Good Trade Secrets Movie Review Example

1. What are the main issues/concerns with working with chemicals?
Another major concern was the fact that it took considerable number of years before government agencies were made aware of the dilemma which also contributed to environmental hazards. The harm that these chemical manufacturing companies inflicted to the workers, the local communities, and to the environment continues to pervade contemporary times. In fact, as learned from the video, the problem was accurately disclosed that very little data exists which could not validly prove that chemicals are safe. There are not enough regulations to monitor and control the manufacture and application of by-products which could continue to inflict harm, injury, seriously debilitating illnesses, and fatalities to humans.
2. In the case of vinyl chloride, what specifically was the problem?
In the case of vinyl chloride, the chemical was disclosed to be the most toxic chemical. As such, from the point of view of employers/the chemical industry, the problem that was
evident was that, despite the grave danger known to employers regarding the toxicity level of vinyl chloride, the chemical was continually manufactured to support financial gains. Therefore, utmost diligence in retaining privacy and confidentiality of the hazards and risks to health and safety of manufacturing vinyl chloride was the paramount concern. In addition, it could be perceived that employers knew that the health problems were manifested years after being exposed continually and regularly to vinyl chloride. For some of the workers who were interviewed in the video, the information revealed that only after more than 10 years of being exposed to vinyl chloride was there a finding disclosing that the standard for exposure limits should only be about 50 parts per million (ppm) However, workers were traditionally exposed to this toxic chemical at the rate of 500 ppm. As such, even when serious manifestations and health risks were already evident (for instance, dissolving hand bones), medical doctors from these chemical manufacturing companies who attended to the workers did not disclose the seriousness of the matter. Aside from the manifested illness, exposure to vinyl chloride could allegedly cause systemic health risks; meaning, it could have serious effects in other parts of the body. The chemical manufacturing companies hid the truth from the workers and indicated that working with vinyl chloride would not hurt workers. However, after so many years, the health of these workers deteriorated to the point of causing fatalities.
3. In the case of work-related illness/death, what is our main concern/recourse?

In the case of work-related illnesses or deaths that occur due to exposure to chemicals,

the main concern of employers/the chemical industry is balancing the need to enforce the standards that health regulatory bodies recommend vis-à-vis nondisclosure of the risks that were known from the chemicals being manufactured. From the deaths and illnesses which were recorded and documented, it was a quandary as to why government regulatory bodies failed to enforce strict standards. The fact affirms the contention that protecting the industry was deemed more important that enforcement of much needed health and safety regulations. At the back of the minds of policymakers, it could be presumed that if and when regulations are strictly enforced, these chemical manufacturing companies could be mandated to stop production and thereby cause significant financial losses – not only to these corporations, but also to the government.
4. Where do we go from here?
The matter is significantly serious given the catastrophic risks and damage that the chemical industry allegedly inflicts to the public and to the environment. However, the tasks that are perceived to be required in terms of enforcement of health and safety standards, the testing of chemicals to ensure their safety, as well as the magnitude role of monitoring adherence to these safety standards appear to be monumental. Contemporary times still allow the production of more than 15,000 chemicals annually. As such, it could be surmised that the revenues that the chemical manufacturing companies contribute to the government and to the economy seems to be humongous to turn a blind eye from the negative effects that have been inflicted.
If it were a simple organization, one could recommend courses of action based on the Peterson principles, to wit: (1) the presence of substandard acts, conditions, or accidents clearly affirm management system deficiencies; (2) the occurrence of accidents and losses result from many contributing factors working together; (3) safety and risk control measures must be managed and urgently applied; and (4) activity-based accountability must be fixed and enforced at all the levels of the company. Thus, each of these recommended actions should be enforced in each of the chemical manufacturing company that operates globally.