U. S. Steel Revises Injury Reporting Policy
07/21/2016 - United States Steel Corp. is changing its injury-reporting policy to allow workers to give notification after they’ve realized an injury has occurred, the United Steelworkers union has announced.
In a statement, the Steelworkers union said the change was made as part of a legal settlement with the union and the U.S. Department of Labor.
The case arose from separate incidents in which three union members were disciplined for late reporting minor injuries. The employees argued -- and the union agreed -- that the discipline was unfair because they hadn’t known they had been injured until after the fact. As soon as they realized they had been injured, they told the company, the union said.
The union said that the reporting policy discouraged injury reporting. If employees believe they will be unfairly punished for reporting an injury after the fact, they might not report it at all, the union said.
"This is an excellent settlement," said USW international vice president Tom Conway in a statement.
"Not only does it give justice to three brave union members who stood up for their rights, but it will lead to more complete and accurate injury records and improved safety. This will benefit both the workers and the company."
The (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Tribune-Review has more details on the case here. You can read the union’s statement here.
The case arose from separate incidents in which three union members were disciplined for late reporting minor injuries. The employees argued -- and the union agreed -- that the discipline was unfair because they hadn’t known they had been injured until after the fact. As soon as they realized they had been injured, they told the company, the union said.
The union said that the reporting policy discouraged injury reporting. If employees believe they will be unfairly punished for reporting an injury after the fact, they might not report it at all, the union said.
"This is an excellent settlement," said USW international vice president Tom Conway in a statement.
"Not only does it give justice to three brave union members who stood up for their rights, but it will lead to more complete and accurate injury records and improved safety. This will benefit both the workers and the company."
The (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Tribune-Review has more details on the case here. You can read the union’s statement here.
