Introduction The focus of this paper is safety in the workplace. Accidents cost time and money. A serious accident can financially ruin a business. Liabilities for penalties have potential to destroy a business's cash flow (Entrepeneur.com, 2006). The Department of Labor (DOL) has organized three agencies to handle laws designed to secure the safety and health of workers in America. According to Entrepreneur.com (Entrepreneur.com, 2006) "The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) penalty for willful violations of safety rules that could result in death or serious physical harm is $5,000 to $70,000." Costs this high illustrate the importance of safety is to everyone involved. Developments in working conditions are important assessment of economic progress.Main Issue The three government departments assigned to ...view middle of the document...
gov). Finally, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is focused on the rights of young workers pertaining to the protection of youth in America and is administered and enforced by DOL's Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division. The Department of Labor reports, "The FLSA contains minimum age restrictions for employment, restrictions on the times of day youth may work, and the jobs they may perform." The practice of a safety program in the workplace should enable the business to create systems of communication to carry out the steps to take when a disaster strikes. According to Mathis & Jackson (2003, p.489), "Well-designed and managed safety programs can pay dividends in reduced accident and the associated costs." Conclusion Today's business culture requires the human resource department to create and maintain safety policies. Implementing and enforcing the safety rules ensures the employer that the workers will be a productive group. So many trends today involve smoking bans and trans-fat bans because Americans are aware there is a problem. The firms that become proactive and involve the policies and procedures to follow the set standards by local and federal governments will be in turn, protecting themselves from financial disaster.Reference Establish a Workplace Safety Policy. (2006). Not only do you owe your workers a safe workplace, it just makes good business sense. Retrieved October 27, 2006, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/humanresources/employmentlaw/article80144.html.Mathis, R.L., & Jackson, J.H. (2003). Human Resource Management. (10th ed). Ohio: Thomson-South-Western Publishers.U.S. Department of Labor. (2006). U.S. Department of Labor in the 21st Century. Workplace Safety & Health. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved October 28, 2006, from U.S. Department of Labor -- Find It By Topic -- Workplace Safety & Health.
