ESSAY 2: Why are some workplace hazards and conditions more readily recognized than others? In particular, discuss the issues of women in the workplace and workplace pollution.

Firenze (1978), defines hazard as any existing or potential condition in the workplace that, by itself or interacting with other factors, can result in deaths, injuries, property damage, or other loses. (p. 74)

Some workplace hazards and conditions are observable and tangible. These hazards can be easily recognized and identified. A few examples of observable hazards would be an employee not wearing protective equipment, a wire sticking out of a socket, or a pool of water in a hallway.

Other workplace hazards and conditions are less readily recognized as they are intangible. They are not as easy to predict, observe, mitigate or prevent. These hazards might include workplace pollution, aggression, abuse, harassment, and violence.

While these hazards may not be as easy to predict, observe, mitigate or prevent, they are prevalent in today’s workplace and therefore stakeholders have a duty to ensure that employees are prepared to handle them.

87 years after The Famous Five opened the door to Canadian politics for women; they are still prevalent perceived differences between men and women in the workplace. Women’s physical capacities are still being considered to make them less fit for a job which would traditionally be assigned to men. Women’s occupational illnesses may be thought of to be due to their physical and psychological specificity rather than their jobs, and women’s reproductive specificity is considered to render them unfit to work more often than men, making it riskier to hire women over men.

Messing et al. (2000) point out that the consequences of these ideas are reluctance to hire women, to adapt the workplace needs to theirs, to compensate them for workplace