I may be 19 and naive about all the rules of my first “real” job but you can’t expect me to get hurt on the job and just walk away like nothing happened.
Let’s go over the facts just so we can get the paperwork straight. You used a ladder, heard a loud crack and put the ladder back where you got it without saying a word to anyone.
I needed a ladder so I went to the closet, grabbed the first one and got about 4 feet off the ground when it collapsed and I fell.
From that point on everyone tried to to help me except for you. You said:
—well did you examine the ladder carefully before you just ran up it?
—you know if you leave work early there`s a lot of paperwork that has to be done.
—we should throw that ladder out before anyone gets REALLY hurt.
I had a broken wrist! I don`t care about the fucking paperwork you have to do and I`ll be missing more than just half a day. I explained my duties at work to my doctor and he says I may be off a few weeks.
I wasn’t going to take it at first, thinking I could get some modified duties that didn’t require the lifting and climbing but since you’ve been telling everyone at work that you knew this would happen when you hired a young girl for this job I figure a few weeks off from you would be good for me.
I`ll be using that time to search for another job. I may have wasted a year working for an ass like you but I should be able to find something better – anything will be better than working for you! —Fallen Angel
This article appears in Oct 14-20, 2010.
Talk to a lawyer and get WCB paperwork taken care of. WCB will eat up a few days pay, but you’re entitled to those funds. And if you can’t work for a while, look into short term disability through EI.
Is the person giving you a hard time a supervisor? Because if they are they’re in violation of the NS occupational health and safety act, so you might be able to sue them for some funds.
Good luck in your job hunt!!!
“heard a loud crack and put the ladder back” did you hear the ladder crack?
what pk said
THe person who asked if you examined the ladder has a good point.
Did You ? After all if you did notice a ‘crack’ and used it , you are at fault. IF you didn’t take a second to make sure the equipment you were about to use was sound, you screwed up …
But reguradless of that.
All the other stuff is just BS.
You deserve immediate medical attention.
Fuck the paperwork, that is secondary to your well being.
Screw ‘light duties’ you will heal better & faster if you are not constantly reinjuring yourself, taking time off to heal just makes good sense !
As for leaving your job, you still have that option & if your unhappy that is probably for the best, good luck
I’d just like to throw in that, this being your first job n all,
if you sue them they may not be the best reference for your CV.
Just remember that and try not to burn too many bridges.
You’ll care about the paperwork if it’s not done or done wrong and you don’t get any compensation.
Workers’ Comp…that’s the way to go. Also contact the Occupational Health and Safety Board of NS if you feel your company was providing an unsafe workplace/equipment.
Oh frig off, More. It’s just as much the employer’s responsibility to make sure employee equipment is operational and safe as the employee. The employer is not absolved of all fault here.
read that paperwork fool, there are things in it that protect your ass from illegal firing and such. goddamn, i love some of these smart fucking monkies.
What happened to you is ILLEGAL. But unfortunately you work/live in NS and ILLEGAL is standard operating procedure.
Pretty Kitty go sniff some used litter !
You obviously KNOW NOTHING about the heath & safety act of Nova Scotia.
You the person using the equipment are RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THE EQUIPMENT IS SAFE TO USE.
Sure employers & Companies have onus on them to provide equipment & safety gear etc. They are also responsible for either training you …OR seeing that you have had training & understand the equipment your using. While an Employer/ Superviser co-worker etc. can be fined, IF YOU CAN PROVE they gave you unsafe equipment…the worst lawyer in the world will be asking you in court, if the case ever went there… IF YOU CHECKED the GEAR !
THe ONUS people is for safe work enviorments , safe equipment & safe workers, by NOT CHECKING THE EQUIPMENT BEFORE YOU USE IT YOU ARE AT FAULT.
& I should know that I am a safety officer on many of our job sites.
Equipment gets broken wears out etc…& the courts recognize that, so don’t believe for one second that 100% of fault is the employer, because that may have been the case somewhere at some time…it isn’t anymore !
More, exactly. Now if you, the user, inspect the equipment and find it unsafe and inform the employer, then you’ve covered yuor ass. If the employer punishes you for not using it (firing you, docking pay) or intimdates you into using it and something bad happens, then you have a case.
Actually Bro Tim, any employee has the right to refuse to do work that they feel is unsafe. THe employer/supervisor can either rectify the problem identified by the employee, or can ask another employee to do the job. BUT the 2nd person who is being asked to do the job has to be informed that someone else has refused to do it. Because they felt it was unsafe.
Employees have the right to refuse & they cannot be harrased or lose their job , because they have made a decission that doing a particular task would endanger themselves or others.
Personally I would rather someone working under me point out a problem, then have them possibly get hurt or hurt someone else by “trying to do it”
I have found that often a problem for one person, is not a problem for someone else with a different experience level.
But a broken ladder is a broken ladder & should have been taken out of service.