Page 389 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

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Human Relations

muscle and skeleton, such as back pain and neck strain). SEE ALSO Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;
These disorders account for 34 percent of all lost workday Ergonomics; Workers’ Compensation
injuries and illnesses and cost $15 billion to $20 billion
annually in workers’ compensation costs, according to the
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). (n.d.). Retrieved November 17,
Business groups object to the federally imposed stan- 2005, from http://www.slais.ubc.ca/courses/libr500/02-03-
dards, saying that the standards will be a “blank check” for wt1/www/A_Davis/cts.htm
OSHA inspectors and will require all American businesses Herington, Thomas N., and Morse, Linda H. (Eds.). (1995).
to become full-time experts in ergonomics. In addition, Occupational injuries. St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book.
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce points out that there are National Occupational Research Agenda.
currently (1) no scientifically established standards for http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/images/table1.gif
what is “overuse” and (2) no existing studies that demon- Rosenstock, Linda, and Cullen, Mark R. (1994). Textbook of
clinical occupational and environmental medicine. Philadel-
strate the connection between ergonomic adjustments and
phia: Saunders.
injury prevention. While the connection does seem to
Sims, Miriam (1997, March 28). Wellness programs are worth
make sense, it must be admitted that more studies need to
every dollar you spend. St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved
be done before meaningful standards can be established.
November 17, 2005, from http://stlouis.bizjournals.com
/stlouis/stories/1997/03/31/focus5.html
WELLNESS AND OTHER U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Insti-
PROGRAMS. tute for Occupational Safety and Health.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html
Another way employers are helping to prevent workplace
injuries and illnesses is to maintain workplace wellness U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
http://stats.bls.gov
programs for employees. Wellness programs may include
a variety of health and fitness programs for their employ- U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. http://www.osha.gov
ees. Research has shown that in addition to health bene-
fits for employees, wellness programs also provide
financial benefits for the employer. Wellness programs Brenda J. Reinsborough
help employees stay healthy by providing fitness pro-
grams, weight management classes, counseling services,
and informational resources on health issues. Keeping
employees healthy is one means to a profitable business. HUMAN RELATIONS
Many corporations include wellness programs as part of
Owners and managers of profit and nonprofit organiza-
their overall organizational strategy.
tions define human relations as fitting people into work
A final critical element in the prevention of work- situations so as to motivate them to work together harmo-
place injuries and illnesses is the development of health niously. The process of fitting together should achieve
and safety programs designed to train and educate work- higher levels of productivity for the organization, while
ers on workplace hazards. OSHA recommends the follow- also bringing employees economic, psychological, and
ing elements for a comprehensive health and safety social satisfaction. Human relations covers all types of
program: interactions among people—their conflicts, cooperative
efforts, and group relationships. It is the study of why our
• Management leadership and commitment
beliefs, attitudes and behaviors sometimes cause interper-
• Meaningful employee participation sonal conflict in our personal lives and in work-related sit-
• Systematic hazard identification and control uations.
• Employee and supervisor training One of the most significant developments in recent
years has been the increased importance of interpersonal
• Medical management and program evaluation
skills in almost every type of work setting. For many
employers, interpersonal skills represent an important cat-
CONCLUSION egory of transferable skills a worker is expected to bring to
The field of occupational safety and health is extremely the job. Technical ability only is usually not enough to
broad and complex. The prevention of occupational achieve career success. Studies indicate that many people
injuries and illnesses has to be a collaborative effort who have difficulty in obtaining or holding a job possess
involving employers, employees, federal and state agen- the needed technical competence but lack interpersonal
cies, and health and safety professionals. competence.

366 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION