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1. (Mt) – TU Safety and Health in The Workplace Discussion
1 Reflection and Discussion Forum – Week 13 Thomas 2 Chapter 13 – Employee Safety,
Health and Wellness This week’s reading assignment discussed employee safety, health, and
wellness; topics extremely relevant in our business environment. As employers find
themselves in a position of social responsibility and as markets get more competitive,
companies and managers must ensure that their employees are well taken care of not only
financially but in other areas as well. Chapter 13 discussed safety workplace programs,
employee wellness programs, and employee assistance programs. It also talked about
different problems regarding bullying and violence in the workplace, as well as negative
effects of burnout, substance abuse, and employee stress. The authors describe safety as
protecting employees from hazardous scenarios at work that could cause accidents and
injuries, while defining health as the employee’s freedom from physical and/or emotional
illnesses. It was explained how employers must have a general duty cause which ensures
that companies do not have recognized hazards in the workplace. The chapter then
described the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), its results, mission,
and possible penalties that organizations might have to pay according to possible violations.
The authors also touched based on the relationships between OSHA and whistleblowers and
small businesses. An interesting part of chapter 13 was the discussion of safety programs.
Those programs are usually put together in order to address unsafe employee actions and
working conditions. Management usually supports these programs because of loss of
productivity, higher insurance premiums, social responsibility, amongst other factors.
Chapter 13 then explained the steps of developing a safety program, involving employee
involvement, safety engineer, and accident investigation. 3 Another critical part of chapter
13 discussed bullying and workplace violence. The books mentions that OSHA considers
physical assault, threatening behavior, verbal abuse and hostility or harassment as
workplace violence. The authors also discussed different negative effects of bullying and
how vulnerable employees can be the ones who suffer from workplace violence the most.
The other final part of chapter 13 involved employee wellness and substance abuse Such
part involved the concept of stress and its potential consequences, as well as burnout and
how fitness programs and other initiatives can help employees that are going through
stressful times and/or substance abuse. Questions 1. A workplace that addresses drug
safety and health issues in the workplace ends up saving the employer’s money as
employees will have less risks of injuries and getting involved in hazardous scenarios.
Those aspects will make employees more productive and diminish the chances of lawsuits,

2. financial penalties, and increase in insurance premiums, which makes it economically
beneficial for firms to have that type of environment. 2. The main arguments would be
personal loss, financial loss to injured employees, loss of productivity, higher insurance
premiums, possibility of fines or imprisonment, and social responsibility. 3. Many people
find a stress reliever in alcohol. Some individuals are capable of drinking socially and
responsibly, but others are not capable of that and end up developing an addiction, which
can be extremely dangerous for the individual and the organization. Therefore, knowing
which workers are under stress and recognizing which ones can use alcohol in a negative
manner can be beneficial for HR managers. 4 References Martocchio, J. J., & Mondy, R. W.
(2019). Human Resource Management. Pearson. 1 Reflection & Discussion Forum – Week
13 Timo 2 Reflection & Discussion Forum – Week 13 Chapter 13 discusses employee safety
at the workplace, and health and wellness, which are essential factors for HR to consider
when managing the work environment (Martocchio, 2019, p. 363). Safety concerns all
measures that protect employees from injuries when performing duties while on the job
(Martocchio, 2019, p. 363). For example, factory workers are usually required to wear
helmets due to falling debris that could cause severe or fatal injuries. Health concerns an
employee’s physical or emotional well-being (Martocchio, 2019, p. 363). For example,
employees that lost their significant other may be emotionally stressed, which may impact
productivity, for which reason an employer may consider helping this individual by offering
to take some time off. Wellness concerns programs that the employer can offer in order to
promote mental and physical well-being at work (Martocchio, 2019, p. 382). For example,
little aspects such as offering a corporate rate at the local fitness studio around the corner
may encourage employees to exercise more, which could positively affect their well-being.
Employers must abide by regulations laid out by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), which is an organization that promotes employee safety and health
(Martocchio, 2019, p. 364). For example, manufacturing companies are under strict
surveillance by inspectors from the OSHA to comply with safety regulations. The 2019
COVID pandemic has placed an even greater focus on employees’ health due to elevated
stress levels from remote work or insecurities from the unstable economic situation (Igoe,
2022). Economic Benefit of Maintaining a Safe, Healthy, and Drug-Free Workplace Ensuring
a safe workspace may save companies millions in settlement costs, and maintaining a
healthy work environment positively impacts productivity (Martocchio, 2019, p. 368). In
addition, keeping a workplace substance-free is vital since any misuse may cause
occupational hazards. 3 Arguments in Favor of a Safety Program A safety program should be
implemented in any workplace to communicate to employees what actions may result in
injury and which conditions are not considered safe so that these can be avoided
(Martocchio, 2019, p. 368). For example, at manufacturing facilities, employees must
undergo a strict safety protocol regime prior to being allowed to operate machinery.
Another example would be window washers hanging off large buildings since they should
be made aware of which weather conditions are unsafe to operate in. Relationship between
Alcohol and Stress Stress may drive alcohol intake and ultimately cause alcoholism, a
disease defined as excessive and uncontrollable drinking (Martocchio, 2019, p. 379).
Unfortunately, many individuals experience increasing stress levels at their workplace and

3. therefore resort to drinking alcohol in order to distract themselves from stress factors.
Conclusion In conclusion, safety and health at the workplace is of critical importance in
order to ensure employee productivity and could help reduce financial losses. Companies
should review current safety and health conditions in a post-pandemic world and look for
areas for improvement. In essence, promoting health at the workplace may play a critical
role in ensuring employees’ overall well-being. 4 References Igoe, K. (2022, March 07). The
Changing Face of Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being in a Post-Pandemic Future.
Harvard. Retrieved from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/the-changing-face-of-
worker-safety-health-andwell-being-in-a-post-pandemic-future/ Martocchio, J. J. (2019).
Human resource management (15th ed.). Pearson.