San Francisco, CA employment attorney Traci M. Hinden talks about what you should do if you feel unsafe at work. She addresses the different circumstances that may cause an employee to feel unsafe in the workplace. She explains that safety concerns can arise when an employer fails to provide appropriate protective equipment, such as masks, gloves, or other safety gear, particularly for employees working around potentially unhealthy or hazardous conditions. She gives the example of clients who worked for companies that accepted donated clothing and were required to sort through unwashed donations that sometimes contained bodily fluids and other potentially hazardous materials, creating an unsafe working environment.

She encourages employees who feel unsafe to request the necessary protective equipment and, if their concerns are not being addressed, to report the situation to OSHA or consult with an attorney. She notes that OSHA may be able to investigate workplace safety concerns. When an employee feels unsafe because another person is physically harming them, she strongly recommends contacting the police, while acknowledging that doing so may not feel like a viable option for everyone.

She recognizes that some individuals may be hesitant to contact law enforcement because of concerns related to immigration status, race, or previous experiences with law enforcement. She also notes that many people do not report sexual assault or rape, in part because of how survivors or members of their communities have historically been treated. When someone does not feel able to report directly to law enforcement, she encourages them to at least tell someone they trust, such as a friend, and to create some form of documentation, including through text messages, that records the concern.

She further recommends reporting workplace safety or misconduct concerns to human resources, even when an employee does not feel that HR is supportive or on their side. She emphasizes the importance of following up on verbal reports in writing so there is a record of the concern and the employee’s efforts to address the situation.