Questions
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was a tragic event taking place in the USA during the early 20th century. If you were the factory supervisor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company during this time, how would you have improved conditions in your facility in order to avoid this type of event? Please describe, in detail, your plan for creating a safe work environment. Search for information in Google regarding modern day manufacturing facilities in locations such as China or Singapore. Should international labor standards be established to address workplace issues in these countries? What would be the pros and cons of such legislation? Please make sure that your response is at least 1 page in length, double spaced.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire occurred on March 25, 1911, killing 145 workers who were working at the company. Investigations to this strategy show that most, if not all these deaths were preventable as most of the victims died as a result of neglected safety measures. As a result, it is necessary for companies to ensure that they meet the already set international safety standards. To improve the safety in the workplace, companies need to ensure that maintain the premises by getting their buildings and working environment checked regularly to ensure all the machines are working and eliminating the possibility of new hazards (Vicente, 2009). Additionally, these companies should perform regular emergency drills. Emergency drills that incorporate and integrate all members of the workforce help all the employees to familiarize themselves with the locations of emergency exists and the emergency exiting procedure. Notably, any building should have multiple labeled emergency exists.
Improving safety of all employees working in China or Singapore companies
To improve the safety of all employees working in China or Singapore companies and organizations in these regions should integrate and incorporate the international labor standards. These standards refer to the basic rights of workers than enhance their job security and improve their terms of employment. The primary objectives of these standards are to establish a minimum level of protection for employees. Some of the advantages of adopting these standards include protecting both the employees and employers in times of economic crisis, improving the economic performance of individual employees and the organization in general. Additionally, these standards are also known to create a level playing field where both employers and employees and negotiate and compromise on important business issues (Winters, n.d). On the other hand, some of the cons of this adoption include the fact that more than often, these standards are seen as demanding substantial costs, thus hindering economic development in the short term. Additionally, these standards lack enforcement powers and powers. Thus, compliance depends on individual organizations and companies.
References
Vicente, K. J. (2009). Cognitive work analysis: Toward safe, productive, and healthy computer-based work. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Winters, L. A. (n.d.). Commentary: Trade and Labor Standards: To Link or Not to Link? International Labor Standards, 309-313. doi:10.1002/9780470754818.ch4a
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