What Can I Do?

[Shimmer]

I need everyone's advice.

I work for a restaurant owner who (like many) want to spend as little as possible and make as much as possible. Understandable. But this has caused a problem that I believe is endangering the employees' health.

The back stairs, the stairs we all take to get in and out of the restaurant, and to take the trash out, have been soaked by a leaking air conditioner, and the bottom stair is now permanently slimy. Almost every single waitress has slipped on it, and the hostess fell so hard she blacked out. I fell yesterday, and when I came back in to tell the owner about it, her response was "You just need to hold on tighter, I guess."

I was pretty angry that was the response. The weather hasn't started getting bad, but what happens in the rain and snow? And how do you hold on with two trash bags in your hands? Truthfully, they are so unstable that holding on might not have helped anyway.

I talked to a lot of people at work today, saying I thought we should write a letter asking her formally to do something about it, and threaten to contact OSHA if not. They were all for it, until I asked if they would sign their names to it.

I am not a person who does not take action. This needs to be remedied. I do not want to lose my job (obviously, they don't either), and can't afford a lawyer should I be fired.

Is OSHA even a factor in this? How can I best present the issue to her? I thought I would put in the formal letter something like "We enjoy working here and care about this restaurant, but feel we deserve to work without being in physical danger." and giving her three weeks to take care of it in some way.

I am afraid that someone will end up breaking a limb, or permanently injuring their back, etc. None of us make a lot of money, we work in a small town, but the restaurant serves around 150 for lunch and 50-100 for dinner every day, and almost everyone has dessert (I know, because I make desserts!), so I know she has a lot of money coming in. Definitely enough to fix the stairs.

I would appreciate your input. I am one of the newest employees there, relatively, and I like working there. I do not like going home with bruises and a sore back from a fall that could have been prevented.

I guess I need a little education- what exactly ARE my rights, in this type of situation. Where and who do I go to to find out?

~~Shimmer~~

[Svadhisthana]

Here is OSHA's website:
http://www.osha.gov/

Here is an article on worker's rights in Indiana:
http://www.iupui.edu/~jwjindy/workrights.htm

Here is the Indiana Department of Labor:
http://www.in.gov/labor/about/

I wish I knew the answer, I hope you find some useful information on these sites. Good Luck.

[eds77k5]

your state dept of labor should help ya out

[ChefClayCollins]

Seriously, I have been in your same shoes many times before!

Maybe what might be the thing to do is call the health department and tell them what is going on. They may be able to write her up and she would never even know about you telling them!

I worked in this kitchen that the owner would never fix anything, then one day the refridgerator for salads took a crap and the owner said "Put some ice in there!" I called the health department and told them what was going on and they came out and did an inspection and told her it was random. She had it fixed an hour later!

Some times owners forget that you have to spend money to make money and they need to be reminded by someone with more power than you! Good Luck!

[Joshua Tomczyk]

If it is the case, that profits are more important than employees. I would seriously consider just finding a new job.
Even if OSHA does get involved you would still work for a horrible owner. OSHA problems will cost money and they already won't fix this problem because of cost imagine how they will try to save money when they have to pay for lawyers and repairs. Do I here a company wide pay cut.
They most likely wont be around for too much longer anyway if they can't control the steps imagine what the books must look like. Just because they serve 250 ppl a day does not mean the the restaurant in making money. They could be in debt up to there eyeballs. Not all restraurant owners know how to run a profitable business
All in all do your self a favor and find an employer that takes care of there employees because they are the places that pay more and do better in the long run.

Lesson No. 1. in restaurant management: If your employees are not happy to be in your restaurant neither will the customers.