In the scenario provided, the reader may observe the case of injustice, hazard, and controversial situations. Two equally competent and experienced workers got into a physical fight due to the promotion of one of them, Mike. Sean, a family man who experienced an unfair attitude, was injured and went to a hospital. When asking the HR department to record the situation, the victim received a refusal. The department claimed that the event was not OSHA recordable event. OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration and is a law established in 1930 that aims to provide workers with a sustainable environment, training, and assistance (White, n.d.). OSHA’s main purpose regarding its employees is to protect them and ensure a safe workplace without accidents and injuries. On the one hand, OSHA must protect employees’ rights, which makes the situation between Mike and Sean recordable; on the other hand, Sean was the only victim of it and did not report anything previously.
By refusing to record the hazard, the HR department made a mistake and lied that it must not be recorded. According to OSHA, medical treatment beyond first aid must be recordable (Occupational Safety and health administration, n.d.). Sean fractured his arm and tore his rotator cuff during the fight, which shows that the employee was injured and the sustainable environment was spoiled. Additionally, the person who harmed him was his supervisor, whose obligation is to support and assist him. Furthermore, OSHA must prevent hazards and notice when any possibility of a deplorable situation happening. Sean applied for promotion which signalizes that he had a desire for it and thought that he was competent enough to receive it. This shows that there was a predisposition to an unpleasant situation. Thus, the event could be recorded due to the injuries Sean had.
On the other hand, there are several reasons for the situation not to be recordable. For instance, there were no complaints from Sean about the fact that Mike was promoted over him. It could be hard to predict that such a situation could happen because Sean seemed to be a calm family man who was not likely to fight with anyone. Moreover, OSHA prioritizes the hazards where three or more workers were hospitalized, in this case, only one worker went to the hospital (White, n.d.). Thus, there were reasons not to record the event under OSHA.
Moreover, employers have a few rights and responsibilities under OSHA. According to the law, the supervisor must call 911 for assistance in case a physical fight between workers occurs (Dowd, 2022). The HR department had to consider recording the event as an Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The fundamental employers’ responsibility under OSHA is to prevent their workers from any hazards and devastating events and comply with the law’s standards (Employer Responsibilities, n.d.). However, SC Corporation did not manage to fulfill its responsibilities. Firstly, the fight could be prevented by a fair attitude toward all the employees. Secondly, Sean’s disappointment about the company’s underestimating him and preferring Mike was noticeable. The employers and HR managers had to consider that and provide Sean with assistance and support. Injustice evokes anger, which possibly leads to deplorable consequences. However, it is fundamental to remember that employers have a right to promote, demote, or fire any worker if they do not break any law.
In conclusion, the situation between Mike and Sean was highly controversial. On the one hand, Sean’s sustainable environment was disturbed, and the worker was injured by his supervisor. Due to these factors, the event could be recorded under OSHA. On the other hand, Sean was the only person who suffered from the hazard, which is the possible reason for not recording it. Furthermore, it is essential to remember that employers have a right to promote any person they prefer. This fact makes Sean’s outburst of anger unserious and unreasonable.
References
Dowd, M. (2022). What to do as a supervisor if you saw two employees fight? Chron.
Employer responsibilities. (n.d.). United States Department of Labor.
Occupational safety and health administration. (n.d.). United States Department of Labor.
White, M. (n.d.). What is the purpose of OSHA? Love to Know.