New Technology and Safety

The last couple of decades have brought about significant developments in new technologies, e.g. communications, transportation, construction and manufacturing (especially in metallurgy and chemicals). These have brought with them their own special hazards particularly in terms of stress on time-management, lack of personal touch, exposure to arduous/hazardous operations, damage from explosion & fire etc. Technological changes have also forced alteration in the way jobs are performed by an individual. Organisation of work, including use of skills, control over work and communications has been affected to a high degree. Until recently, job characteristics were predetermined by technical and economic considerations. Managers were supposed to find the "one best way" to define jobs. The idea was to break the work up into tasks and assign each worker the simplest possible combination of tasks. It was made sure that every worker would do his task that called for minimum skills. Managers also took due care that tasks provide the workers the opportunities for 'developing useful skills', earn 'self-respect' and the sense of 'selfesteem'. Such tasks were self-motivating, safe and productive.