Exam 12: Alternative Approaches to Economic Organization
Discuss the different ways that workplace health and safety issues have been handled in Canadian workplaces over the past century. What have more recent approaches added that earlier approaches were not covering? Discuss key issues that you believe still need to be addressed.
Suggested student response: Students should discuss the administrative model of regulation, the no-fault compensation system, and the internal responsibility system , with the most discussion of the latter, including joint health and safety committees (JHSCs). A number of contentious issues are discussed in the text , including problems with employer self-regulation, management rights, and overly narrow definitions of health and safety issues.
Briefly discuss at least three different workers' rights that current Canadian health and safety legislation attempts to protect.
1. The right to refuse unsafe work: Canadian health and safety legislation protects workers' right to refuse work that they believe to be unsafe without fear of reprisal from their employer. This right is outlined in the Canada Labour Code and various provincial occupational health and safety acts.
2. The right to know about workplace hazards: Workers have the right to be informed about potential hazards in their workplace and to receive proper training and information on how to protect themselves. This includes access to safety data sheets, training on hazardous materials, and information on workplace safety policies and procedures.
3. The right to participate in health and safety activities: Canadian health and safety legislation also protects workers' right to participate in health and safety committees, to be involved in workplace inspections, and to have a say in the development and implementation of health and safety policies. This ensures that workers have a voice in creating a safe and healthy work environment.
Which of the following is the best definition of what Michael Mann called "explosions of consciousness?"
A
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from research on different approaches to worker ownership in North America?
"No fault compensation systems" for dealing with workplace health and safety issues in Canadian workplaces are characterized by which of the following?
Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) in Canadian workplaces focus on providing a range of different rights to workers. Which of the following is not a worker right protected by JHSCs?
In a few sentences, explain what is meant by Germany's "codetermination" (or dual-representation) approach to industrial democracy.
With respect to approaches to promoting workplace health and safety, briefly explain what is meant by the "administrative model of regulation," and by "no-fault compensation systems."
Which of the following is an essential defining feature of "industrial democracy"?
Compare and contrast the different approaches to industrial democracy found in Germany and Sweden. Would either of these approaches, or some aspects of them, possibly be useful in Canada? Explain your answer.
What is the purpose of Sweden's Wage Earner Funds, introduced in 1984?
Which model of worker ownership has delivered more of the democratizing and work-humanizing outcomes promised by the new managerial paradigms that emerged over the past several decades?
Sweden's approach to industrial democracy goes beyond Germany's approach in which of the following ways?
Which of the following observations about the Mondragon producer co-operatives is correct?
Which of the following generalizations has emerged from research on worker militancy in various countries?
Sweden's approach to industrial democracy is different from Germany's approach because of which of the following?
Briefly explain the key difference between a "worker buyout" and a "producer co-operative."
The history of attempts to reduce workplace health and safety risks in Canada supports which of the following generalizations?
Which of the following forms of worker involvement are most typical of industrial democracy in Germany?
Comparing the German and Swedish models of industrial democracy, which of the two would lead to more long-term job security for workers, and why?
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