Reference no: EM13454442

A commercial shipping company experienced increased business prior to the holiday season and immediately needed more trained forklift operators to help with the workload. Due to the urgent need, an employee was ordered by his supervisor to start moving pallets with a forklift. Knowing that he has never operated a forklift previously and has never been trained in how to operate one, the employee was concerned about his safety and expressed this concern to his supervisor. His supervisor told the employee to do what he was told or start looking for another job. The employee notified the facility union representative, who promptly called OSHA to report the concerns. Subsequently, OSHA arrived and conducted an inspection.

Multiple violations were issued to the company concerning forklift operators who had not been trained. Upon receipt of the violations, the company terminated the employment of the employee who notified the union representative. Were the actions of the employee appropriate? Were the actions of the employer appropriate? Review the whistleblower portions of the OSH Act at www.osha.gov, and provide your opinion on each question, along with a thorough explanation of your stance.