Overview

• Write a 2–3-page executive memorandum regarding OSHA and its effectiveness in the workplace.
  It is important that all organizational leadership have knowledge of OSHA and commit to employee safety. Workplace safety issues and compliance with OSHA regulations comprise much of a HR professional’s work.
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  By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
  • Competency 1: Develop a foundational understanding of employment law and labor law.
    • Describe the mission and function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
  • Competency 2: Analyze the application of legal thinking strategies to human resource management (HRM) law.
    • Analyze the impact of OSHA in modern organizations.
    • Analyze the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury.
  • Competency 3: Apply legal thought to human resource (HM) practices in the workplace.
    • Develop health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership.
  • Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
    • Communicate in a professional manner, using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions.

  Competency Map

  Check Your ProgressUse this online tool to track your performance and progress through your course.

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  Context
  

  “Here was a population, low-class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation, and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers; under such circumstances immorality was exactly as inevitable, and as prevalent, as it was under the system of chattel slavery. Things that were quite unspeakable went on there in the packinghouses all the time, and were taken for granted by everybody; only they did not show, as in the old slavery times, because there was no difference” (Sinclair, 1906).
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  Work conditions have improved considerably since Upton Sinclair wrote his 1906 novel, The Jungle, exposing unhygienic product processing and unsafe working conditions in the meatpacking industry. Sinclair’s work led directly to legislation regulating this industry.
  Employee health and safely in the workplace is critical to individual and organizational productivity. To ensure workplace health and safety, the federal government has created laws, regulations, and controls for protecting all personnel in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) governs workplace health and safety. Human resource professionals are responsible for understanding the goals and processes associated with OSHA in order to advise managers concerning workplace compliance and reporting health and safety incidents.
  The Assessment 6 Context document contains additional information about OSHA, covering these topics:

  • Definition of Employer.
  • Accidents.
  • Enforcement.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC).
  • Safety Issues.

  Reference

  Sinclair, U. (1906). The jungle. Publisher: Author.

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  Questions to Consider
  

  As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
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  Resources
  

  Suggested Resources

  The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The MBA-FP6249 – Organizations, Governance, and the Law Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.

  Capella Resources

  • Assessment 6 Context.

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  Capella University Library Resources

  • Safety Compliance Letter Staff. (2013). OSHA’s monitoring efforts garner criticism. Safety Compliance Letter, (2548), 1–6.
  • Coniglio, J. (2010). OSHA inspections. Professional Safety, 55(12), 39–41.
  • Poole, P. (2008). When OSHA knocks. Occupational Hazards, 70(2), 59–62.
  • Wenner, S. J. (2012). OSHA moves closer to proposing rule requiring all covered employers to create, implement, and enforce injury and illness prevention programs. Employee Relations Law Journal, 38(1), 28–31.
  • Safety Compliance Letter Staff. (2013). What’s ahead on OSHA’s regulatory agenda. Safety Compliance Letter, (2547), 1–12.
  • Mavity, H. (2012). OSHA: Don’t get caught in the trap of rewarding employees for reducing recordables! EHS Today, 5(9), 39–41.
  • Nash, J. L. (2004). In defense of OSHA enforcement: The view from the top. Occupational Hazards, 66(3), 22.

• Assessment Instructions
  

  Preparation

  Employee health and safety in the workplace is a topic of scrutiny, discussion, and debate at all levels of government. Use the Capella University Library and/or articles found in the Resources to support your analysis with at least two current, scholarly, or professional resources. While it is not necessary to follow a specific executive memorandum template, you may want to review online resources and use headings and subheadings to help organize key points.

  Instructions

  Write a 2–3-page executive memorandum to organizational leadership regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and its effectiveness in the workplace. Include the following:

  • Describe the mission and function of OSHA. What is OSHA intended to do? Is it working?
  • Analyze the impact of OSHA in modern organizations. What does the HRM professional need to know about OSHA?
  • Analyze the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury. Is the cost of regulations and enforcement worth the results?
  • Develop health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership. Are there different perspectives toward interpretation, monitoring, and compliance with OSHA, and do the differing perspectives enhance or hinder workplace safety?

  Your executive memorandum is to be written coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a business professional. Support your assessment with citations from relevant readings, and use real-world organization examples to demonstrate the importance of the concepts and analysis you have provided.

  Additional Requirements

  • References: Support your assessment with citations from the Capella University Library and/or suggested materials in the Resources, workplace examples, and any relevant additional research.
  • Format: Use proper APA style and format for in-text citations and references.
  • Length: 2–3 double-spaced, typed pages, in addition to the references page.
  • Written communication: Demonstrate graduate-level writing skills through accurate communication of thoughts that convey the overall goals of the analysis and do not detract from the message.
  • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
  Print

  Health and Safety Scoring Guide

  Criteria	Non-performance	Basic	Proficient	Distinguished
  Describe the mission and function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).	Does not identify the mission and function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).	Identifies but does not describe the mission and function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).	Describes the mission and function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).	Analyzes the mission and function of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and summarizes the historical precedent for the establishment of the agency.
  Analyze the impact of OSHA in modern organizations.	Does not describe the impact of OSHA in modern organizations.	Describes but does not analyze the impact of OSHA in modern organizations.	Analyzes the impact of OSHA in modern organizations.	Analyzes the impact of OSHA in modern organizations and summarizes analysis using scholarly resources and real-world examples.
  Analyze the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury.	Does not describe the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury.	Describes but does not analyze the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury.	Analyzes the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury.	Analyzes the cost of regulations and enforcement, versus the benefit in reduced worker injury, and summarizes analysis with scholarly resources and real-world examples.
  Develop health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership.	Does not identify health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership.	Identifies but does not develop health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership.	Develops health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership.	Develops health- and safety-related best practices for human resources and organizational leadership and analyzes the effectiveness of each practice.
  Communicate in a professional manner, using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions.	Does not communicate in a professional manner, using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions.	Communicates in a professional manner, using scholarly resources with grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions.	Communicates in a professional manner, using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions.	Effectively analyzes and evaluates foundational legal concepts in a professional manner using scholarly resources that support the analysis through clear, concise, well-organized, and grammatically correct writing that incorporates appropriate APA style conventions.