Safety matters: A bucket landed this firm in costly legal hot water

When can a $6.99 plastic bucket cost a company thousands in legal fees?

When an employee uses that bucket as a step ladder … then gets hurt on the job.

That’s just what happened to one of your peers.

A New York-based employer recently found itself standing on the losing end of an employee claim for this very situation.

And all over a move that no doubt gets made regularly in offices everywhere.

While the safety team was on the hook for this one, considering the financial hit that followed, every CFO should make sure your company isn’t vulnerable to a similar situation.

Check out the specifics of this case and why a court ruled against the employer.

Supervisor had done the same

The employee here needed to do some electrical work, but couldn’t find the company step stool, despite looking for it for several minutes.

So he did the next best thing: grabbed a five-gallon bucket, flipped it over, then stood on it for the lift he needed.

No surprise here: He fell off the bucket, getting injured.

You probably think to yourself “Of course he did – a bucket isn’t a replacement for a ladder. Everyone knows that’s a bad idea.”

But another person who didn’t appear to know that? This worker’s supervisor, who had apparently done the same thing recently in front of his team. And on more than one occasion!

When the employee brought a labor law violation complaint against the employer, the company tried to get the case dismissed.

No luck. The case made it all the way to the state supreme court. The court ruled the company had enough potential responsibility that the case should be heard by a jury.

Even though the company had a safety policy that specifically addressed ladder use, the supervisor’s prior use of a bucket as a step stool sunk its case.

Now the company can either roll the dice at trial or settle out of court, neither of which will be cheap.

Needed: Safety policies, training and a good example to follow

As CFO, safety policies likely aren’t something on your daily radar.
But this case shows why they should merit some attention.

Using this case as a conversation starter, consider having a talk with both HR and the person in charge of safety in your organization.

Yes, you want to confirm that the proper policies are in place and that safety training is being done regularly.

But perhaps more importantly, you want to make sure there isn’t a “do as I say, not as I do” culture with supervisors.

Actions carry more weight – and more costs – than words.

And as this case shows, bad safety habits can be very bad for your company’s bottom line. And you don’t want legal trouble.