When you get up in the morning and go to work, you expect to come back alive. At least you used to. Given the current situation, many Georgia citizens are worried that doing their job may mean risking their lives.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was designed to keep people safe in the workplace. It requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
If you lose your partner due to a disease you believe they picked up in the workplace, you may consider suing the employer for wrongful death. Given the scale of claims expected, some lawmakers are trying to push through legislation to absolve employers of responsibility for wrongful death. Whether they succeed or not is to be seen.
What is clear is that employers need to take steps to protect their workers. These steps could include providing protective wear free of charge, increasing sanitation, and making sure workers stay a safe distance from each other.
As an employee, you have the right to call in an OSHA inspector to check that your employer is taking the correct steps to make your workplace safe. Some employers may not like this, but they are not allowed to retaliate against you for calling the inspector.
Depending upon how the laws and situation progress, it might come down to a personal decision: Are you dying to go to work or not?
