Final answer:
The most important safety measure for workers in a plant releasing poisonous gases is ensuring good ventilation to reduce the serious health risks associated with gas exposure. While footwear is important, it does not directly address the hazard of toxic fumes. Employers must prioritize workplace safety by improving working conditions and using effective ventilation systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most important safety measure for workers in a manufacturing plant that releases poisonous gases is ensuring good ventilation. This would help mitigate the risks associated with the inhalation of toxic fumes, which can lead to serious health problems. Ensuring appropriate footwear, while important for general safety, does not directly address the primary hazard of gas exposure.
Conditions within industrial workplaces that likely exposed workers to phosphorous include processes that emitted harmful fumes into poorly ventilated areas. Employers could have prevented this problem by enclosing processes to contain harmful fumes, using ventilation systems to clean the air, or switching to safer chemicals. Employers might not have provided safer working conditions due to the costs involved, lack of regulation, or lack of awareness about the importance of workplace health and safety.
According to OSHA, employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace, and they are required to eliminate or reduce hazards before relying on personal protective equipment. Effective ways to eliminate or reduce risks include improvements in working conditions and ensuring proper ventilation. When workers handle or are in the presence of toxic substances like secondhand smoke, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and VOCs, these measures become critical to their health and safety.