Module 3 - Case PREPARING FOR THE NEGOTIATION Assignment Overview This Module 3 Case Assignment has two functions. First, it helps you develop and demonstrate your understanding of the topics in Modul

Module 3 - SLP

PREPARING FOR THE NEGOTIATION

Your informal conference with OSHA is scheduled for tomorrow. Again, $14,000 is a lot of money for your small electrical company. You have heard stories about the OSHA area director indicating she is a hard-line negotiator, as well as stories that she is very easy to work with if you stick to the facts and demonstrate your commitment to safety. You have also heard that she does not take kindly to disrespect (and that your foreman may have been rude to OSHA’s compliance officer), and that the average respectful contractor gets a 40%- to-45% penalty reduction as a result of attending an informal conference. You think $7,700 is a lot better price to pay than $14,000.

Ideally, you would like to see the first two citations withdrawn (open elevator shaft and grounding prong that was removed from the extension cord). That would decrease your penalty by almost two-thirds. Of course, the argument that your company leadership could not have known about the bad cord is weak, because the foreman has not been filling out his extension cord checklist consistently (and did not on the day of the inspection or the two weeks preceding the inspection).

Sometimes the area director is willing to reduce the penalty on citations, even if they are not withdrawn, especially if the employer can demonstrate good faith with respect to his or her regard for providing a safe workplace. Settling the case is in her interest because the employer (you in this case) could legally contest the citations. The case would then become a legal matter to be heard by an administrative law judge; many of whom have been known to vacate any citations that are not “ironclad,” so to speak. The hearing would also tie up her compliance officer and OSHA’s attorneys for what they would deem to be a very trivial case.

So contesting the citations is another option for you. But then, of course, you will end up having to pay a considerable amount of money to your attorneys. The judge’s decision combined with the attorney fees could end up costing much more than $14,000, even if you end up with a favorable decision. But you do have that card and the area director knows it.

Based on your readings and the materials presented for your SLP in the first 3 modules, prepare a 2- to 3-page paper in which you discuss the importance of creating range and alternatives in preparing for such a negotiation.

Upload your assignment to the SLP 3 Dropbox. Be sure to review your TurnItIn Originality report. If the score is over 20%, you may not be writing in your own words, and you will need to contact your professor and arrange to revise and resubmit the paper.

SLP Assignment Expectations

The SLP papers in this course will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in the SLP rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria:

Assignment-Driven Criteria: Does the paper cover all key elements of the assignment in a substantive way?
Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate a college level of analysis in conceptualizing the problem? Are viewpoints and assumptions critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the submission demonstrate that the student has read and understood the background materials for the module and can apply them to the assignment?
Scholarly Writing/Oral Communication: Does the student demonstrate college-level skill in scholarly written/oral communication to an appropriately specialized audience?
Assignment Organization and Quality of References: Does the student demonstrate understanding of a consistent (e.g., APA) style of referencing, by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Are appropriate sources from the background material included? Have all sources cited in the paper been included on the Reference page?
Timeliness: Has the assignment been submitted to TLC (Trident’s learning management system) on or before the module’s due date?