What should employees do about faulty work equipment?

On Behalf of | Aug 10, 2021 | Personal Injury, Workers' Compensation |

Most people in Massachusetts have dealt with some type of faulty work equipment. Whether it’s a broken copy machine or an annoyingly slow computer, the problem might be a minor inconvenience. In some cases, however, faulty work equipment can put workers at serious risk of injury.

You should take action if your workplace has problems like faulty machinery or electrical wiring issues. Some other examples of faulty work equipment that could be extremely dangerous include:

  • Defective kitchen equipment
  • Tools that haven’t been maintained
  • Bald tires on a company vehicle
  • Worn out safety harnesses

There are many examples of faulty work equipment that could lead to a workplace accident. Whatever the problem is, you should speak up about work equipment that is in need of repair or replacement.

Talk to your coworkers

Your coworkers have likely noticed the same issues that you are noticing, so it’s a good idea to speak to them first. If you end up having to report the issues to authorities, your coworkers’ testimony will strengthen your complaint.

Tell your boss

In a best-case scenario, your boss will fix or replace faulty work equipment as soon as you tell him about the issue. Unfortunately, some bosses are negligent when it comes to maintaining a safe work environment because they don’t want to spend extra money. Even if you don’t expect your boss to correct the issues you are seeing, you should still make sure that he is aware of them before you complain to higher authorities.

Report faulty work equipment to higher authorities

You can report problems with faulty work equipment to your union representative if you have one. The next step is to contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to let them know about the workplace hazards you are noticing.

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