McWane Company is a big organization that is reported to violate several policies which were aimed at safe guarding employees’ safety, environmental safety as well as criminal violations. In order for any company to successfully run its operations, it must ensure that all the assets including the employees are safe and sound. The company seemed to violate the OSHA rules repeatedly allowing their employees to suffer from massive injuries which resulted to unguarded machines as well as hazardous and dangerous working environment (Harris 94). The company seems to know the existing hazardous conditions facing their workforce, but however it goes ahead and ignore the dangerous working conditions. For instance, an inspection initiated by OSHA unveiled that there were approximately 4,600 injuries and 9 deaths reported which were caused by the fact that the Company violated safety rules and policy knowingly. Moreover, over 400 cases of “Occupational Safety and Health Administration” violations which occurred between the year 1995 and 2003. Some of the remedies available for such companies include cancelation of its operation licenses if the cases continue to increase.
It is very unprofessional for a company to engage in production processes in order to earn profits at the cost of their human life. McWane Company seems to care about the revenue it gathers from its employee’s hard work. This implies that the company does not play any role of ensuring that safety within its premises is implemented. For instance, Ira Cofer an employee was working around unprotected and unguarded moving conveyor which resulted to one of his sleeves to entangled in the operating machinery. This machine pulled him under the system where he was trapped and lost an arm. Another similar incident affected Reginald Elston who used to work as electrician and died as a result of unguarded conveyor belt operations. This incident occurred due to several causes which include ignorance of the dangerous working conditions and frequent layoffs from the company. Appointing one employee to be in-charge of dangerous machines is very dangerous especially to his or her health. Machines operations are constant and they need several people to operate them effectively. Leaving one employee to foresee its operation is unprofessional. Moreover, the frequent layoffs reported may be the cause of massive injuries within the Company (OSHA 80).
It is also unprofessional for the McWane Company to avoid responsibilities especially when it comes to employees’ safety. Many employees suffered massive injuries as a result of the unguarded machines within the premises. The company should insure all its employees as well as cater for any medical cost incurred in the treatment of injured employees. Paying for such treatment would show some concerns to their employees. It should also have compensated the families of people who lost their lives while working for the Company. The ignorance of responsibilities only implied violation to human rights and should have received big penalties. Such companies should have their production licenses invoked and even cancelled. Moreover, the owners, senior officials, managers and supervisors should be prosecuted for the ignorance of considering the law and policies designated to protect the environment and employees welfare. For instance, it violated environmental acts such as Clean Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act which also affected people living near the company. The Authorities involved should have taken the matters to courts where heavy fines should have imposed on the company. Most manufacturing companies across the globe tend to ignore environmental policies which lead to rapid pollution of the environment and thus affect people and living creatures around the Company. Therefore, McWane Company should have been put under strict supervision to ensure that policies are not violated repetitively. This would have ensured that the company follows all the stipulated OSHA policies and rules effectively (Gross, and Lance 49).
Works Cited
Are Osha's Penalties Adequate to Deter Health and Safety Violations?: Hearing Before the
Committee on Education and Labor, U.s. House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, First Session, Hearing Held in Washington, Dc, April 28, 2009. Washington: U.S. G.P.O, 2009. Print.
Gross, James A, and Lance A. Compa. Human Rights in Labor and Employment Relations:
International and Domestic Perspectives. Champaign, IL: Labor and Employment Relations Association, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. Print.
Harris, Roy J. Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism. Columbia:
