is it illegal to place a shelving unit for heavy supplies directly over the desks where people will be working


medical supplies
Daniel B asked:


I came into my work today and saw that a large shelving unit was installed directly over my desk. I do not feel very safe knowing there will be hundreds of pounds of storage sitting over my head. My boss said that the company is insured so there is no need to worry about it. but I do not have health insurance and I think if something were to happen I would be liable for my medical bills.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Financial Services. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “is it illegal to place a shelving unit for heavy supplies directly over the desks where people will be working”

  1. Jeremy C Says:
    September 24th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    If anything happens to you while you are working it is the companies insurance that would pay for everything. Jeremy C

  2. Jenny J Says:
    September 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am

    Not knowing where you live it’s hard to say who you could report this to. Try a local Fire Department. They might be able to tell you what the guidelines should be. They go out in the public and check businesses for safety violations. You are right to be concerned. Hope you get the answers you need without the boss knowing you brought it to someones attention. Jenny J

  3. Heinz M Says:
    September 28th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    OSHA would not permit that! Heinz M

  4. IB Says:
    September 30th, 2009 at 1:12 am

    Well, if it’s a safety hazard, then speak to your boss again, making him aware of the consequences of what might happen. If he doesn’t listen, tell him that you disagree with him and that you would like to go to his supervisor to sort it out. I’m sure your company’s liability insurance provider will not be happy to know that your supervisor isn’t being proactive to prevent an accident from happening. IB

  5. longjon Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 4:48 am

    .It may not be illegal. But it may need to be looked at by OSHA. I it is not in compliance with the OSHA inspections it will have to be removed or the deck has to be moved or the company could be fined. longjon

  6. cookie Says:
    October 5th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    a risk assesment should be made before they can do that. Its all well and good saying you are insured your health comes before money. If your not happy ask for your desk to be moved or ask for risk assesment. cookie

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