"SAFETY FIRST" POLICY

No employee should perform any task that he sincerely believes will create a serious safety hazard to himself or others. If orders are given to perform a task which the employee believes in good faith to create a serious safety risk, the employee MUST inform Management of his concerns.  Pending further review, the employee should not perform any task that the employee reasonably believes to be unsafe.  Instead, the employee should request reassignment to other tasks, or request permission to return home if no other work is available.

Common sense is expected to be used in any refusal to perform an assigned task on the grounds that it is seriously unsafe to do so. For example, if an employee is to drive a Company car on a trip, and discovers that the front passenger safety belt in an automobile is not functional (but knows that no passengers are to be taken on the trip and/or the passengers can sit in the back seat), the absence of an operational front passenger safety belt would not be deemed to be good grounds for refusal to take the trip. On the other hand, if the driver’s side safety belt was not functional, this would be good grounds to refuse to make the trip unless a different vehicle was furnished or until the vehicle’s safety belt could be repaired. Similarly, if the safety belt didn’t seem to be working correctly, the employee could delay the trip in good faith while the belt was being checked out (even if it ultimately was determined that the belt was functional). Of course, PHK CPA reserves the right to take discipline against employees who raise bogus safety claims in bad faith (for reasons such as avoiding work, making trouble, or defying a supervisor).