Occupational Health and Safety

In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act was established to prevent on the job hazards resulting in serious injuries including death (The OSH Act, Standards, and Liability, 2010). The law requires “employers to provide their employees with working conditions that are free of known dangers” (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, n.d.). This week case study discusses the work environment of an employee that worked at a car dealership by the name of Joe Peterson. Joe was an older man that was sometimes subject to work in an environment that he believed was a danger to his health and safety. Joe suffers from arthritis and some duties at work causes him to experience penetrating agony. Joe boss, Joan Demeter frequently asks him to relocate over 300 excess cases of oil filters to another building for storing. Joe not only traveled to the storage location, but also climb stairs to access an area with low ceiling beams, no climate control, and temperatures reaching over 100 degrees. Constantly relocating excess merchandise has had a serious impact on Joe’s hips, ankles, and knees, which causes him a great deal of pain. Because of Joe’s body pain he informed Joan that he could not transport the numerous boxes into the sweltering storage area. There are some forms of arthritis that can double you risk of a heart attack (WebMD, 2013). Joe told Joan that exposure to the heat is weakening his body, and that he was in great fear of suffering from a stroke or heat exhaustion. Exposure to extreme heat can have deadly consequences to anyone who does not take proper measures to protect themselves. “When the body does not regulate its own temperature and rises to critical levels this indicates the presence of a heat stroke which can lead to death. Symptoms of heat exhaustion includes headache, collapsing, fainting, nausea, vertigo, weakness, and thirst, and these signs should not be dismissed lightly. Physical labor in a hot environment can cause heat cramps throughout