CRITICAL THINKING ESSAY
Introduction
The given case titled ‘Trouble in Truss Construction Shop’ is based on an accident of a worker while he was pushing a large sized piece of wood through a table saw at the construction shop. This incident has been third in a row reported by the company. The OSHA has outlined safety rules and procedures for the companies that require workers to deal directly with heavy tools and equipment. Although the safety precautions had been taken into account by the workers but nothing really seems to identify the reason behind the occurrence of accidents. The media has also taken notice of the third accident which took place at the Truss Construction Shop and has been misusing the information to spread rumors about poor implementation of safety and health hazards at Truss Construction Shop. The management fears that the company might begin to lose its sales and employee commitment if such accidents continue to happen in the future. What makes the case interesting is that when the investigation team came to look into the causes of the current accident, the statement of employees was different and they acted rather defensive. None of the employees be it the foreman, the shop manager or the injured employee himself were willing to accept their faults. However, the statement of the injured employee and his peers still presented some reasonable arguments and the blame was given to the poorly designed safety guard which has been unable to ensure the safety of operators at the construction shop.
The issue or problem has been mentioned in the given case on clear grounds. The issue is related to workers’ safety and protection which Truss Construction Shop has not been able to provide although the standards have been spelled out well but the occurrence of a third accident does not truly favor it. When OSHA provides the safety measure which every organization including Truss Construction Shop implement in order to ensure the safety and protection of its workers; it does not monitor if the measures are being practiced as required. Ineffective monitoring leads to accident situations which resultantly creates a feeling of insecurity among other workers. When the workers consider the safety and protection standards as unsatisfactory, it is quite likely that they will switch to employers where they know that their lives are not at risk.
There is a lack of coordination among the employees at Truss Construction Shop. The injured worker and his peers blame the safety guard for not been able to provide protection to the workers whereas the foreman denies that such issue with regard to safety existed in the shop. The workers further insisted that they have informed the foreman of the ill-functioning of safety guard several times but he failed to take any notice of their concern. In order to support his position, the foreman comes up with the quality standards that he has been maintaining but those carrying out the analysis cannot deny the voice of workers who actually perform with safety guard. The shop manager also adds to the complexity of the issue by stressing that safety standards have not been violated and foreman never mentioned any issues with machinery in the shop.
Media and those concerned with the OSHA would certainly highlight the issue which would bring a bad name to the Truss Construction Shop and its profitability is likely to suffer.
Analysis of the Information
Information gathered from the case is the lack of leadership at Truss Construction Shop. Leadership is essential for ensuring that the business is going in the right direction. At Truss Construction Shop, no one is a leader which is why no one is willing to take responsibility for the accident and transferring the blame to each other with convenience. If the shop manager possesses some traits of a leader, then such accidents could have been avoided. A leader has a vision which is then transmitted to the employees through his actions and words. When the workers experience the absence of leader and mentor, they would not feel responsible for the jobs they perform (Aaker & Joachimsthaler, 2012). When the workers will feel dissatisfied or frustrated due to an act of irresponsibility from the management, they do not act loyal and communicate the negative points to the newspapers and other forms of media. This in turns tarnishes the image of the organization and causes its sales to decline.
Analysis of Alternative Viewpoints, Conclusions, or Solutions
The case reveals that the due to the absence of check and balance on the safety and protection system by Truss Construction Shop, the unpleasant incidences took place. If proper leadership exists at Truss Construction Shop where the job duties are clearly defined and employees work in harmony to achieve their target goals, the occurrence of accidents can be avoided. Training, when given to employees for ensuring their safety and protection while performing their tasks, can also reduce accidents. The culture of leadership must be encouraged and employees at all levels must be given training and counseling sessions so that they could learn to cooperate with each other and immediately take actions for safety measures whenever necessary.
Personal or Summarized Conclusions and Proposed Decisions
I would propose that Truss Construction Shop must give updated training to employees to work safely at the construction shop. Any accident cases must be reported immediately to the OSHA. Proper work gear must be given to all workers and regular monitoring of all equipment and tools must be carried out. Leadership must be improved at Truss Construction Shop so that the job-related goals become clear to employees at all levels, for instance, the shop manager would learn how to ensure that he motivates the workers and foreman to achieve their objective by presenting himself as a role model to them.
Conclusion
The case ‘Trouble in Truss Construction Shop’ highlights that safety and protection methods must be implemented at construction shops and workers must be educated about its significance. Sound leadership if found absent in a business set up can lead to unpleasant consequences. Employees’ training and development must also be made as a continuous activity so that the image and reputation of an organization do not suffer and issues can be sorted in a logical and rational manner.
Reference
Aaker, D. A., & Joachimsthaler, E. (2012). Brand leadership. Simon and Schuster.
