In an ideal situation, your boss would be just as worried about keeping you safe as you are. They would never do anything to put you at risk, and you would always feel like the two of you were working together to avoid injuries. Nothing, not even production numbers, would get in the way of that.
Unfortunately, you may not work in an ideal situation. Your company may value productivity so much that it puts you at risk. Here are a few ways this could happen:
- You want to use fall protection while working at heights. Your boss doesn’t want to take the time to set it up, so they tell you just to be careful.
- You know that you need an hour to do a job carefully and safely. Your boss tells you that you have 30 minutes and you had better get it done. You’re forced to rush and take extra risks.
- You don’t have proper personal protection equipment (PPE) and you ask for it. Your boss doesn’t have it on site, so they tell you that you don’t need it and you just need to get back to work.
- You set up a ladder and it looks like it’s too old and worn out to be safe. You look for another ladder, but the company doesn’t have any and you’re forced to use the old one.
- You don’t have the training to use a certain type of heavy machinery. Instead of training you, your boss gives you 30 seconds of instruction, tells you that it’s easy and says you’ll learn as you go.
If you have experienced any of these situations, please know that you do have a right to refuse to do dangerous work. If you honestly think you could be seriously injured, you do not have to do the job.
If you already have been injured, on the other hand, you need to know what legal options you have. Injuries happen, even in situations where your boss is not so reckless or negligent, and you can often get compensation to help.