SOAL-SOAL PSIKOLOGI INDUSTRI DAN ORGANISASI
Pertemuan 18:
Keamanan, Kekerasan, dan Kesehatan di Tempat Kerja
1. In what ways can work affect your health? Give specific examples.
a. Work can affect your health through accidents, as the result of violence, through
exposure to toxic chemicals, health issues associated with the use of equipment,
and such special topics as HIV exposure, alcoholism, and drugs, all of which
affect health.
b. Exposure to asbestos can lead to white-lung disease; accidents are the leading
cause of death in the workplace, but murder is second.
2. Describe some of the symptoms and causes of sick building syndrome.
a. What we inhale can make us sick. Artificial environments contribute to: eye, ear,
and throat irritations, dry nasal membranes, skin inflammations, fatigue,
headaches, nausea, and dizziness.
b. Causes include leaky roofs, poor construction, vinyl wallpaper, solvents, cleaning
fluids, fire-retardant materials, paint additives, formaldehyde in insulation, and
chemicals in carpeting, wall coverings, and draperies.
3. Why is it difficult to define an on-the-job accident?
a. The degree of severity of an injury is often hard to determine exactly. Often, it’s
not the accident that counts, but the result of the accident (but not if the company
can find a replacement job for the injured worker)
b. Incomplete reporting makes research on the causes and prevention of accidents
more difficult.
c. Some employees fail to report accidents out of fear of the consequences.
4. What physical conditions of the workplace can contribute to accidents?
a. Workplace conditions include:
i. type of industry - construction, highway transportation, farming, and
mining are high in accident frequency. The greater the physical demands,
the stressful and tiring the work, the higher the accidents.
ii. hours of work - shift work makes a difference. There are more accidents
during the day shift than the night shift.
iii. lighting - good lighting can lead to a reduction in accidents.
iv. temperature - workers are more careless under conditions of higher
temperatures.
v. equipment design - poor placement of switches and controls, inadequate
warning lights for system malfunctions, and dials that are difficult to read
all contribute to accidents.
vi. safety devices - safety devices must function without getting in the way of
operation.
vii. social pressure - accidents can happen as a result of pressure to meet a
deadline. Perceptions of disciplinary action may also cause accidents.
5. In what ways can the design of equipment and safety devices reduce workplace
accidents?
a. Equipment design - poor placement of switches and controls, inadequate warning
lights for system malfunctions, and dials that are difficult to read all contribute to
accidents.
b. Safety devices - safety devices must function without getting in the way of
operation.
6. How does each of the following contribute to accidents in the workplace: alcohol and
drug use; health; age and work experience; job insecurity?
a. Alcohol and drug use - drug use on and off the job are contributing factors to
accidents.
b. Health - employees in poor health or frequently ill tend to be more prone to
accidents.
c. Age and work experience - a shorter time on the job tends to mean a higher
accident rate; we cannot conclude with certainty that longer work experience by
itself leads to a reduction in the accident rate. The links between age and
accidents are similar to experience links.
d. Job insecurity - those insecure in their job adhere less well to safety requirements,
leading to a higher accident rate.
7. What roles do personality characteristics and job involvement play in workplace
accidents?
a. Job involvement - those who score high in job involvement, autonomy, and
responsibility are more safety aware.
b. Those who score low in conscientiousness are more likely to have accidents,
although the relationship between personality variables and accidents is not
strong. Temporary emotional states can contribute to accidents.
8. Discuss the effects of safety training and management support in reducing accidents on
the job.
a. Companies that systematically continue safety training efforts are rewarded with
reductions in accidents.
b. Supervisors play a key role in any successful program for safety training and
awareness. Active high-management support for safety programs is equally
important.
9. Describe how you would design a warning poster to caution workers about the dangers of
getting too close to a high voltage cable.
a. The poster should be in large, bold print with the lettering in high contrast to the
background. The use of color, prominent borders, easily recognizable pictorial
symbols, and flashing lights are desirable.
b. The message should be positive.
c. Contents should include signal word, hazard statement, consequences, and
instructions.
10. Describe different levels of violence in the workplace. Note the relative incidence of each
type and some of the overall effects of workplace violence.
a. Different levels of violence include incivility (71 percent of employees surveyed
report incivility within the last five years), unruliness, and physical violence.
b. Every year more than 2 million employees are physically assaulted or threatened
with assault.
c. Murder is the second leading cause of death on the job, and the leading cause for
women.
11. What factors have been linked to violence on the job?
a. Factors linked to violence on the job include geographic location of the
workplace, imitation, and those who perceive themselves as victims are more
likely to be violent.
b. Also implicated are the presence of a high degree of trait anger, and use of
alcohol.
12. Define the personality trait “anger” and describe how it relates to workplace violence.
a. Trait anger is defined as a stable personality trait that predisposes a person to
experience anger in almost any situation.
b. It is directly linked to aggression.
13. Why is it easier for an alcoholic senior executive to escape detection than for a lower
level employee?
a. They are more adept at concealing their problem.
b. Their subordinates are often willing to cover up.
c. Their superiors are more likely to look the other way, or reassign the alcoholic
executive.
14. Describe the 3-step process of the National Council on Alcoholism to combat alcohol
abuse on the job.
a. Education of managers and supervisors - persuade managers that alcoholism is a
medical problem.
b. Train managers on the early detection of alcoholic employees.
c. Refer alcoholic employees for help.
15. What factors influence drug abuse in the workplace? What are the effects of drug use
among employees?
a. Drug abuse in the workplace is influenced by early use of drugs, and is more
prevalent in small businesses than large ones.
b. Effects of drug use include increased accidents, tardiness, poor quality of work,
job instability, lowered job satisfaction, increased theft, and a reduced tendency to
conform to norms of behavior. There is negligence about appearance, personal
hygiene, and dress.
16. Discuss arguments for and against drug testing in the workplace. Do you think it is fair
for an employer to require you to take a drug test as a condition for employment?
a. Controversial aspects include infringement on rights to privacy and
confidentiality. Validity of drug testing is also an issue (high rate of false
positives). Cheating is possible.
b. Arguments in favor include that employers must certify to a drug-free workplace.
Testing is important to ensure the safety of all employees, reduce violence and
accident rates, keep quality of work up and theft down, to avoid lawsuits, and to
determine eligibility for workers’ compensation.
17. How, and why, do employers treat alcoholics different from drug users?
a. Alcoholics are dealt with less severely than drug users.
b. Alcohol is legal.
c. The drug dependent worker may have more disruptive effects on production and
efficiency. Drug users are potentially more dangerous because they may attempt
to sell drugs to other workers to finance their own habit.
18. How is prolonged computer use related to physical health problems? How can such
potential problems be reduced on the job?
a. Prolonged computer use can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. There are higher
numbers of miscarriages.
b. They can be reduced by requiring that workers be provided with adjustable chairs
and adequate lighting, detachable keyboards, and adjustable screens. Rest breaks
should be taken at least for 15 minutes every two hours.
19. If you were a manager who learned that an employee had tested positive for HIV, what
problems would you anticipate from the rest of your employees? How would you deal
with the situation?
a. You could anticipate the other workers would be fearful. Some workers may walk
off the job. Some may erroneously conclude infected persons are necessarily gay
or homosexual or drug abusers.
b. The more information provided, the lower the fear. Employers and organizations
must treat AIDS as though it were any other illness, and must not unlawfully
discriminate (nor tolerate such discrimination).
c. Newsletters, question and answer sessions, and formal education programs are all
helpful.