OSHA

Mike Benett, retired president of a UAW local, is considered an occupational safety and health sentinel because of actions he took after noticing:

A large number of cancer deaths in relatively young workers. "It was in the late 1970's that I began to notice an unusually large number of people dying of cancer at a young age. People began to talk about it. In 1978, after being elected President of the Local, I began to collect death certificates of our members and began my own study of the death rate in 1980." - from an interview with Mike Bennett

Lockout tagout is:

A safety procedure used to ensure that dangerous machines that are out-of-service are not turned on.

The scientific examination of occupational health issues first emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

False- Observations and concerns about worker health and safety can be tracked to the beginning of recorded history.

During the Industrial Revolution, child labor was valued because:

-Children were small enough to fit in to spaces in mines and factories where adults could not fit -Children could be paid less than adults. -Children were easier to control than adults.

Which occupations use the scientific method?

-Doctor -Lawyer -Corporate CEO -Economist The scientific method is used in the natural sciences (such as biology), the medical sciences (such as toxicology), and the social sciences (such as economics, political science, and sociology). In business, the scientific method may be referred to as "problem solving" - requiring defining the problem, generating alternatives, evaluating alternatives, and implementing solutions.

OSHA regulates through:

-Enforcement -Cooperative Programs -Education and Information

What are ways workers can prevent taking hazardous toxins home?

-If provided, shower at work. -Know what the safety rules are and follow them. -Launder work clothes separately. -Leave soiled clothes at work.

Occupational safety and health is part of the field of _____________ health.

-public Occupational safety and health is part of public health. Public health is a multi-disciplinary field where people work to improve and protect the health of communities and entire populations while they are still healthy, rather than treating individuals after they become ill. Public health regards the community as its patient with a focus on prevention.

The foundation principle of industrial hygiene is to control workplace hazards through:

Anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control. -with the objective of protecting the health and well-being of workers and the community at large.

Where a group or individual stands on a particular OSH issues rarely changes. In other words, the position taken now will most likely be the same in the future.

False- Positions are fluid and changeable. As we know from issues currently in the news - the power and influence of politicians, corporate CEOs, and even governments can be here today and gone tomorrow!

The Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed in 1968 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

False- The Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed by President Nixon in December, 1970.

What is the difference between hazard and risk?

Hazard - something with the potential to cause harm. This can include chemical substances, how work is done, or other aspects of the work environment. Risk - the likelihood that illness, injury and even death might result because of the hazard.

What two diseases that can be transmitted by blood are of primary concern?

Hepatitis B and HIV

Which situation has top OSHA inspection priority?

Imminent danger

The motto of this union is "an injury to one is the concern of all".

Knights of Labor

Rosner suggests that the criminalization of industrial fatalities is largely being driven by:

Local prosecutors -"First, the recent effort to introduce the concept of murder into our understanding of industrial accidents is coming not from the labor movement, the public health community, federal agencies, or liberal advocacy groups, but from local prosecutors and the states." - Rosner article

Occupational safety and health statistics come from:

OSHA NIOSH US Department of Labor Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) mandatory employer surveys -The BLS does conduct an annual employer survey, however, it is voluntary to participate. This is an important point because it impacts the accuracy of the data collected.

What is the difference between OSHA and NIOSH?

OSHA established the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as research organization under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unlike OSHA, NIOSH has no powers of enforcement, but can investigate problems and make scientific recommendations about improvements.

Which exposure standard is the legal limit.

Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)

In your own words, what is the purpose of the "power mapping" tool.

Power mapping is used by organizations across the globe to forge alliances, build support, plan strategies, and to be politically relevant. The purpose of power mapping is to map the groups or individuals who have a stake in an issue, what their perspective is likely to be (for or against or neutral), how much influence they have over the issue, and who other "power players" are they might be linked to. In occupational safety and health power mapping is useful when trying to understand what kind of resistance will be met when trying to regulate a hazardous substance or work task.

What is one advantage of a CBA according to proponents of the technique?

Proponents of CBA claim these advantages: • It is the common-sense approach to economically efficient decision-making. • It has the "effect of limiting the vagaries of the political process," say Stokeyand Zeckhauser, because when calculations take "willingness-to-pay" intoaccount in estimating costs and benefits, "the interests of individuals who arepoorly organized or less closely involved are counted" since all costs andbenefits must be factored into the calculations [5]. Thus, the groups with littleclout are on a level playing field with the powerful. • CBA makes the trade-offs involved in a decision obvious.

CBAs are used by:

Public and private organizations (corporate and governmental)

What are two reasons why government counts of occupational injuries and illness are undercounted by almost 70%?

Some reasons why work injury and illness is under counted: Employers may be concerned that too many injuries will trigger an OSHA inspection. Employers may be concerned that insurance costs will rise with if they are targeted for inspection. Employees may not report an injury or illness out of concern that they will be targeted for discipline or terminated. Employees who are undocumented workers my be concerned that if an injury or illness is reported it will result in their immigration status being revealed. Correlating an illness with a a substance or process (how work is designed and carried out) is difficult. The employer or employee (or both) may not recognize the connection between an illness and something at work.

What effect did advances in printing press technology during the Industrial Revolution have on working conditions?

The Industrial Revolution brought advances in printing press technology; which enabled newspapers to become a widely circulated means of communication. Articles in these publications helped expose the sordid working conditions of the time. Exposes on corporate corruption and compelling stories kept the public interested in working conditions and reform.

In the late 19th Century the _________________________ , a large industrial union, made the first call for comprehensive federal occupational safety and health.

The Knights of Labor, the largest industrial union of its day, representing all workers including factory workers, women, and African-Americans, convinced the Massachusetts legislature to pass the first factory inspection law, helped create state bureaus of labor statistics, and made the first call for a comprehensive federal occupational safety and health legislation in 1878.

Which statement is true about the number of work fatalities since OSHA was established?

The number of workplace fatalities have steadily declined, although sometimes the decline was gradual. -Since 1970, when the OSH Act was passed, workplace safety and health conditions have improved. There was a gradual decline in fatal work injuries from 1992 to 2006; however, workers remain at serious risk of injury, illness or death.

A CBA (cost-benefit analysis) is used when a decision looms about whether a particular action, such as implementing a safety measure, is warranted economically.

True

Alice Hamilton was a pioneer in the field of industrial toxicology.

True- As a pioneer in the field of industrial toxicology, Alice Hamilton became a leading expert in chemical health and safety. Her investigations into industrial poisons, first for the state of Illinois and later for the U.S. Department of Labor, underscored the dangerous working conditions in early twentieth-century America.

The video "Can't Take No More" was both created and banned by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

True-Can't Take No More was produced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1980. In 1981 OSHA, under the newly-elected Reagan Administration, recalled the film and destroyed most copies. Organizations receiving OSHA training grants were threatened with a loss of funding if they showed Can't Take No More to workers.

A worker filing an OSHA complaint can remain anonymous and must sign a complaint.

True-If a complaint is made to OSHA, the reporting employee must sign the complaint but will remain anonymous from the employer if requested.