Everyone in the United States has the legal right to be as safe as possible at work. While not all hazards can be mitigated completely, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) works to make sure that safety procedures and regulations are enforced in all workplaces.
Therefore, if you have a reason to believe that you workplace is dangerous in some way and your employer is not treating the situation with seriousness or urgency, you have the right to make a complaint with OSHA.
What types of rights do I have as an employee?
As an employee, you have the right to a great deal of information about the company that you work for in regard to health and safety. For example, you have the right to review material about rules and requirements in regard to safety, as well as read relevant medical records of employees in the workplace.
You can also request an inspection when you believe that your workplace is dangerous or violates certain standards.
You also have the right to be free from employer retaliation if anyone at the company suspects that you made a complaint to OSHA. For example, you can never be lawfully fired or demoted because of the fact that you made a complaint about your company to a governing body.
If you have reason to believe that your workplace is unsafe or if you have been injured in the workplace, it is important that you take the time to understand your rights and take action in order to enforce them. Those rights may include benefits under workers’ compensation insurance.