Workplace Carcinogens Research Paper
IDRL 308 – Assignment 2
Essay 2 – How well does the mainstream occupational health and safety address the issue of workplace carcinogens? What legal and scientific factors have assisted in recognizing work-related cancers? What factors have inhibited its recognition?
Workplace Carcinogens
In this course we have learned that workplaces can at times expose workers to potentially harmful conditions and hazards. This includes physical, biological, chemical and even psychosocial hazards. In this paper we will be focusing on chemical hazards, specifically carcinogens.
Carcinogens are agents that cause or promote cancer. Certain occupations and industries have higher exposure to carcinogens compared to what the average person is exposed to in …show more content…
As a result the provincial government ordered an inquiry which led to the Occupational Health & Safety act and a set of laws to protect workers. This event was critical to improving workers health and safety rights, as workers felt that up until this point the government had failed to look after their health concerns. Another critical milestone in the governments role of worker safety was the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) legislation that was passed in 1988. WHMIS legislation is based on three elements. Labels designed to alert the worker but the container contains a potentially hazardous product, material safety data sheets outlining the products potentially hazardous ingredients and procedures receive handling of the product, employee training. Through federal and provincial cooperation WHMIS has been established Canada wide and is based on the fundamental right of workers to know about potential hazards in the workplace. Under current provincial and federal health and safety legislation, individuals have the right to refuse work that exposes them to known and highly suspected carcinogens. The government is not only motivated by the ethics of protecting their people though. When government regulation enforces companies to replace …show more content…
Workers themselves must have an active role to raise public awareness and insist on improvement to workplace conditions.
References
Canadian Cancer Society. Retrieved May 22, 2013 http://www.cancer.ca/en/?region=ab Castleman, B.; Ziem, G. 1988. Corporate Influence on Threshold Limit Values http://www.chemicalinjury.net/PDF2/3%20%20Corporate%20Influence%20On%20TLV%20Values.pdf Davis, D (2007). The secret history of the war on cancer (pp 363-398)
New York: BasicBooks
Foster, J (2011). Industrial Relations 308, Study Guide
Athabasca University
Unit 3 and 4 Notes
Kelloway, K., Francis, L. (2008). Management of Occupational Health and Safety. Nelson Education Ltd.
Lewchuk, W., de Wolff, A., King, A., Polanyi, M. (2006). The hidden costs of precarious employment: health and the employment relationship.
Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press
Zafar, Amina. Mar 22, 2012. Work-related carcinogens need more scrutiny
Essay 2 – How well does the mainstream occupational health and safety address the issue of workplace carcinogens? What legal and scientific factors have assisted in recognizing work-related cancers? What factors have inhibited its recognition?
Workplace Carcinogens
In this course we have learned that workplaces can at times expose workers to potentially harmful conditions and hazards. This includes physical, biological, chemical and even psychosocial hazards. In this paper we will be focusing on chemical hazards, specifically carcinogens.
Carcinogens are agents that cause or promote cancer. Certain occupations and industries have higher exposure to carcinogens compared to what the average person is exposed to in …show more content…
As a result the provincial government ordered an inquiry which led to the Occupational Health & Safety act and a set of laws to protect workers. This event was critical to improving workers health and safety rights, as workers felt that up until this point the government had failed to look after their health concerns. Another critical milestone in the governments role of worker safety was the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) legislation that was passed in 1988. WHMIS legislation is based on three elements. Labels designed to alert the worker but the container contains a potentially hazardous product, material safety data sheets outlining the products potentially hazardous ingredients and procedures receive handling of the product, employee training. Through federal and provincial cooperation WHMIS has been established Canada wide and is based on the fundamental right of workers to know about potential hazards in the workplace. Under current provincial and federal health and safety legislation, individuals have the right to refuse work that exposes them to known and highly suspected carcinogens. The government is not only motivated by the ethics of protecting their people though. When government regulation enforces companies to replace …show more content…
Workers themselves must have an active role to raise public awareness and insist on improvement to workplace conditions.
References
Canadian Cancer Society. Retrieved May 22, 2013 http://www.cancer.ca/en/?region=ab Castleman, B.; Ziem, G. 1988. Corporate Influence on Threshold Limit Values http://www.chemicalinjury.net/PDF2/3%20%20Corporate%20Influence%20On%20TLV%20Values.pdf Davis, D (2007). The secret history of the war on cancer (pp 363-398)
New York: BasicBooks
Foster, J (2011). Industrial Relations 308, Study Guide
Athabasca University
Unit 3 and 4 Notes
Kelloway, K., Francis, L. (2008). Management of Occupational Health and Safety. Nelson Education Ltd.
Lewchuk, W., de Wolff, A., King, A., Polanyi, M. (2006). The hidden costs of precarious employment: health and the employment relationship.
Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press
Zafar, Amina. Mar 22, 2012. Work-related carcinogens need more scrutiny