Reference no: EM133177207
Omni Industries Limited is a plastic supply and custom fabrication company with head office in Ohio, USA and one location in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. The company employs approximately 100 workers at its facility in Spanish Town, St. Catherine and 400 at the Ohio location. Omni serves clients in the medical, solar, and semiconductor industries by making acrylic and polycarbonate sheets, tubes, and rods.
Safety is a top priority at Omni. All employees are given an employee's manual at the orientation session which details all the rules and regulations of the company inclusive of health and safety standards and penalties for breaches. Both new and existing employees are trained on safety standards and operation of the equipment. Employees are required to wear safety gears on entry to the plant and supervisors are required to conduct daily shift inspections on equipment and work stations prior to the start of each shift. Recently, three workers were seriously injured by a large press used to mold plastic parts at the Spanish Town location. The workers spent four weeks in the Spanish Town hospital for hand injuries, and they are currently recuperating at home.
Mr. Marvin Campbell, Omni Industries CEO and management team are evaluating all aspects of safety at the plant to determine what changes need to be made. The accident report revealed the following:
1. The injured workers removed a safety guard before the start of the shift in order to increase speed of the machine.
2. The supervisor missed the shift inspection prior to the accident.
3. One of the employees was not wearing his gloves at the time of the accident.
The injured employees are permanent employees for over 10 years and have been consistently denied vacation leave for the last 5 years due to the production demands. They have also complained about poor working conditions and working 60 hours work week without overtime payment. Omni workers receive free get away weekend benefits at all-inclusive hotels fully paid by Omni Industries during the Christmas holiday break. The employees are appreciative of the weekend getaway incentive but they believe that they should be compensated for overtime work. Omni Industries Limited employees are unionized by Union of Manufacturing Workers (UMW). Given the recent accident and other issues affecting the wellbeing of the employees, UMW is planning to take industrial action against Omni Industries.
Case written by Lena Davis (Ms.), Lecturer, University of Technology, Jamaica for academic purposely only ©2022
Based on the case study you just read, answer all the questions that follows:
1a. Which of the following, best supports the argument that Omni Industries needs to implement a positive reinforcement programme?
a. Safety is top priority at Omni Industries.
b. The injured workers removed a safety guard before the start of the shift in order to increase speed of the machine
c. All employees are given an employee's manual at the orientation session which details all the rules and regulations at Omni Industries inclusive of health and safety standards.
d. Three employees were injured in the most recent accident.
1b. Justify the reason for your answer in 1a.
2. Explain what the supervisor could have done to eliminate or minimized the impact of the accident. Cite example(s) from the case.
3. Both employees and employers have rights and responsibilities regarding safety in the workplace. Discuss two responsibilities and rights of the employee and employer to maintain safety in the workplace.
4. Differentiate between legally required and discretionary benefits. Give one example each according to the Jamaican context; cite labour laws where applicable.
5. Describe four (4) discretionary benefits that could be added to Omni Industries benefits programme to improve employee morale and retention.
6. Based on the case are there any grounds for disciplinary action by Omni against the employees? Justify your response based on your required text.