In the USA we live in a society where we use our work to provide for food, clothing and shelter. Most of us do not have so-called “tied” homes where an employer provides a home while we work for them. We live in a society that is supported by laws, which means our living is regulated to aim for fair treatment for employers and employees. Some regulations seem to help employees more than employers, others help both.
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A three-story, $140 million temporary office and conference building opened Monday, signifying the start of a major renovation of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
The temporary building is part of a larger renovation project slated to be complete in 2013. The original 57-year-old building currently violates several New York City safety and fire codes, but more importantly, is filled with asbestos, a toxic fiber once used in construction.
Asbestos exposure is linked to several serious and sometimes deadly medical conditions, including mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of lung cancer that often manifests years after the initial exposure. Due the danger and time-consuming nature of asbestos removal, it should only be attempted by a licensed professional.
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Here we are looking at the seven characteristics that can give rise to an accusation of discrimination against an employer. These are age, race, sex, religion, national origin, disability or pregnancy. The definition of disability is looked at in our article on “Disability – no reason for discrimination or termination”. The rest of the seven characteristics are more clear-cut and easy to understand.
The major turning points for an employee’s career can be seen as promotion, job assignment, termination and wage increases. Job assignment is the most difficult one to look at and control. It would be difficult to ignore that an employee, or employee’s partner, is due to give birth at a time which is crucial for the completion of a project. This is especially true when considering which people should be assigned to any project. The same could be said of someone who is due to have major surgery which is planned to take place at a crucial time in the project. However, such considerations can be construed as illegal and care must be exercised, remembering the fact of the birth, does not become an illegal reason to choose someone else to work on any project or to have any given role in the company.
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By Wade Rawlins
Asbestos is among the most thoroughly investigated of any workplace health hazard. Yet, certain questions still intrigue researchers including the relative potencies of different types of asbestos, the role of fiber size in determining toxicity and the workplace hazards of unregulated mineral fibers that mimic asbestos. But should these questions be a barrier to a national ban on asbestos use?
Researchers at the University of Washington, the U.S. Public Health Service and the Center for Construction Research and Training, argue in the current issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, that unanswered questions about asbestos should not stand in the way of more protective occupational health policy.
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