IDRL 308 Final Exam Questions with Verified
Correct Answers
Who are the major stakeholders in OHS systems, and what are their rights, duties, and
obligations?
Employer, State and Employee are major stakeholders. Employers must ensure that the
workplace is as safe as reasonably possible through due diligence. This means that the
employer must know about the hazards that of their business and any potential injuries that
workers may suffer OTJ through foreseeability. The state has increased management rights
by giving employers the power to decide how they will address workplace hazards.
Employers are expected to take precautions to prevent injuries (identifying hazards, prepping
and enforcing safe working conditions, PPE, training and monitoring to ensure safety
compliance). These steps are done as part of an employer's duty to the preventability of OTJ
injuries. Employers are expected to act on the hazards they can control. Employers who have
done their due diligence through Foreseeability, preventability and control have prevented
injuries and completed the steps required (in their defence) to avoid any OHS penalties that
from any injuries that do occur on the job. Employees have the right to know about the
hazards they may encounter on the job through such initiatives as WHMIS and training for an
example. Workers also have the right to participate in health and safety activities, most often
through OHS, like JHSC, committees. The worker has the right to refuse unsafe work. A
refusal requires the employer to investigate and remedy hazardous work. This right is rarely
used. Although the primary function of the state in OHS is education and enforcement, the
State is not a neutral actor in OHS as it is both an employer and the legitimate source of legal
enactment (through regulations) that regulates OHS standards.
What are employees three main safety rights?
,The right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse. The right to know is
regarding the right to know about any hazards they may encounter on the job through
WHMIS or training.
The right to participate is the right to participate in workplace health and safety committess,
like joint health and safety committees or OHS groups.
Lastly, the right to refuse work is the right to refuse unsafe work. This right is the one of the
few that allow employees to disobey their employer. This also requires the employer to
investigate and find a solution for the hazardous work. However, this is rarely used as
employees usually have limited belief and the system has not favoured employees who do
report hazards.
Why is OHS considered contested ground in the workplace?
OHS is a field concerned with safety health and welfare of people at work where the goal is
to foster a safe and healthy work environment. However, in the workplace employers and
workers have conflicting interests. Employers in a capitalist economy seek to maximize
output profit while minimizing costs. Workers will pursue the opposite: they want to
maximize wages and minimize work. Workers note that workplace injury is not a natural
phenomenon that no one can control. Rather, the risks workers face reflect the decisions
employers make—decisions about what, when, where, and how goods and services are
produced. Employers make these decisions with the goal of maximizing profitability. In this
way, injury is a cost imposed on workers by employers. And allowing employers to do this is
a political choice by government ("the state"). Workers know that the consequence of
employers accepting health and safety risks may be injury and death of workers. Reducing
injury, disease, and death—not maximizing cost-effectiveness—is the pre-eminent goal of
occupational health and safety activities. That is not to say that workplace injuries don't have
economic consequences. Society must pay for medical treatment. Injured workers cannot
,earn a living and may lose their houses. Employers profit from dangerous work. But these
economic outcomes are secondary effects—by-products of workers being exposed to the risk
of injury and death by choices their employers make about production. The balance of power
in the employment relationship is not equal, with workers having far less power then their
employer. Employers control workplace, access to capital, and existence of replacement
workers. Workers will prioritize safety.
What are the key principles and components of contemporary OHS?
Federal and Provincial legislation guide OHS principles the Acts that sets out the framework,
the regulations that set out how acts will be applied, and guidelines and policies that are rules
about OHS. These regulations are a reactive measure taken in response to an OHS incident.
OHS is a definite plan of action designed to prevent accidents and diseases and is based upon
the IRS, which means that workers and employers have a shared responsibility in workplace
health and safety. Employers must have a health and safety policy stating principles and rules
and their OHS policy should be stated clearly, must mention core key concepts, signed by
chief executive officer, kept up to date and accessible to workers. In Alberta an employer's
OHS policy must be reviewed every 3 years or more often if there is a change in
circumstances that creates or could create hazards to workers, such as new technology or
production methods or discovering new risks associated with existing conditions.
A major component of OHS is the IRS, a philosophy that all Canadian employees and
employers are responsible for his or her safety and that of their coworkers. However IRS can
fail. The is an inherent power imbalance between employer and worker, which makes it
difficult to equally share responsibility. Employers have the power as to what information
needs to be given to employees and will decide on how to handle hazards. While the worker
has the right to know about hazards, to refuse unsafe work, and to participate, these rights are
not promoted by the employer. Committees like JHSC, where workers exercise their right to
, participate in OHS by working with employer representatives to discuss health and safety,
can only advise employers and are not able to significantly influence or make decisions
regarding OHS, as the employer has all the power
What is the careless worker myth, and how does it affect the practice of OHS?
The idea that workers are accident-prone, careless, or even reckless in the execution of their
duties and thus cause their own injuries has wide currency.
A good example of this attitude can be seen in the Careless Worker Myth. Since perfect
safety is unattainable, employers often adopt a cost-benefit approach to safety: safety should
only be improved when it costs less to prevent the injury than the injury itself costs. This isn't
to suggest that employers actively wish to see their workers injured or don't take safety
seriously. Rather, it highlights that employers and managers face structural pressures (e.g.,
the profit imperative of capitalism) and that these pressures shape how they behave and,
indeed, how they view issues like workplace safety.
In what way are workplace injuries social constructions, and how might their
construction affect government efforts to prevent injuries?
Workplace injuries are social constructs, a phenomenon that is shaped by social convention,
trends, experience, media, and representation. A social construction is a phenomenon that is
determined (or 'constructed') by social or cultural practices. In the case of workplace injuries,
our individual experiences, media representations, and the operation of various systems help
to shape what types of injuries we believe "count" as work-related injuries. A great example
of Social construction can be seen in the history of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The leading
expert on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome let his view of the tasks traditionally performed by
women in the workplace (such as writing and typing) and in the home (such as cooking and
sewing) as not strenuous profoundly shape his view that carpal tunnel syndrome did not have
Correct Answers
Who are the major stakeholders in OHS systems, and what are their rights, duties, and
obligations?
Employer, State and Employee are major stakeholders. Employers must ensure that the
workplace is as safe as reasonably possible through due diligence. This means that the
employer must know about the hazards that of their business and any potential injuries that
workers may suffer OTJ through foreseeability. The state has increased management rights
by giving employers the power to decide how they will address workplace hazards.
Employers are expected to take precautions to prevent injuries (identifying hazards, prepping
and enforcing safe working conditions, PPE, training and monitoring to ensure safety
compliance). These steps are done as part of an employer's duty to the preventability of OTJ
injuries. Employers are expected to act on the hazards they can control. Employers who have
done their due diligence through Foreseeability, preventability and control have prevented
injuries and completed the steps required (in their defence) to avoid any OHS penalties that
from any injuries that do occur on the job. Employees have the right to know about the
hazards they may encounter on the job through such initiatives as WHMIS and training for an
example. Workers also have the right to participate in health and safety activities, most often
through OHS, like JHSC, committees. The worker has the right to refuse unsafe work. A
refusal requires the employer to investigate and remedy hazardous work. This right is rarely
used. Although the primary function of the state in OHS is education and enforcement, the
State is not a neutral actor in OHS as it is both an employer and the legitimate source of legal
enactment (through regulations) that regulates OHS standards.
What are employees three main safety rights?
,The right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse. The right to know is
regarding the right to know about any hazards they may encounter on the job through
WHMIS or training.
The right to participate is the right to participate in workplace health and safety committess,
like joint health and safety committees or OHS groups.
Lastly, the right to refuse work is the right to refuse unsafe work. This right is the one of the
few that allow employees to disobey their employer. This also requires the employer to
investigate and find a solution for the hazardous work. However, this is rarely used as
employees usually have limited belief and the system has not favoured employees who do
report hazards.
Why is OHS considered contested ground in the workplace?
OHS is a field concerned with safety health and welfare of people at work where the goal is
to foster a safe and healthy work environment. However, in the workplace employers and
workers have conflicting interests. Employers in a capitalist economy seek to maximize
output profit while minimizing costs. Workers will pursue the opposite: they want to
maximize wages and minimize work. Workers note that workplace injury is not a natural
phenomenon that no one can control. Rather, the risks workers face reflect the decisions
employers make—decisions about what, when, where, and how goods and services are
produced. Employers make these decisions with the goal of maximizing profitability. In this
way, injury is a cost imposed on workers by employers. And allowing employers to do this is
a political choice by government ("the state"). Workers know that the consequence of
employers accepting health and safety risks may be injury and death of workers. Reducing
injury, disease, and death—not maximizing cost-effectiveness—is the pre-eminent goal of
occupational health and safety activities. That is not to say that workplace injuries don't have
economic consequences. Society must pay for medical treatment. Injured workers cannot
,earn a living and may lose their houses. Employers profit from dangerous work. But these
economic outcomes are secondary effects—by-products of workers being exposed to the risk
of injury and death by choices their employers make about production. The balance of power
in the employment relationship is not equal, with workers having far less power then their
employer. Employers control workplace, access to capital, and existence of replacement
workers. Workers will prioritize safety.
What are the key principles and components of contemporary OHS?
Federal and Provincial legislation guide OHS principles the Acts that sets out the framework,
the regulations that set out how acts will be applied, and guidelines and policies that are rules
about OHS. These regulations are a reactive measure taken in response to an OHS incident.
OHS is a definite plan of action designed to prevent accidents and diseases and is based upon
the IRS, which means that workers and employers have a shared responsibility in workplace
health and safety. Employers must have a health and safety policy stating principles and rules
and their OHS policy should be stated clearly, must mention core key concepts, signed by
chief executive officer, kept up to date and accessible to workers. In Alberta an employer's
OHS policy must be reviewed every 3 years or more often if there is a change in
circumstances that creates or could create hazards to workers, such as new technology or
production methods or discovering new risks associated with existing conditions.
A major component of OHS is the IRS, a philosophy that all Canadian employees and
employers are responsible for his or her safety and that of their coworkers. However IRS can
fail. The is an inherent power imbalance between employer and worker, which makes it
difficult to equally share responsibility. Employers have the power as to what information
needs to be given to employees and will decide on how to handle hazards. While the worker
has the right to know about hazards, to refuse unsafe work, and to participate, these rights are
not promoted by the employer. Committees like JHSC, where workers exercise their right to
, participate in OHS by working with employer representatives to discuss health and safety,
can only advise employers and are not able to significantly influence or make decisions
regarding OHS, as the employer has all the power
What is the careless worker myth, and how does it affect the practice of OHS?
The idea that workers are accident-prone, careless, or even reckless in the execution of their
duties and thus cause their own injuries has wide currency.
A good example of this attitude can be seen in the Careless Worker Myth. Since perfect
safety is unattainable, employers often adopt a cost-benefit approach to safety: safety should
only be improved when it costs less to prevent the injury than the injury itself costs. This isn't
to suggest that employers actively wish to see their workers injured or don't take safety
seriously. Rather, it highlights that employers and managers face structural pressures (e.g.,
the profit imperative of capitalism) and that these pressures shape how they behave and,
indeed, how they view issues like workplace safety.
In what way are workplace injuries social constructions, and how might their
construction affect government efforts to prevent injuries?
Workplace injuries are social constructs, a phenomenon that is shaped by social convention,
trends, experience, media, and representation. A social construction is a phenomenon that is
determined (or 'constructed') by social or cultural practices. In the case of workplace injuries,
our individual experiences, media representations, and the operation of various systems help
to shape what types of injuries we believe "count" as work-related injuries. A great example
of Social construction can be seen in the history of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The leading
expert on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome let his view of the tasks traditionally performed by
women in the workplace (such as writing and typing) and in the home (such as cooking and
sewing) as not strenuous profoundly shape his view that carpal tunnel syndrome did not have
