Deck 6: Health and Safety: Workers Rights As Human Rights

Question 1

Following the incident at the West Fertilizer Company,what actions did the federal government take to address safety in chemical facilities?

Answer 1

President Obama issued an executive order focused on improving the safety and security of chemical facilities and reducing the risks associated with hazardous chemicals to workers and communities.The order instructed federal agencies to improve coordination with state and local actors to improve coordination.  It also directed agencies to modernize policies,regulations and procedures,and to work with stakeholders to identify best practices to reduce safety and security risks in the production and storage of potentially harmful chemicals.

Question 2

Corporation social responsibility can be good for business because socially and environmentally responsible behavior promotes both corporate profits (in terms of cost-cutting and consumer preferences for responsible corporations).

Answer 2

True

Question 3

With the adoption of the ____________,the U.S.began to address the need to prevent,or minimize,workplace accidents and health hazards.

A)Securities Act
B)Occupational Safety and Health Act
C)Environmental Protection Agency
D)National Insurance Act

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Most of the hazards that workers face are unknown and not visible.

Question 5

Explain how the worker's compensation system functions in the U.S.

Question 6

Which of the following arguments offered by the employees of Walmart's international suppliers was successful when they claimed Walmart owed them a duty to enforce its suppliers' promise to pay them minimum and prevailing wages?

A)The employees were third-party beneficiaries of the contracts between Walmart and its suppliers.
B)The employees were de facto employees of Walmart.
C)Walmart owed the employees a common law duty to inspect their working conditions.
D)The employees failed to offer a successful argument.

Question 7

When an employee files a worker's compensation claim:

A) The employee must prove the company was negligent.
B) The employer has the right to raise traditional defenses to negligence to defeat the claim.
C) Both a.and b.
D) Neither a.not b.

Question 8

Which of the following tools are available to OSHA to help it ensure workplace safety?
I)Safe working standards
II)Enforcement powers,such as fines
III)Compliance assistance and outreach
IV)Whistleblower protections

A)I and II
B)II and IV
C)II only
D)I, II, III, and IV.

Question 9

Discuss whether the OSH Act led to aggressive enforcement by OSHA using corporate criminal liability as a tool against employers who endangered their employee.

Question 10

Which of the following is not a reason that migrant farm workers are often exploited by their employers?

A)The Fair Labor Standards Act does not apply to farm workers.
B)The EPA has no power to limit the use of pesticides that endanger farm workers.
C)The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act does not apply to small and family farms.
D)The United States has not ratified the International Labour Organization Convention Concerning Safety and Health in Agriculture.

Question 11

The Workers Rights Consortium:
I) Combats sweatshops by monitoring and investigating working conditions in factories around the world.
II)Is a U.S.government organization.
III)Covers contractors,subcontractors and manufacturers.

A)I only
B)I and II only
C)I and III only
D)I, II, and III

Question 12

Explain what the Workers Rights Consortium is and what it has done to combat sweatshops.

Question 13

According to Henry Shue,what are the six factors required to make a cost a true harm?

Question 14

What does the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act require?

A)Employees to fulfill their general duty to work in a safe and careful manner.
B)The duty of OSHA to monitor workplace safety.
C)The duty of employers to provide a work environment free from recognized hazards causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.
D)The duty of employers to provide a work environment completely free of hazards.

Question 15

Smellz Chemical Company produces a variety of chemicals used in industrial cleaning. The fumes from the chemicals can be hazardous to Smellz' employees,and the company takes some steps to protect its workers from these hazards.If OSHA believes these precautions are inadequate and Smellz is failing to fulfill its obligations under the General Duty Clause of the OSHA Act,what must OSHA prove?

Question 16

According to Henry Shue,firms are not in the business of protecting the interests of their workers,except when this is a means to accomplish the organizational objectives.​