Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) - Essay Example Prior to the 1970s, such risks were left to the companies to handle and there was minimal intervention from the federal government by way of work safety-related policies and regulatory standards. By the late 1960s, workplace accidents resulted to the death of an average 14,000 workers per year while an estimated two million more were harmed or disabled. Furthermore, there was too little known about the health effects of the variety of chemicals that were being churned out of factories even as environmental advocates have been raising the alarm on the possible dangers of exposure. This disturbing rates and figures prompted President Nixon to sign the Occupational Safety and Health Act in Dec. 17, 19701. The enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) marked the first time that a federal program was established to protect and ensure the health and safety of the entire country’s work force by reducing job-related illness, injury, disability, accidents, and death. Then-Secretary of Labor James Hodgson’s first step was to establish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a special agency within the United States Department of Labor tasked to implement and enforce the said Act; OSHA was established effective April 28, 19712. In order to carry out the mission which it was set out for, OSHA had to start from scratch, using the Bureau of Labor Standards as the nucleus from which to build up the program3. The OSH Act also established the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as the agency to conduct researches on known and possible work-related safety and health problems and to recommend regulatory standards which OSHA should consider based on their findings; as well as that, NIOSH was also to provide technical assistance to OSHA4. OSHA’s principal client groups are mainly organized labor and the business community; as such, they have played active roles

Degeneration of Free Enterprise Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Degeneration of Free Enterprise Systems - Essay Example Free enterprise systems trace their roots way back in the 18th century when governments restricted individuals from owning and starting their own businesses. In a free enterprise system, the control of goods and services is through demand and supply, as well as competition. There are laws in place that encourage free market competition and avoidance of monopolies. A free enterprise system is self-regulating, where all parties are free to transact with each other. The only government intervention carried out is punishment on frauds. Competition within a free enterprise ensures production of excellent goods. In a free enterprise system, individuals enjoy the freedom of owning private property. Businesses and individuals are free to engage in contracts (Elijah 41). Therefore, the agreement to sell or buy goods, whether oral or written, is legally binding. On the other hand, individuals enjoy the freedom to make personal choices. They communicate those choices throughout the pricing syst em. In addition, people are free to participate in free competition and enterprise (Elijah 42). They do this by choosing a place they will work and manage their own business. If they desire so, they are free to choose the type and amount of services and goods they are willing to produce. According to Adam Smith, self interest acts as a force that dictates the behaviors of businesses and individuals. Therefore, people are free to search for their own self-interest. Fascism is a form of authoritarian and nationalistic government organization (Leon 5). In a fascist system, the government may not own businesses but does control them. The government controls what is produced, who is to produce it, when to produce it, what prices to charge, where to find raw materials and labor. Labor becomes largely suppressed under fascist forms of governments. The government makes the owners of business to believe they still own their business, yet they control them through regulations and taxations. F ascist governments are defined as governments that control large corporations. Fascism advocates for war and political violence as means of achieving nationalism (Leon 5). A fascist state is controlled by a leader who becomes viewed supreme and practices dictatorship on the government and other government enterprises. It is also defined as a government form characterized by authority centralization under a dictator. Fascism is a government system where all forms of business enterprises become regimented under a dictator who emphasizes on the need for nationalism. Fascism may also be coupled with racism. An oligarchy is a form of government where a limited number of people control power. Normally, such people may be in control of a country’s government, they can also be wealthy individuals. Degeneration of a Free Enterprise system Degeneration of free enterprise happens when there is a decline of effectiveness of power, essential quality or power itself. Degeneration of a free enterprise system if not controlled can lead to systems associated with fascist oligarchs. A free enterprise may crumble either because of forceful government intervention or market forces. In case a free enterprise system degenerates as a result of market forces then the government may intervene, but if it is through forceful intervention, then the most likely outcome may be a fascist oligarch. Fascism presents the first step of degeneration of a f