A Houston-based crane operating company has been ordered to pay thousands of dollars to a former employee who refused to work illegal overtime in June 2020.
The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ordered Crane Masters Inc. to pay the worker $24,000 in back wages, interest and damages after terminating the worker for refusing to exceed safe driving limits established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Department of the Interior announced on its website.
Crane Masters fired the employee in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, the department stated.
“Crane Masters punished a driver who refused to jeopardize their safety and that of others on the road by violating federal laws that restrict how many hours a truck drivers may operate a commercial vehicle each day,” OSHA Regional Administrator of Dallas Eric Harbin stated in the release.
“Commercial truck drivers, mechanics, and other workers are critical to our nation’s transportation infrastructure and our economy, but they should never be forced to put themselves or others at risk because of an employer’s concern for profit, or fear retaliation for exercising their legal right,” Harbin stated.
OSHA ordered the company to pay the driver nearly $14,000 in back wages, interest and compensatory damages, and $10,000 in punitive damages, the department reports.
OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program provides over 20 statutes to protect whistleblowers who are employees of work sectors including airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, food safety, finance, health insurance, motor vehicle services, public transportation, railroad, anti money-laundering, among others.
Crane Masters offers services for hydraulic truck cranes and rigging in the construction, oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, transportation and chemical engineering sectors.
