Social Actor # 2 - Labor

The core mission of management is to utilize their resources efficiently in order to maximize profits. The primary goal of labor is obtain fair compensation in exchange for the completion of a reasonable workload. In many situations, the objectives of management and labor may not always align with one another.

Safety and health advocacy can be an important unifying issue for management and labor. Research has shown that most employees rank their safety on the job as being more important than wages or benefits. Regardless of the type of work being completed, some general characteristics of the labor approach to OSH can be identified as follows:

• Labor opposes safety programs that consistently blame workers for injuries rather than conditions.
• Labor advocates for the most protective solutions to workplace hazards.
• Labor wants to have the opportunity to participate in OSH efforts.
• Labor wants to be fully informed of the hazards to which they may be exposed.

Regarding the last point, employees are often granted the "right to know" about workplace hazards by a number of regulatory standards. There can be a considerable disconnect between this concept of "right to know" and providing a true understanding of workplace risks.

Consider an employee who uses a particular chemical on a routine basis. This employee is probably not going to be satisfied if their employer simply informs them that the chemical is "dangerous" and that they need to wear a respirator when using it. Most employees will likely want to have a full understanding of exactly what health risks exist and how the respirator will reduce their exposure level. Management must have an appreciation for labor's need to fully understand workplace hazards.

Union Role in OSH

Unions have historically been the most important force in promoting safety and health protection for workers within the United States. Union membership has declined within this country in recent decades and only about 12 percent of all American workers are currently unionized. However, unions continue to be strong advocates for occupational safety and health.

Unions promote OSH through political action and outreach efforts which broadly benefit all workers, not just those who belong to a union. Unions are frequently engaged in lobbying efforts which may have a substantial impact on whether or not new safety legislation is enacted. Within individual workplaces, union members negotiate directly with employers to improve working conditions through collective bargaining.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

Collective bargaining agreements between management and labor typically include a number of safety and health clauses. Typical elements of a contract agreement between management and labor are summarized in the following table:

Table 2.2. Examples of Collective Bargaining Clauses

Safety Clause	Purpose of Clause	Additional Information
General Duty to Protect	Serves as a formal statement of management's commitment to OSH and willingness to implement accident prevention measures.	May also provide a general indication as to how hazards within the workplace will be corrected and whether any specific programs will be implemented beyond those required by regulatory standards.
Safety Committee Protocol	Establishes structure and purpose of such a committee.	Effective safety committees usually include members of both management and labor. A union contract often will indicate who will serve on the committee (i.e., how many members of management and how many members of labor) and what specific duties will be assigned to this group.
Training Provisions	Clarifies the organization's approach to providing safety training to employees.	This portion of the agreement may serve to indicate what safety topics will be covered, how often training will be provided, and who will provide the training over a defined period of time.
Conditions for Refusing Hazardous Work	Documents procedures for resolving situations in which employees refuse to complete work due to perceived safety or health hazards.	Resolutions can vary greatly, but the contract will typically designate certain individuals who will need to evaluate the work in question and reach consensus on how to proceed. (For example, a contract may indicate that a union representative, a management representative, and an OSH professional must collectively evaluate the concern before any work proceeds.)
"Whistleblower" Protection	Confirms that management will not take any disciplinary action against employees who report safety or health concerns.	Although all employees (union and non-union) are granted certain "whistleblower" protections by the federal government, this is still a common safety clause within collective bargaining agreements.