Story Published:
Oct 8, 2009 at 7:38 PM CST
Story Updated:
Oct 8, 2009 at 7:38 PM CST
In light of an overnight factory accident that killed an Ozark man, the Safety Council of the Ozarks is speaking out about worker rights and responsibilities.
Wednesday night, 31-year-old Tobby Hall was fixing the inside of an industrial plastic press, when it started to close, crushing him instantly. A former employee of Buckhorn Inc. says he's not surprised the accident occurred at the plastics factory. Like many employees who have concerns about their workplace, he wants to remain anonymous. “I told them, you've got to pull these molds and do preventative maintenance on it. But in order to do that, that means downtime.”
The employee did share his concerns with coworkers, but never filed a formal complaint with the company or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration known as OSHA. “You should give (your company) the opportunity to resolve it because a lot times employer doesn't know about it,” said Mike Mulhall with the Safety Council of the Ozarks.
Mulhall says fear over losing their job and a lack of knowledge of their rights keeps many employees from coming forward until it's too late. “You cannot be fired for bringing to light any safety issue that's out there.”
And he says bringing those issues forward is more important than ever. “We see places cutting back.” But too often, he says, they cut back in the wrong place. “There are other places where you know first thing they're gonna cut is safety.”
He's says it's because of this that employees not only have the right, but a responsibility to report unsafe working conditions. “You just have to realize what's important. Sending individuals home to be with family is the end result if you do what's right.”
If you want to file a complaint about your company, first talk to your supervisor. If that doesn't work, call 1-800-321-OSHA or you can file a complaint online at OSHA's website. And it's worth repeating, it is illegal to fire an employ for filing a complaint.
In response to the accident, Buckhorn's spokesman said "we will walk through what exactly people saw, what went on and what the conditions were at the facility at the time in cooperation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
