of vacation each year. No overtime is worked. Total hours of worked
lost during 1997 was 11,264. Two employees were killed in an on-the-job accident. Calculate the
severity rate.
a.
28.6
b.
46.9
c.
93.9
d.
22,528
e.
469,333
38. Sound performance management as applied to safety entails:
a.
Training employees in effective safety behaviors
b.
Defining clear safety goals and measures.
c.
Appraising and providing feedback on safety performance.
d.
Linking safety performance to rewards and consequences.
e.
All of the above
39. Which of the following statements does NOT indicate a potentially violent employee?
a.
Five times, Garrison has been passed over for a promotion that he believes he is entitled
to.
b.
Clare tells her co-workers, “I’m going to make you all sorry that you ever were mean to
me.”
c.
Barney keeps a large switchblade in his desk drawer; he shows the knife anytime anyone
asks him to do something at work he didn’t want to do.
d.
Andru feels that the only reason that Kiely won’t date him is because a co-worker told her
that Andru has a collection of women’s shoes. He keeps unsuccessfully asking Kiely for
dates.
e.
All of the above statements describe potentially violent employees.
40. Which if any, of the following examples does NOT describe a potentially violent employee?
a.
An employee holds a grudge against a co-worker.
b.
An employee is stalking a co-worker.
c.
An employee is extremely frustrated because he can’t master a computerized assembly line
painting system.
d.
An employee is depressed because his mother recently died.
e.
All of the above examples illustrate a potentially violent employee.
41. What are organizations doing to reduce the incidence of occupational diseases?
a.
genetic screening
b.
measuring, recording, and maintaining all employee exposures to chemical agents or
toxins
c.
ridding the workplace of toxins and chemical agents
d.
limiting the exposure of employees to toxins and chemical agents
e.
doing all of the above
42. Which of the following strategies would be used for reducing job stress and burnout?
a.
Establish individual stress management programs.
b.
Improve employees’ time management skills.
c.
Encourage employees to use vacation time
d.
Encourage employees to adopt healthy lifestyles.
e.
All of the above could be used to reduce job stress and burnout.
43. Pamela is feeling burned out from the stress of her job and the lack of support and resources she has
experienced for the last three years. Her burnout is exhibited by:
a.
the negative, cynical comments she makes.
b.
her sense of pride in what she’s been able to achieve.
c.
her ongoing drive to make her projects succeed.
d.
her concern for her co-workers and the company as a whole.
e.
all of these characteristics.
44. Several paralegals from the same law firm got together after work to have a few drinks. They talked
about the long hours without overtime pay, the recent reduction in benefits, the demanding and often
rude bosses, and their heavy, stressful workloads. Their law firm obviously has a problem with:
a.
the physical environment in the building.
b.
the pace of work.
c.
low morale and job burnout.
d.
a low quality of work life.
e.
the legal environment.
TRUE/FALSE
1. White-collar workers are also prone to occupational diseases, not only blue-collar workers.
2. Physical conditions include occupational diseases such as back pain, depression, carpal tunnel
syndrome, insomnia, and anxiety.
3. Psychological conditions result from organizational stress and a low quality of working life.
4. Medium-sized organizations have a lower incidence of accidents than small and large organizations.
5. Construction, mining, and agriculture are the top three industries for fatal occupation injuries.
6. In organizations where safety is valued and embedded in the organization’s culture, employees benefit
by experiencing fewer injuries.
7. Creating a safety driven culture does not require top down support from management, because
employees are highly motivated regarding safety.
8. An organization with a “macho culture” tends to belittle safety and romanticize danger, thus setting the
stage for accidents and injuries.
9. Whereas Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to provide
protection against accidents and diseases for workers on the job, whereas the Occupational Safety and
Health Review Commission (OSHRC) was established to provide financial aid for those unable to
work because of accidents or diseases.
10. The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) commission reviews appeals
made by organizations that received citations from OSHA inspectors for alleged safety and health
violation.
SHORT ANSWER
1. What is the primary function of OSHA?
2. An employee of Hale Industries has fallen as a result of a water spill. His only injuries were some
bruises and a small cut on his hand. Will Hale Industries have to record this accident for OSHA?
Briefly explain your answer.
3. What is willful dissent?
4. A U.S. textile mill is required to measure levels of the carcinogenic cotton dust in its factory and keep
records as to amount and exposure. What is the recordkeeping requirement if the mill is sold to a
foreign investment group?
5. List three aspects of burnout.
6. Who or what controls work pacing?
7. List four workplace stressors that put employees at risk for severe strain.
8. What is the most controversial approach to controlling occupational disease?
9. What are the four components of an effective HIV/AIDS prevention programs?
ESSAY
1. Yolanda is a recently-hired employee in the HR department at a construction company. She believes
the company would benefit if it could reduce the rates and severity of accidents and stress-related
illnesses among its employees. List the arguments she can use to convince her supervisor to launch a
company-wide safety campaign to try to improve the quality of work life for employees.
2. Why are employees of medium-sized organizations more likely to be involved in an accident than
employees of either small or large organizations?
3. Discuss the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
4. List three methods organizations use to reduce the incidence of diseases as a result of exposure to
some chemical agent or toxin.