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OSHA Violations Case Study
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets workplace ethics and safety measures in the United States. All businesses and companies are bound to have their premises regularly inspected to verify compliance with OSHA policies. The case study of Bonnie presents an instance of violations of two OSHA policies (DeMerceau, 2015). This essay vividly illustrates the violations that Bonnie committed by using the heater in his office, the professionalism with which the safety officer handled the situation, and what could have been done to create a lasting solution.
The first OSHA violation that Bonnie committed was in the category of serious violations. A serious OSHA violation occurs when the perpetrator knows of the situation that can cause serious harm or even death to the employees (DeMerceau, 2015). Bonnie, by using the heater, has to pass a cable to another electrical outlet, crossing the through workstations. There is a possibility that some employees might trip on the cable and fall, leading to severe injuries. Another offense that Bonnie committed is that of repeated violation. Despite the safety officer warning her of the dangers of connecting the heater using the cable across the floor, she still repeats the same mistake.
The safety officer correctly handled the situation the first few times. By warning Bonnie about the dangers associated with using the heater, it was up to the employee to ensure that the mistake does not reoccur.

The right to confiscate the heater and the extension cord was justified. By ignoring the first few warnings, the safety officer had to step up to ensure that Bonnie does not violate the safety regulations anymore.
It was the duty of Bonnie to complain of the cold to his employer. He could have done this through the safety officer or directly to his boss. The company might have considered installing standard thermostats to help Bonnie in regulating the room temperature to his preference. In summary, Bonnie’s actions amounted to OSHA regulations’ violation and the actions of the safety officer were all justified.

Reference
DeMerceau, J. (2015). Types of OSHA Violations. Retrieved on September 24, 2018, from https://work.chron.com/types-OSHA-violations-10693.html