Ofelia Soria
A union makes a great difference
I have worked at Cintas for three years in the Sewing Department in Whittier, CA. READ THIS STORY >
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OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY RIGHTS
We have the right to:
Safe workplaces
"Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees."--Occupational Safety and Health Act, Section 5(a). CLOSE
Hazard exposure and medical records
"[E]mployees and their designated representatives [have] a right of access to relevant exposure and medical records [including records of e]nvironmental (workplace) monitoring or measuring of a toxic substance or harmful physical agent,...[and records of b]iological monitoring results which directly assess the absorption of a toxic substance or harmful physical agent by body systems."--Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Section 1910.1020. CLOSE
Report hazards to our employer
"[E]mployees [can not be] discouraged from lodging complaints about occupational safety and health matters with their employers....[Employees who make s]uch complaints to employers...would be protected against discharge or discrimination caused by a complaint to the employer."--Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Section 1977.12(b)(2) CLOSE
Report hazards to the appropriate government agencies
"Any employees or representative of employees who believe that a violation of a safety or health standard exists that threatens physical harm, or that an imminent danger exists, may request an inspection by giving notice to the Secretary or his authorized representative of such violation or danger."--Occupational Safety and Health Act, Section 8(f)(1) CLOSE
Tell OSHA inspectors about workplace hazards
"Compliance Safety and Health Officers may consult with employees concerning matters of occupational safety and health to the extent they deem necessary for the conduct of an effective and thorough inspection. During the course of an inspection, any employee shall be afforded an opportunity to bring any violation of the Act which he has reason to believe exists in the workplace to the attention of the Compliance Safety and Health Officer."--Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Section 1903.10 CLOSE
Be free from retaliation for reporting unsafe conditions
"No person shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against any employee because such employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this Act or has testified or is about to testify in any such proceeding or because of the exercise by such employee on behalf of himself or others of any right afforded by this Act."--Occupational Safety and Health Act, Section 11(c)(1) CLOSE
Refuse to work in seriously dangerous conditions
"[O]ccasions might arise when an employee is confronted with a choice between not performing assigned tasks or subjecting himself to serious injury or death arising from a hazardous condition at the workplace. If the employee, with no reasonable alternative, refuses in good faith to expose himself to the dangerous condition, he would be protected against subsequent discrimination. The condition causing the employee's apprehension of death or injury must be of such a nature that a reasonable person, under the circumstances then confronting the employee, would conclude that there is a real danger of death or serious injury and that there is insufficient time, due to the urgency of the situation, to eliminate the danger through resort to regular statutory enforcement channels. In addition, in such circumstances, the employee, where possible, must also have sought from his employer, and been unable to obtain, a correction of the dangerous condition."--Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Section 1977.12(b)(2) CLOSE
Receive information and training about hazardous substances in our workplaces
"Employers shall provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new physical or health hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area....Employee training shall include...the physical and health hazards of the chemicals in the work area...[and] the measures employees can take to protect themselves from these hazards, including specific procedures the employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemicals, such as appropriate work practices, emergency procedures, and personal protective equipment to be used."--Hazard Communication Standard, Section (h). (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Section 1900.1200) CLOSE
Receive information about injuries and illness at our workplace
The OSHA Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illness standard (29 CFR 1904) requires employers like Cintas to keep a yearly log of all work-related injuries and illnesses. It must list all injuries requiring more than first aid or resulting in lost workdays, restricted duties, or transfer to another job. The log must indicate the nature of the illness or injury, when and where it occurred, the injured or ill employee and the number of workdays lost or restricted, if any. You can request access to your employer's OSHA 200 logs for the past five years. Please contact Uniform Justice if you would like to request this document from Cintas. CLOSE
If you think your right to a safe workplace has been violated, contact us!
