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> Date: Sat, 20 Jan 1996 15:39:21 -0800
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> From: Lisa Covi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: Safety in the workplace
> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sat, 20 Jan 1996 13:37:25 EST."
> <v01530502ad2603d8c7cd@[205.228.188.65]>
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> In message <v01530502ad2603d8c7cd@[205.228.188.65]>, Robert Washington writes
> :
> >Does any body in this newsgroup want to talk about safety in the workplace
> >and how to build safety and environmental awareness among resistant
> >employees?...
> >We have a considerably good training program, but our employees act like
> >the information went in one ear and out the other.
>
> Robert and others,
>
> I'm not aware of the connection >you< draw between your dilemma and
> ecofeminism. However, I'll take a stab at it and outline an approach
> that I feel is compatable with ecofeminism to see if it helps you find
> a favorable outcome.
>
> Why would workers want to ignore safety and environmental precautions
> that on the face of the problem seem to preserve their well-being
> through continued employment and personal survival?
>
> The first question I have is: Assuming your safety training presents
> information in a way the workers understand, what are the specific
> practices that the workers persist in performing or ignoring to make
> the workplace hazardous?
>
> Secondly, with a list of those practices, I would suggest examining
> each one carefully from multiple perspectives: What are the workers
> incentives to behave in acceptable or unacceptable ways? What are the
> supervisors and high level managers' incentives for the workers to
> have certain types of behavior? What may appear to be individual
> ignorance or stubbornness may suddenly appear to be a conflict between
> organizational incentives.
>
> Another obvious consideration may be cultural barriers between
> works and the people who are trying to bring the plant into
> compliance. There seems to be a strong disparity betwen your plant
> and the others that the company runs. Talking to a manager who is
> sensitive to these differences or a worker who understands the the
> incentives of management may shed some light on this problematic
> situation. Keeping an eye out for authority issues about what is
> being imposed on whom may uncover a power struggle that may have
> nothing to do with the immediate issue at hand.
>
> I feel a bit like a fortune teller providing this perspective, but I
> am interested in whether others on this list find resonance with my
> interpretation and whether Robert finds this helpful at all.
>
> Lisa Covi
>
Lisa I found your response very relevant and enlightening. You
certainly seem to have made the ecofem connection in spite of your
opener!. All the best - a good reply in my mind. Yoland
