8.1 Read and translate the text:

In the best-organised businesses accidents sometimes happen. Today

accident happened to a worker who had been using a grinding machine in

the fitters' shop. Harper & Grant Ltd., like most engineering companies,

have a fitters' shop where routine maintenance, repairs and modifications

are done on machine tools. Obviously it is in the management's interest

to do everything they can to prevent accidents, but it is not always

possible to foresee people's actions, in other words "the human factor".

Two people react to the accident in a particular way. The first is Peter

Wiles, who hopes that the accident is not fatal (a fatal accident is

when someone is killed). But he is very concerned in case his company

are sued for negligence.

Negligence is lack of proper care, in this case, in the provision of

safety measures, or safeguards, for the men working the machines. There

are various forms of negligence for which a person or firm can be sued

for compensation in a civil court action. In the event of an accident,

the injured person could sue for damages which he alleges are caused by

the negligence of his employer. If it is also found that statutory

regulations, i.e. the law regarding health and safety, have been broken

the local factory inspector (a government employee) might institute

criminal proceedings against the company.

If the company can be proved to have been negligent, Reg Arnold, the man

who was injured, may be able to claim a lot of money in compensation.

Compensation, in this case, means money paid to an employee who has had

a serious accident which has reduced, or may reduce, his working

capacity.

The other interested person in the accident is the shop steward, Mr.

Jack Green. He thinks the safety precautions are inadequate. A company

can be held negligent even if it supplies goggles and other protective

clothing and encourages their use. A court could rule that the

management should see that its own instructions, or those of the factory

inspector, are actually carried out. If Arnold were to make a claim

against the company he would almost certainly do it through his trade

union. This is the main activity of a union's legal department.

Incidentally, he will get money from the State while he is not able to

work, and all the care he receives in hospital will be free under the

National Health Service.

8.2 Listen to the dialogue.

(In John Martin's office)

PETER WILES Hello, John. A lot of work going on here, I see.

JOHN MARTIN Yes, we're up to our eyes. We've had a record sales week.

PETER Splendid.

(Telephone rings)

JOHN Hello? John Martin here. Yes, Mr. Wiles is here, Ted. What! Oh,

no. How frightful! Is the man all right? Yes, come on up...

That was Ted Fielding. He's been phoning for you all over the

building. There's been an accident in the fitters' shop.

PETER Oh Lord! Why didn't he go straight to the Personnel Manager?

That's his business.

JOHN Ian Hampden's away.

PETER Oh, I'd forgotten he was going away this week. Then I suppose

it is my responsibility. Is it serious?

JOHN Ted didn't say. He seemed anxious to come up and see you right

away. Ah, here he is... come in, Ted.

PETER Good heavens, man, you look awful. It's not a fatal accident,

is it?

TED No, but it's very nasty.

JOHN Sit down, Ted. What happened?

TED It's Reg Arnold in the fitters' shop. He didn't put on goggles

when he was using the grinding machine and a lot of steel

filings flew up... Oh, he looks terrible; one eye's very

bad... The foreman called me, and I sent for Robinson, who's

trained in first aid. I called you as soon as I could.

PETER Where is Reg now?

TED They've taken him to the first aid room until the ambulance

arrives. ... Ah, there's the ambulance now.

JOHN Let's go down.

PETER Not so fast, John.

JOHN What do you mean?

PETER Don't rush things.

JOHN For goodness sake! Surely we can see the poor chap into the

ambulance.

PETER I think we'll all stay here. An industrial accident can be a

tricky affair. It's best to keep out of the way.

JOHN Surely not. It was the man's own fault by the sound of it.

PETER My experience is that when there's an accident it's never the

man's fault; anyway, in the opinion of our own particular shop

steward. You'll see. Jack Green will make the most of this.

He'll suggest that the supervisor should have noticed that he

wasn't wearing goggles and insisted that he put them on. It

could cost the firm a lot of money.

(An hour later, in Peter Wiles' s office)

JANE Oh, Mr. Wiles, Jack Green, the shop steward, is waiting to see

you.

PETER Ah, the inevitable! All right. Ask him to come in.

JANE Yes.

PETER Ah, Jack, I've been expecting you.

(Later that day, John comes into Peter's office)

JOHN Hello, Peter. You've had a visit from Green, I gather.

PETER Yes. He says the safety precautions are inadequate.

JOHN Surely they can't be. After all, there's a notice hanging over

every machine warning the men to wear goggles.

PETER Yes, but Green wants a full-time safety manager. I wonder what

H.G. will say to that!

JOHN Well, you haven't got to worry about Reg Arnold sueing the

company. H.G. asked me to go down to the hospital to see him.

I did, and he admitted it was entirely his fault.

PETER What did he say?

JOHN He was almost apologetic. As if we were the ones who were

suffering! He said he was sorry he'd caused so much trouble.

PETER Hm. Did anyone else hear him say that, apart from you?

JOHN Yes. Ted Fielding, who came with me, and two nurses.

PETER Good. Arnold won't be able to make out a case of negligence

against us, when Green gets hold of him.

JOHN I never realised how tough you could be. You haven't given a

thought to the poor unfortunate man. All you care about is the

politics of the affair. You're as bad as Jack Green.

PETER Well, someone's got to be tough if you want to stay in

business.

JOHN I couldn't disagree with you more. Where are you going? Golf,

I suppose.

PETER Not a bad idea on a lovely afternoon like this. No, as a

matter of fact I thought I'd call at the hospital on my way

home to see Reg Arnold. But I'll get the Personnel Department

to check up first how many weeks at full pay he's entitled to

under the company sick-pay scheme. You know, it makes up the

difference between National Insurance payments and his normal

basic rate. That should cheer him up!

8.3 Answer the questions:

1. What do we call an accident in which someone is killed?

2. What is the vehicle called in which the injured person is taken

to hospital?

3. In the case of an industrial accident, what might the employers

be accused of by a union, or by an individual?

4. What do employers do to try to prevent accidents?

5. If an employee is injured, and it is proved that the firm

employing him were to blame, what would he receive?

8.4 What do you think of Peter Wiles's reaction to the accident? Do you

agree with his words that "someone's got to be tough if you want to stay

in business"?

8.5 Find definitions for the terms:

goggles, foreman, shop steward, fitters' shop, steel filings, safety

precautions, sue

a. small particles of steel

b. a department of the factory where repairs and modifications are done

on machine tools

c. to bring a legal action against someone, to bring them to court and

make an accusation against them

d. elected representative of members of a trade union working in a

particular shop, or a group of shops, in a factory

e. shield for the eyes used when working with lathes, grinding machines,

etc.

f. the employee responsible for the work of the men under him, the

efficiency of the department and the quality and quantity of the work

produced

g. measures taken to prevent a potentially dangerous situation from

causing an accident

8.6 Fill in gaps in the sentences:

1. The management do everything they can to ... accidents, but it is not

always possible to ... people's actions. 2. Peter Wiles hopes that the

accident is not ..., but he is very concerned in case his company are

... for negligence. 3. Negligence is lack of proper care in the

provision of ... for the men working the machines. 4. In the event of an

accident, the ... person could sue for ... which he alleges are caused

by the negligence of his employer. 5. The local factory inspector might

institute criminal ... against the company. 6. Compensation means money

paid to an employee who has had a serious accident which has reduced his

working ... . 7. The shop steward thinks the safety precautions are ...

8. The company supplies goggles and other protective clothing and ...

their use. 9. If Reg Arnold were to make a ... against the company he

would do it through his trade union. This is the main activity of a

union's ... department. 10. Ted Fielding sent for a man trained in first

... . 11. Jack Green wants a ... safety manager. 12. Peter Wiles wants

to check up how many weeks at full pay Reg Arnold is ... to under the

company ... scheme.

8.7 Complete the text with the given verbs in correct tense forms. Who

can be telling this story?

wait, clean, stretch, make, take, run, keep (2 times)

The mixing machines ... 24 hours a day and we only turned them off

at weekends. The lids had to be ... every day, so there were big safety

guards to protect the operators' hands. It was hard work and the

operators ... removing the guards to make it easier. I ... saying "This

is dangerous. You're crazy", but they wouldn't listen. Whenever I saw

someone removing a safety guard, I'd ... and watch. Then, when their

hand was ... out over the lid, I'd throw the Off switch. They were big

machines and they ... an enormous noise when they stopped. It frightened

the life out of the operators, I can tell you. They never ... the guards

off again after that.

8.8 As a result of the accident, Mr. Hector Grant, the Managing

Director, feels that the safety precautions should be re-examined and,

if necessary, enforced more strictly. He does not think it necessary to

appoint a full-time Safety Manager, but he wants the opinion of his

Personnel Manager as to how the safety regulations can be improved.

He also wants all the staff members to be made more aware of

possible dangers. Here is Mr. Grant's memo:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: The Managing Director

date: 23rd September, 197..

Subject: SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

To: The Personnel Manager

As a result of the accident which occurred in the fitters' shop, we

are going to have a drive to improve our safety precautions throughout

the Works. We want, first of all, to eliminate the sources of accidents;

in other words, we want to see where the possible danger points are and

remove them. Secondly, we want to make all employees more aware of

danger to themselves if they do not follow instructions.

I. Would you please prepare a report for me on what you consider the

danger points to be and how our safety rules can be improved. Any

suggestions from members of staff will be most helpful and will be very

carefully considered.

2. Would you inform all employees, in the strongest terms, of the risks

they run if they do not follow the safety regulations.

Hector Grant

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

8.9 Give your ideas on the psychological aspect of not following

different safety regulations. Why are people often careless and ready to

risk their own health or life - and those of others?

8.10 Translate the sentences.

1. В красильном цехе произошел несчастный случай; пострадавшего отвели в

комнату первой помощи. 2. Он признал, что сам кругом виноват, так как

изо дня в день нарушал правила техники безопасности. 3. Он не сможет

предъявить нам иск и обвинить в халатности; впрочем, он и не намерен

обращаться в суд. 4. С моей точки зрения, эти меры предосторожности

недостаточны. 5. Он имеет право на три полностью оплаченных недели

отсутствия по болезни. 6. Несчастных случаев на производстве никогда не

удается избежать полностью. 7. Если мы захотим уволить Питера, профсоюз

несомненно выступит в его защиту. 8. Боюсь, что в данном случае против

вашей фирмы может быть возбуждено уголовное дело. 9. Гражданский суд

постановил, что мы должны выплатить ему компенсацию за ущерб в размере 3

500 фунтов. 10. После того несчастного случая он так и не оправился

полностью, и его работоспособность существенно снизилась. 11. Что

касается здоровья и безопасности рабочих, то об этом никто не

позаботится, кроме них самих; уж таковы условия работы в этой компании.

12. Если эти инструкции не будут выполняться, то несчастные случаи со

смертельным исходом станут правилом. 13. Мастер не обязан следить за

тем, чтобы в цехе соблюдались все меры предосторожности; для этого есть

инструктор по технике безопасности. - Я с вами совершенно не согласен.

14. Несчастный случай на производстве может оказаться делом сложным. 15.

Эти деньги возместят разницу между тем, что он получит в качестве

страховки от государства и его основной ставкой зарплаты.

8.11 An accident has happened at your firm. Perform a dialogue between

the Personnel Manager and a shop steward anxious to protect interests of

the injured worker.

8.12 It is certainly clear that firms can be sued not only for

negligence but for many other things as well. The following is an

article from the New York Times Service dealing with another kind of

suit. Read the article and answer the questions below.

TRITON ENERGY AGREES TO SETTLE BRIBERY CHARGE

Triton Energy Corp., an international oil and gas development

company based in Dallas, has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle federal

charges (обвинения) stemming from bribes that a subsidiary paid to

Indonesian government officials in 1989 and 1990.

The unusual complaint was brought by the Securities and Exchange

Commission, which contends that Triton executives not only made payments

violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but falsified records to

make the bribes appear to be business payments.

Six former company executives, including the former president, were

named in the civil suit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington or in

a related administrative proceeding.

All but one settled with the SEC and, like Triton, neither admitted

nor denied the commission's charges. Richard McAdoo, a former vice

president of Triton Indonesia, who was named in the civil suit, intends

"to assert his innocence of any wrongdoing and to contest the charges,"

his lawyer said.

It has been more than 10 years since the commission brought this

kind of case against a U.S. company, but William McLucas, director for

enforcement, said the agency had "a number of investigations under way"

relating to improper foreign payments.

Triton will not face criminal charges in the bribery matter; the

Justice Department investigated the payments but decided not to bring

charges, the company said last year.

Since the Indonesian events, Triton has brought in an entirely new

management and has restructured its operations.

According to the SEC's complaint, Triton executives in Indonesia

paid an agent named Roland Siouffi a total of $300,000 with the

understanding that the money would go to government officials.

* What is a bribe and how does it work?

* What is the job of the Securities and Exchange Commission?

* What is known about business activities of Triton?

* Will criminal proceedings be instituted against the corporation?

* How has Triton changed since Indonesian officials were bribed?

* Is bribery a world-wide practice?

8.13 Now let us switch on to another subject mentioned in this unit:

human factor. Among other things related to this notion one can speak

about the employees' feeling of security and comfort when they are at

work. How can this be created? The following article from The Economist

offers some interesting ideas on this point.

THE ETERNAL COFFEE BREAK

American managers who want to get more out of their white-collar

workforce will be in for a shock if they seek advice from Frank Becker,

a professor at Cornell University who studies the pattern of office

work. His advice: companies need to devote more office space to creating

places like well-tended living rooms, where employees can sit around in

comfort and chat.

Mr. Becker is one of a group of academics and consultants trying to

make companies more productive by linking new office technology to a

better understanding of how employees work. The forecasts of a decade

ago - that computers would increase office productivity, reduce

white-collar payrolls and help the remaining staff to work better - have

proved much too hopeful.

Mr. Becker predicts that the central office will become mainly a

place where workers from satellite and home-based offices meet to

discuss ideas and to reaffirm their loyalty to fellow employees and the

company. This will require new thoughts about the layout of office

buildings. Now, spaces for copying machines, coffee rooms, meetings and

reception areas usually come second to the offices in which people spend

most of the day working. Mr. Becker sees these common areas gradually

becoming the heart of an office.

Managers, says Mr. Becker, will also have to abandon their

long-cherished notion that a productive employee is an employee who can

be seen. Appearing on time and looking busy will soon become irrelevant.

Technology and new patterns of office use will make companies judge

people by what they do, not by where they spend their time.

That does not mean the end of the office, just its transformation

into a social centre. New ideas about offices are catching on elsewhere.

Digital Equipment Corp.'s subsidiary in Finland has equipped offices

with reclining chairs and stuffed sofas to make them more comfortable

and conducive (способствующий) to informal conversations and the

swapping of ideas. Companies such as Apple and General Electric are

experimenting along similar lines.

Steelcase, a manufacturer of office furniture, is one of the firms

keenest to experiment with new office layouts and designs. The company's

research centre in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a $11m building completed

in 1989. It is designed to around a series of office "neighbourhoods"

that put marketing, manufacturing and design people close to each other

so that they can find it easier to discuss ideas and solve problems.

Employees on different floors can see one another through glass, and

easily go from floor to floor via escalator.

Top managers work in a cluster of offices that are wrapped around

an atrium in the middle of the building, rather than occupying the usual

suite of top-floor offices. They can see, and be seen, by the people

they manage.

But, sometimes even the most communicative employee just wants to

be left alone.

* What is Frank Becker's main idea?

* Do you find it attractive and reasonable?

* Have computers led to an increase in office productivity?

* What will become the heart of an office, according to Frank

Becker?

* How will companies judge their employees' productivity?

* Does the idea of the Steelcase's research centre architecture

appeal to you? Why?

8.14 Translate the text.

ШЕСТЬ ШАГОВ В ЧЕЛОВЕКУ

Для деятельности организации человеческие ресурсы так же важны, как

ресурсы финансовые. Необходимость управления финансами очевидна для

любого собственника и руководителя. Об управлении человеческими

ресурсами задумываются, когда начинает снижаться конкурентоспособность

компании. Текучесть кадров, невыходы на работу (absenteeism), снижение

производительности труда, потеря лояльности - вот лишь некоторые

признаки отсутствия грамотной работы с персоналом.

Для успешной работы фирмы важно, чтобы каждый ее сотрудник

действовал не согласно своим индивидуальным устремлениям, а в

соответствии с целями организации. Планирование персонала, анализ

работы, обучение нацелены на наиболее эффективное использование

человеческих ресурсов.

Впервые о положении рабочих в эпоху дегуманизации заговорили

социальные реформаторы Роберт Оуэн и Фридрих Энгельс. Во второй половине

XIX в. сторонники благотворительности - Cadbury, Lever Brothers - начали

назначать рабочим пособия, предоставлять ссуды (grant loans) на жилье.

Третьим этапом в изменении отношения к трудовым ресурсам можно

считать конец XIX - начало XX в. Особенности этого периода - увеличение

размера компаний, развитие новых технологий, углубление специализации на

всех уровнях, что обусловило новые требования к подбору, расстановке и

обучению персонала. Была обоснована необходимость соответствия человека

работе (через руководство, отбор, обучение) и необходимость соответствия

работы человеку (через разработку управленческих методов, дизайн работы,

создание условий труда и системы вознаграждения). На четвертом этапе в

связи с усилением государственного регулирования и возрастанием роли

профсоюзов появилась новая функция - урегулирование правовых

(legislative) отношений с трудовыми коллективами.

В 60-е годы наметилось сближение интересов работника и работодателя.

Стало очевидно, что для выживания в конкурентной борьбе и повышения

эффективности работы организации рядовые сотрудники должны ясно

представлять себе цели организации, а работодатели обязаны учитывать

интересы работников.

И, наконец, в наше время все больше внимания уделяется анализу

человеческих ресурсов и их стратегическому планированию.

Особенности и достижения этих шести этапов сейчас присутствуют в

работе с персоналом. Какие именно достижения - зависит от уровня

развития компании и ее руководства. Так в каком же веке находится ваша

компания?

UNIT 9

PRODUCTIVITY - A WORK STUDY SURVEY

productivity производительность, продуктивность

consultant консультант

work study, time and motion study изучение (трудовых) движений и

затрат времени (при выполнении производственных операций)

job analysis 1. изучение особенностей работы (выявление специфики

разных профессий и требований, предъявляемых к рабочему

месту и исполнителю) 2. изучение трудовых операций (путем

разбиения на элементы)

manual work ручной труд

piece rate сдельная ставка (оплаты труда)

bonus вознаграждение, премия

incentive 1. побудительный мотив, стимул 2. (поощрительное)

вознаграждение

incentive scheme система материального стимулирования

expenditure затраты, расходы

operator (зд.) рабочий

investigator исследователь

works фабрика

critical path analysis метод планирования сложного проекта, при

котором проект разбивается на составные части и

представляется в виде графика; этот график затем

используется для планирования и управления деятельностью,

направленной на выполнение проекта

diary записная книжка-календарь

rationalize рационализировать

rationalization рационализация

standardize стандартизировать, нормализовать

streamline рационализировать; упрощать, отбрасывая лишнее