Comment WRONG!!! (Score 1) 126
Ergonomics is NOT a pseudoscience. Current ergonomic standards are well established and understood. They can be applied to ANY office worker, regardless of height or shape. I remember seeing books on typing technique from the 70's that demonstrated the same sitting and arm and head position as currently reccommended.
And speaking of cost/benefit analysis, I could hire a desperate immigrant to assemble dynamite in my backyard for $5/hour. If he makes $10,000 worth of dynamite before he blows himself up, and I've only paid him $1,000, I've made a profit!!! The COST of training him and providing safety equipment may well outweigh the BENEFIT, since I can just sweep up his remains and hire a new one.
Does this plan pass your ethical test? Why or why not? How is it different, except in severity, than ignoring and/or neglecting REAL and SEVERE ergonomic hazards for one's office employees, with the knowledge that existing legal protection and compensation are comparatively inexpensive?
That's the way it is NOW. Worker's Compensation insurance, though expensive for blue-collar workers, is cheap for office workers. Even a person who is totally crippled by RSI can't expect more than $50K for the loss of the use of their arms. In most cases, the employer's insurance would pay it. The cost of training, new equipment, and most of all, allowing sufficient break time would be much greater. That's why companies DON'T DO IT CURRENTLY!
And that's why we need the government to force them to.
-- SuperBusTerrific
And speaking of cost/benefit analysis, I could hire a desperate immigrant to assemble dynamite in my backyard for $5/hour. If he makes $10,000 worth of dynamite before he blows himself up, and I've only paid him $1,000, I've made a profit!!! The COST of training him and providing safety equipment may well outweigh the BENEFIT, since I can just sweep up his remains and hire a new one.
Does this plan pass your ethical test? Why or why not? How is it different, except in severity, than ignoring and/or neglecting REAL and SEVERE ergonomic hazards for one's office employees, with the knowledge that existing legal protection and compensation are comparatively inexpensive?
That's the way it is NOW. Worker's Compensation insurance, though expensive for blue-collar workers, is cheap for office workers. Even a person who is totally crippled by RSI can't expect more than $50K for the loss of the use of their arms. In most cases, the employer's insurance would pay it. The cost of training, new equipment, and most of all, allowing sufficient break time would be much greater. That's why companies DON'T DO IT CURRENTLY!
And that's why we need the government to force them to.
-- SuperBusTerrific
