Wall Mart: Employee Protection



Employee Protection

Introduction

According to my belief and case study analyzed, I think the employees of Wall Mart should have been given paid offs after the incidence of black Friday. In this incident a women shop lifter was killed by security inside the mart. This has created too much chaos and fear in the minds of employees plus customers. The employees were feeling insecure due to the killing og women shop lifter. They were of the opinion that the reaction of this incident will be assort of revenge from Wall Mart and its employee. Therefore, it is the right of the employees to ask for their safety in these types of conditions.

The below passage clearly justifies the rights of employees and how important is employee protection to the organization.

Employer's Role in Hazard Identification

Each workplace is unique, and different hazards are likely to be found in each. However, some common categories of hazards can be identified. Equipment hazards abound in most industrial settings: Equipment is often large, heavy, and at times dangerous. Regretfully, employers have not always taken the time to instruct their employees about the hazards, emphasizing instead the use of the machine and the need to minimize downtime. When rushed, employees act like anyone else; they become careless, and accidents occur. Lumber mills, metal-stamping plants, and firefighting situations are among the highly accident-prone job sites. Proper use of equipment must be continuously emphasized by the employer.

Numerous environmental hazards may be present, ranging from explosives to chemical leaks to malfunctioning equipment. Each work site will have its unique environmental hazards. The employer is charged with having an inventory of all potential hazards and working to reduce such hazards to the lowest levels. Protective equipment and protective clothing are crucial in some work areas. For example, persons in construction sites may be required to wear hard hats. However, a typical site visit reveals that many managers and some workers avoid wearing protective gear.

The equipment may be provided, but whose responsibility is it to ensure that a worker uses the equipment? Legally, it is the employer's. Regretfully, the consequences of not assuming that burden are minor, and many employers do not even enforce their own work rules.

Unsafe Conditions and Whistle-Blower Protection

In many workplaces, employee's best understand the conditions requiring management attention. Employees may be aware when conditions are dangerous and senior management is unaware of the problem. In some cases, there may be an organizational culture that communicates to employees that they are to maintain silence about the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) addresses this concern by offering protection from reprisals brought about by reporting hazards or other data under OSHA. If an employee is subjected to reprisals, the employee may complain to the Department of Labor for protection.

Employee Protection in the Workplace

Employee protection and workplace safety address the question of who is responsible for ensuring that employees have protection from various dangers on the job. While employees certainly bear some responsibility for their own ...