Did You Know? Top 10 Causes of Workplace Injuries
Liberty Mutual conducts research every year called the Workplace Safety Index. In 2011,
serious work-related injuries cost employers $55 billion. The ten leading causes of workplace
injuries in 2011 were overexertion, other exertions or bodily reactions, falls on same level, falls
to lower level, bodily reaction, struck by object, roadway incidents, caught in or compressed by
equipment, repetitive motion, and slip or trip without a fall.
Discussion Question and Suggested Response
1. Think about your current job, your most recent job, or the job you would like to have Which
of the categories of injuries shown in the graph are most likely to occur on that job? (Don’t
assume injuries never occur in office jobs!)
B. Reinforcing Safe Practices
1. To ensure safe behaviors, employers should not only define how to work safely
2. One common technique for reinforcing safe practices is implementing a safety
3. Organizations can prevent certain types of injuries through a combination of job
1. Similar practices for preventing other types of injuries are available in trade
C. Promoting Safety Internationally
1. Given the increasing focus on international management, organizations also
need to consider how to ensure the safety of their employees regardless of the
nation in which they operate.
2. Cultural differences may make this more difficult than it seems.
Thinking Ethically
Is Discrimination against the Unemployed Ethical?
Should companies take the length of time someone has been unemployed into consideration
when evaluating them for a job? That is a question that many companies are struggling with
today. Currently it is legal to discriminate against the unemployed but it raises ethical questions.
Some companies even state not to apply if the person is currently unemployed and others
simply reject the applicant if unemployed. However, is this fair based on the current
unemployment rates? SHRM and the Obama administration has urged companies not to
discriminate “based solely on the applicants unemployment status.”
Discussion Questions with Possible Responses
1. IF an employer’s hiring policies give preference to those who are already employed, what is
the impact on (a) the company’s performance; (b) workers seeking jobs: (c) the communities
where a company operates? Based on the impact of these policies, would you say they are
ethical? Why or why not?
2. Apply the ethical value of fairness to these policies: Is it fair to discriminate against the long-
term unemployed? Is it fair not to let employers choose employees with a track record of
holding a job? What hiring policy best achieve fairness?
ROADMAP: Chapter Key Terms
Equal employment opportunity (EEO)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Armative action
Disability
EEOC-1 report
Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
Oce of Federal Contract Compliance Programs ( OFCCP)
Disparate treatment
Bona #de occupational quali#cation (BFOQ)
Disparate impact
Four-#fths rule
Reasonable accommodation
Sexual harassment
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA)
Right-to-know laws
Material safety data sheets (MSDSs)
Job hazard analysis technique
Technical of operations review (TOR)
ROADMAP: Review and Discussion Questions
1. What is the role of each branch of the federal government with regard to equal
employment opportunity?
2. For each of the following situations, identify one or more constitutional amendments,
laws, or executive orders that might apply:
C. A manager at an architectural firm receives a call from a local newspaper. The
reporter wonders how the firm wishes to respond to calls from two of its
employees alleging racial discrimination. About half of the firm’s employees
3. For each situation in the preceding question, what actions, if any, should the
organization take?
The student responses to this question will vary. The following items are provided to
offer some possible suggestions to be expected in their given answers. In response to
4. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that employers make reasonable
accommodations for individuals with disabilities. How might this requirement affect law
enforcement officers and firefighters?
5. To identify instances of sexual harassment, the courts may use a “reasonable woman”
standard of what constitutes offensive behavior. This standard is based on the idea that
women and men have different ideas of what behavior is appropriate. What are the
implications of this distinction? Do you think this distinction is helpful or harmful? Why?
6. Given that the “reasonable woman” standard is based on women’s ideas of what is
appropriate, how might an organization with mostly male employees identify and avoid
behavior that could be found to be sexual harassment?
7. What are an organization’s basic duties under the Occupational Safety and Health Act?
8. OSHA penalties are aimed at employers, rather than employees. How does this affect
employee safety?
9. How can organizations motivate employees to promote safety and health in the
workplace?
10. For each of the following occupations, identify at least one possible hazard and at least
one action employers could take to minimize the risk of an injury or illness related to that
hazard.
A. Worker in a fast-food restaurant
B. Computer programmer
C. Truck driver
D. House painter
The student responses given for this question will vary. However, all answers provided
should demonstrate the individual student’s understanding of the chapter concepts.
Taking Responsibility
Keeping Sprint’s Subcontractors Safe
The communication tower industry is a dangerous field with more than 18 tower workers killed in
2008. OSHA calls this industry the most dangerous one in the United States. Sprint is working
on an ambitious program to upgrade all of its 38,000 towers which means workers are working
quickly and many of the workers are contract employees. OSHA is concerned that Sprint is not
requiring the contract workers to follow the standard safety procedures. Initial reports indicate
that safety was set aside as the industry pushed to upgrade equipment to meet consumer
demand. There is evidence of poor safety training, improper equipment, and intense time
pressures. The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) shares OSHA’s concerns but
Sprint insists that safety is its top priority and that the contractors must have a written safety
program.
Discussion Questions and Possible Responses
1. What responsibility do you think Sprint has to the employees of subcontractors working on its
communication towers? How well is it meeting that responsibility?
2. Beyond the steps Sprint says it has taken, what else could it do to meet or exceed OSHA
requirements to protect worker safety at its communication towers?
Managing Talent
Walmart’s Struggle to Manage Diversity and Safety on a Grand Scale
Walmart gain national attention when they announced their Veterans Welcome Home
Commitment which guarantees a veteran a job within 12 months of returning from duty. Walmart
supports veterans because they have a record of performance as being quick learners, team
players, and the ability to perform under pressure. At the headquarters, Walmart strives to live
out its mission of “making better possible” by supporting an annual Cultural World Fair where
employees representing different ethnic backgrounds share food an art with one another. They
also have a UNITY group, African American Group, and Pride groups to help support all forms
of diversity. The company employs 2.2 million people in more than 2 dozen countries. Although
Walmart has many efforts valuing diversity there are also several EEO claims against the
company.
Discussion Questions and Possible Responses
1. In what way is Walmart trying to meet legal requirements for equal employment opportunity?
2. What could Walmart’s HR managers do to help the company improve its performance in
complying with EEO laws?
HR in Small Business
Company Fails Fair-Employment Test
Companies have to comply with federal as well as state and local laws. One company that didn’t
was Professional Neurological Services (PNS), which was cited by the Chicago Commission on
Human Relations when it discriminated against an employee because she is a parent. Chicago
is one of a few cities that prohibit this type of discrimination. The difficulties began with
employee Dena Lockwood as soon as she was interviewing for a sales position with
PNS. The interviewer noticed that Lockwood made a reference to her children, and he asked
her if her responsibilities as a parent would “prevent her from working 70 hours a week.”
Lockwood said no, but the job offer she received suggests that the interviewer had his doubts.
According to Lockwood’s later complaint, female sales reps without children routinely were paid
a $45,000 base salary plus a 10% commission. Lockwood was offered $25,000 plus the 10%
commission. Lockwood negotiated and eventually accepted $45,000 plus 5%, with a promise to
increase the commission rate to 10% when she reached sales of $300,000. She was also
offered five vacation days a year; when she objected, she was told not to worry. Lockwood
worked hard and eventually reached her sales goal. Then the company raised the requirement
for the higher commission rate, and the situation took a turn for the worse. Lockwood’s daughter
woke up one morning with pink-eye, a highly contagious ailment. Lockwood called in to
reschedule a meeting for that day, but her manager told her not to bother; she was being fired.
When Lockwood asked why, the manager said “it just wasn’t working out.” She went to the
Chicago Human Relations Commission for help. The commission investigated and could find no
evidence of performance-related problems that would justify her dismissal. Instead, the
commission found that Lockwood was a victim of “blatant” discrimination against employees
with children and awarded her $213,000 plus attorney’s fees—a hefty fine for a company with
fewer than 50 employees. PNS stated that it would appeal the decision.
Questions
1. Why do you think “parental discrimination” was the grounds for this complaint instead of a
federally protected class? Could you make a case for discrimination on the basis of sex? Why or
why not?
2. How could Professional Neurological Services have avoided this problem?
3. Imagine that the company has called you in to help it hold down human resources costs,
including costs of lawsuits such as this one. What advice would you give? How can the
company avoid discrimination and still build an efficient workforce?
HRM DVD Vol 3 Suggested Video with Discussion Questions and Possible Responses
Video Part 1: Managers Hot Seat: Workplace Aggression (9:52) and Manager’s
Afterthoughts (3:21)
Video Summary
The employee in this film (Gloria) has requested a meeting with her manager because of a
concern that one of her direct reports (John) was becoming physically threatening and
intimidating. His behavior included entering her office unannounced, hovering over her, and not
answering her questions. He also blocked Gloria in the hall refusing to let her by until he
answered his question. When Gloria tried to walk around John, he physically grabs her arm and
refuses to let her go until she answers his question. Gloria and her supervisor are discussing
the situation when John breaks in to the meeting and refuses to leave.
Discussion Questions
1. What proper steps in an investigation did you witness in this case? Were there any
weaknesses?
2. Do you think that the manager should have allowed the accused employee to enter and
participate in the meeting?
