Introduction To Working Conditions And Environment
İÇİNDEKİLERCONTENTSPreface, by Francis Blanchard Introduction Objectives ScopeTarget audience Coverage How the book was written Structure . . 1. Importance and unity of working conditions and environment An unacceptable situation A heavy price to pay A worrying trend Promoting work adapted to the worker The need for a global approach Working conditions and environment form a whole Inter-relations and interactions The comprehension of work situations Working conditions and environment in their context Working conditions and environment, and conditions of life Wage earners in legislation and in practice Economic constraints Aims and scope of the global approach Meaning and objectives of the global approach... Practical applications Implementation and impact 2. Occupational safety and health Extent of the problem Introduction Still cause for concern Considerable efforts have been made Introduction to working conditions and environment The rise of new concepts Material factors Machinery and plant Harmful agents in the work environment Fatigue Multiple facets of fatigue The contribution of science and technology . . . . Hours of work and work organisation Social problems Nutrition Rest, housing and transport Health conditions Occupational safety and health in agriculture Extent and characteristics of farming communities . Risks and patterns of accidents and diseases Accident and disease control Occupational risk control: Safety and health measures in the plant Risk analysis Installation, layout and maintenance of premises and workplaces Plant and equipment hazards Dangerous substances Hazards related to working procedures and work organisation Risks related to the individual Other risk factors Safety and health measures . . . . . . . Obligations of employers and workers Buildings, workplaces and means of access Machinery guarding Dangerous substances and agents Operating methods and work organisation Measures involving the worker Overall occupational safety and health organisation . . . Selecting the means of action Workers' participation Evaluation of results Occupational risk control: Safety and health measures at the national level Need for a coherent policy Legislation, standards and directives Enforcement of regulations and advisory activities . . . Education and training Research Information Conclusions 3. Working time The importance of working time Collective bargaining Legislation International action International labour standards Hours of work Normal hours of work Legal limits Length of the working day Flexible hours schemes Overtime Definitions Reasons for overtime work Advantages and disadvantages Measures to reduce or limit overtime Excessive hours in poorly regulated sectors Rest periods and breaks Shift and night work Shift systems Reasons for shift work Effects of shift work on workers Improving the conditions of shiftworkers Improving shift-work arrangements Improving conditions of work and life Should shift work be encouraged or discouraged? . . . Night work Holidays and leave . Annual holidays with pay International labour standards on holidays and leave Length of annual holidays Holiday pay Other problems of definition and regulation Public holidays Other forms of leave Paid educational leave Reduction of working time Should working time be reduced? What is meant by reduction of working time? Effects of reducing working time New patterns in working time Compressed working week Flexible hours Staggered hours and staggered holidays Part-time work Towards a more integrated approach Introduction to working conditions and environment 4. Wages Wage-fixing machinery Individual contracts Collective agreements Voluntary or compulsory arbitration Minimum wage Wage fixing in the public sector Wage-fixing parameters or criteria A living wage Cost of living Wage comparisons with employment market rates . . An acceptable wage (for the undertaking and the economy) An equitable wage Wage systems Time rate system Payment by results Straight piece-rate systems Differential piece-rate systems Premium and task bonus systems Merit rating Profit-sharing and co-partnership schemes Protection of wages Protection from the employer Wage protection in the event of bankruptcy of the undertaking Protecting the worker against himself Wages and other conditions of work and life Wage level and subsistence Wages, skills and employment Wages and the improvement of working conditions 5. Organisation of work and job content . . . Efficiency principles of work organisation Division of labour Hierarchies Scientific management Social principles of work organisation Methods of improving work organisation and job content Decoupling people from machines Optimisation of cycle time Job rotation Job enrichment Group work Semi-autonomous groups Matrix groups Organisation of industrial work: Flow grouping versus functional grouping Organisation of office work:Forms of decentralisation Other techniques affecting work organisation and job content Automation and its effects on work organisation . . . Introducing improvements in work organisation and job content Worker and trade union participation Sources of pressure for change Conclusion: Old and new design principles 6. Workers' welfare facilities Facilities for worke Commuting facilities Welfare facilities to improve the living conditions of workers and their families Employers' action with respect to housing At the level of the undertaking Beyond the level of the undertaking Employers' action in the field of provisions Works stores Consumer co-operative stores Other forms of assistance Employers' action in the field of health At the level of the undertaking . . . Beyond the level of the undertaking Conclusion 7. Workers in the rural and urban informal sectors in developing countries Working conditions in rural areas of developing countries . A complex situation Deep and growing impoverishment Need for a wider analytical perspective Nature of agricultural work Physical and living environment Economic environment Agricultural modernisation and working conditions Technological choice and working conditions . . . Some policy implications and issues Need for rural development strategies directed against poverty Need to promote participation Rural development, technological choice and working conditions The urban informal sector . . Characteristics and contribution Earnings and conditions of work Introduction to working conditions and envronment Occupational and community health hazards . . Problems and policies Increasing income-earning opportunities . . Improved access to social services and physica infrastructure Basic measures relating to safety and health 8. How to improve working conditions and environment . . The men and the means Public institutions Labour administration Labour legislation Labour inspection Role of employers and workers Employers' and workers' organisations . . . Collective bargaining Specialists and educational, research and advisory 1 Action at the level of the work unit Need for a global approach to the problem . . . A multidisciplinary approach required . . . . Working conditions and productivity . . . . The global approach and specific problems Two basic principles Enforcement of labour legislation A vigilant approach to the problems of man a Key figures in the undertaking Action at the national level Assessing the situation Knowledge of the problems Obstacles and means of overcoming them . . Selecting priorities Guiding principles A coherent policy A co-ordinated policy A concerted policy Diversified action Strengthening the institutions General and specific measures Direct and indirect measures Coercive and incentive measures Measures at the design and planning stage and corrective action Technological choice Specific categories of workers and their problems . Workers underprivileged or vulnerable owing to personal characteristics Workers underprivileged by the de jure or de facto absence of social protection Education and training ......... Role and objectives Importance Function In-plant training Workers' representatives Workers in general Management, engineers, technicians and foremen . Designers and planners Heads of undertakings Training of specialists Labour inspectorate staff Occupational health and hygiene staff Specialists in occupational safety and ergonomics . Dissemination of scientific training and the multidisciplinary approach Training in teaching establishments Vocational and technical training Training of other professionals Training in schools Training policies and training the trainers Decision-makers (senior civil servants and planners) Employers' and workers' organisations Public information Training the trainers Conclusion Appendices A. The International Labour Organisation B. The International Programme for the Improvement of Worki Conditions and Environment (PIACT) C. International labour Conventions and Recommendations concerning working conditions and environment D. Guide to further reading  |
