Every employee has the right to safe working conditions, no matter the industry they are in. Building sites usually have some unique features and reporting them may prevent deaths or people getting injured. The good news is that there are several options available to you when reporting an unsafe construction site.
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Contractors mostly encourage their employees to report any dangers in the working area to the managers or foremen. Moreover, they usually remove the hazards to protect their employees from danger and also to shield themselves from any lawsuits.
If you have reported unsafe conditions to the contractor or supervisor and they have failed to rectify the issue, you can forward the report to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) online, in writing, or through the phone.
You will be required to fill out a whistle-blower complaint form. You will also be asked to provide important details such as in-depth details about the hazards, the equipment, the number of employees working at the workplace, and whether the contractor offered any safety training to the employees.
Department of Buildings (DOB)
The Department of Building is a regulatory body that focuses on construction code compliance. The DOB listens to hazard complaints from affected parties and provides solutions.
For instance, a tenant who is living in an older building that is being renovated can contact the DOB to report conditions that have created unsafe living space in his or her home. The department will investigate and then contact the property manager or landlord if the renovation service provider is not adhering to the safety rules set in place.
Moreover, third parties can also report unsafe conditions that they see on the worksite to the department. If you notice an unsafe hazard on a worksite, you can dial 311, which deals with non-emergency municipal services. After stating your complaint, your call will be re-routed to the DOB.
What happens after calling the departments?
After reporting unsafe conditions at a construction site to the DOB, they will do an inspection and dig deeper into the issue. To find out what happened after your initial complaint, you can either call the DOB again or look at a virtual Buildings Information Systems (BIS). The BIS usually details a complaint report which shows the monthly statistics and the resolutions.
On the other hand, when you send written complaints to OSHA, it will most likely result in an on-area inspection. On the other hand, online or anonymous complaints are usually handled over the phone with the contractor, employer, or supervisor. If OSHA discovers that the employer is not adhering to the safety rules put in place to protect the workers, the employer can be fined and issued citations. For instance, a serious violation can result in a $7,000 fine and a willful or repeated violation can attract fines worth $70,000.
Conclusion
If you have seen a health hazard in a building area, don’t hesitate to contact OSHA, the DOB, and other relevant authorities in your state. Acting immediately prevents any accidents or deaths from resulting from the dangerous working conditions near building areas.
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