A personal injury firm can help you to determine if the employer was out of line in what they asked you to do. As a common example, employees are oftentimes asked to ascend to dangerous heights without fall protection. This may be in the context of getting things off of the top shelves in a warehouse or being asked to hang ornaments on an office building for the holiday season. In the vast majority of cases where falling is a hazard, OSHA requires some type of protection. There are exceptions, but these are usually very specific. Radio tower technicians, for example, are not required to tie off at every part of their climb. Of course, these people are solid professionals who voluntarily take these risks. This isn’t the same as asking a general employee to take an excessive risk – a risk which may be seen as “gross negligence.”
Your employer may also ask you to do mundane tasks which could be dangerous. Take cleaning for example. A material safety data sheet—MSDS—is required for just about every chemical in a workplace. If you’ve been exposed to harsh chemicals without being warned and have suffered, consider talking to a personal injury lawyer about the matter. In some cases, you may be able to file a lawsuit against your employer for exposing you to unreasonable risks and for causing you harm.
It’s important to remember that no employee needs to take a job where the description is doing whatever your boss says. There are limits to what a person can be expected to do safely, and a paycheck does not entitle your employer to make unreasonable requests of you. If they do, and you feel that they’re dangerous requests, do yourself a favor and refuse.