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1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality?
A family member works for PG&E in San Francisco and I interviewed him for this assignment. He states, " PG&E places a great deal of care with ensuring safety for employee exposure to any chemical, biological, radiological pollutants. I have a ergonomic desk and my computer usage is also automatically limited. I don't have any hygiene issues at work, if I had any concerns I could always report it to our office manager".
2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace?
"I've worked with PG&E for over 10 years and I haven't experienced any barriers to my rights regarding my health and safety. Healthy lifestyles are promoted by PG&E, for example they have regular free clinics for annual exams and flu shots.

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 10, 2018 at 8:13 PM

    Thanks for sharing this Claudia. Some food for thought would be to consider what type of company we are looking at here. PG&E is a highly successful and wealthy company that can afford to provide a safe space for it's workers. However, this may not be the case for every company. One example is the nonprofit sector. In my 5 years at my job, we have only ever had one meeting on ergonomics and had someone come in to adjust our work stations. However, due to financial restrictions, we haven't seen this as a priority. Thus, our personal safety is compromised. I believe when it comes to occupational safety, it really depends on a company's priorities and financial support. If a company doesn't value employee safety, then it becomes challenging for employees to demand this without fear of repercussions.

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