Since many students may enter careers in industrial settings, it helps if they write essays about safety issues in this area. One of the biggest concerns for personal safety in industrial workplaces is the handling and disposal of hazardous waste. Ask your students to write about what they would do if they came into contact with a potentially hazardous substance. In their essay, let them discuss who to notify if this occurred, and how to prevent possible harm to the public.
Many workplace accidents are simple slip and fall situations that could easily have been prevented. Dangers in this area can occur in almost any workplace, from chic offices to noisy power plants. Ask your students to write about the facts and figures regarding some of these dangers. They can collect facts on how many of such accidents occur per year, what the outcome is in terms of medical cost and the productivity lost due to the incident.
Sometimes, safety issues in the workplace stem from the actions of other people, and not the physical aspects of the job. Have your students write about sexual harassment and working in crime-ridden neighborhoods. These are two situations in which dangers in the workplace may come at the hands of employees (including supervisors), or other individuals. Ask students what they would do in these situations to maintain their personal safety and that of other workers. For instance, they might agree to see that policies are in place to prevent sexual harassment, or walk together to their cars each night to avoid muggings.
The importance of environmental safety has definitely gone up in recent years, even when it comes to workplace dangers. Ask your students to write about various ways that workplaces contribute towards environmental pollution, and things they can do to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as other negative effects on a global scale. This can be as simple as increasing recycling efforts, or as involved as determining how to utilize alternative energy sources on the job.