Quiz for module 42

Alternative answers
A	are highly developed and adequately funded	Incorrect
B	apply to all workers	Incorrect.
C	cover only about 10 percent of the population	Correct.
D	provide access to adequate occupational health services	Incorrect

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Occupational health should have high priority on the international agenda, but occupational health and safety laws cover only about 10 percent of the population in developing countries. These laws omit many major hazardous industries and occupations. Progress in bringing occupational health to the industrializing countries is painfully slow. In the poorest countries, there has been no progress at all. Only 5% to 10% of workers in developing countries and 20% to 50% of those in industrialized countries have access to adequate occupational health services.

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Question 2

Global working conditions are…

Alternative answers
A	largely the result of progressive practices of multinational corporations	Incorrect
B	improving because of the controlled growth in the working population	Incorrect
C	complicated by a small informal sector in developing countries	Incorrect
D	affected by a large migrant work force	Correct.

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The rise in migration for employment has had serious consequences for many countries. The most distinctive feature of these workers is their concentration in a few blue collar occupations--carpenters, masons, electricians, plumbers, truck drivers, mechanics, and heavy equipment operators. Foreign multinationals accept the reality of domestic hazardous industries, internal corruption, poor work practices, lack of regulation and enforcement of labor standards, and the local workers’ inability to claim compensation for injuries and illnesses. At present, the labor force in developing countries totals around 1.76 billion, but it will rise to more than 3.1 billion in 2025--implying a need for 38-40 million new jobs every year. In India, the informal economy generates about 60% of national income, 50% of gross national savings and 40% of national exports.

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Question 3

Child labor…

Alternative answers
A	is controlled by international law	Incorrect.
B	is prevented by the International Labor Organization	Incorrect.
C	is an economic and social reality in many developing countries	Correct.
D	is disappearing at a rapid rate	Incorrect.

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Child labor is an economic and social reality in many developing countries. Children may provide 25% or more of a family's total income, and many traditional cultures include child labor as an integral part of the child's socialization and achievement of status in the local community. Governments may regard child labor as a key factor in keeping their economy competitive through the provision of cheap labor. The ILO instituted in 1992 the International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC). IPEC seeks preventive approaches directed towards eliminating the underlying social and economic situations that produce child labor.

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Question 4

Globalization benefits…

Alternative answers
A	all countries equally	Incorrect.
B	China more than it does Pakistan	Incorrect.
C	countries that are competitive in the knowledge economy	Correct.
D	only corporate interests	Incorrect.

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Globalization benefits countries that are competitive in the knowledge economy, which rewards skills and institutions that promote cutting-edge technological innovation, or the low-wage economy, which uses widely available technology to do routine tasks at the lowest possible cost. Middle-income countries have not done nearly as well under globalized markets as either richer or poorer countries. These countries, notably countries in Latin America and Eastern and Central Europe, have been unable to compete in high-value-added markets dominated by wealthy economies because their work forces are not sufficiently skilled and their legal and banking systems are not adequately developed.

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Question 5

The World Health Organization…

Alternative answers
A	is solely responsible for occupational safety and health	Incorrect.
B	addresses occupational health through the promotion of medical services and hygienic standards	Correct.
C	has had no occupational health initiatives in recent years	Incorrect.
D	is not responsible for technical aspects of occupational health	Incorrect.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for the technical aspects of occupational safety and health, the promotion of medical services and hygienic standards. To encourage countries to support the protection and promotion of workers’ health, particularly where occupational health services do not reach, WHO has recently introduced the healthy workplaces approach. Healthy workplaces not only reinforce occupational health and safety standards, but also provide physical, organizational (e.g. workload, management style, communication) and community environments that protect and promote health and safety of the workers.

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Question 6

Occupational diseases…

Alternative answers
A	account for more than 100 million cases each year worldwide	Correct.
B	occur primarily in developed countries	Incorrect.
C	are diagnosed and compensated in all countries	Incorrect.
D	are diagnosed and compensated only in developed countries	Incorrect.

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The WHO estimates that well over 100 million cases of occupational disease occur each year worldwide. Far too little effort is being made in the developing countries to prevent occupational disease. The failure of the developed countries to protect the health of Third World workers is a scandal of epic proportion. Occupational diseases affect 15–20% of Americans, yet the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) markedly undercounts chronic diseases resulting from work. By either law or practice, compensation for occupational diseases in many states is particularly limited. In a study of approximately 30,000 workers, the majority of individuals with known or suspected occupational disease had not filed claims for workers’ compensation wage replacement.

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Question 7

Workplace protective standards are…

Alternative answers
A	universally accepted and enforced	Incorrect.
B	health-based to insure occupational health and safety	Incorrect.
C	free from industry manipulation	Incorrect.
D	often drawn from biased or outdated sources	Correct.

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Industry guidelines and federal standards have failed to fully protect workers from chemical toxicity: none exist for most chemicals, many are biased toward what can easily be achieved, and many were developed long after health consequences became evident. Although exposure limits or guidelines for many large volume chemicals have been established, Federal OSHA has PELs for less than 500 toxic substances out of the more than 10,000 chemicals that are routinely used in industrial facilities. Additionally, more than 90% of the substances with established PELs have standards based on toxicological study results and case reports that are grossly out of date. Corporate representatives were given primary responsibility for developing TLVs on more than 100 substances, including at least 36 carcinogens.

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Question 8

The International Labor Organization…

Alternative answers
A	plays no role in promoting policies for occupational health and safety	Incorrect.
B	is under the WHO with respect to occupational health and safety	Incorrect.
C	is a tripartite organization of government, employer and worker representatives	Correct.
D