Employees, particularly hourly workers, often struggle to understand and use their employment rights. Many professionals believe that they have to perform whatever tasks their employers request of them. Even when the job task seems unnecessarily dangerous, workers may put themselves at risk to avoid loss of their jobs or other potential consequences for non-compliance.
While attempting to stay in an employer’s good graces is a worthwhile undertaking, workers also need to know when to assert their rights. They have a right to a reasonably safe workplace. Their employers should provide safety gear and training. They should also address clear safety issues in the workplace.
Employees should not have to gamble with their safety to keep their jobs. If companies punish workers who speak up for their own safety, that may constitute illegal workplace retaliation.
Workers can refuse unsafe tasks
Workers who are aware of basic safety standards for their industries may be able to recognize immediately when employers ask them to perform unsafe tasks. Even without knowledge of safety regulations, professionals can typically identify obviously unsafe circumstances.
Unstable scaffolding, malfunctioning equipment and a lack of appropriate safety gear could all be reasons to refuse to perform certain job tasks. Employers have an obligation to try to address obvious safety hazards for the protection of their workers.
Employees fired or otherwise punished for asserting their rights in the workplace may have grounds to take legal action against their employers. Pursuing a claim of unlawful retaliation could lead to financial compensation or reinstatement to a position. Workers who believe that their employers violated their rights may need to discuss what occurred with a legal professional to evaluate their options, and that’s okay.