McDonald’s employees calling for OSHA to investigate violence

New Jersey employees who are concerned about workplace injuries should be aware of a call to OSHA to investigate McDonald’s, a major fast food franchise found all over America. A Chicago-based group of employees is claiming that workers are in danger from irate customers, citing that every 36 hours on average, news outlets in America deliver a new report on incidents of violence taking place at McDonald’s. However, police data and worker testimonials suggest that violent incidents may in fact be even more common than the media reports.

Workers at one location filed a complaint with OSHA, stating that they have been threatened with guns and attacked by disturbed customers. The workers claim that McDonald’s has not done anything to implement safety measures to protect its employees.

McDonald’s has claimed it is rolling out training programs focused on workplace safety in response to the claims that McDonald’s is not a safe place to work. However, workers do not all believe training programs will be enough. After all, many of the incidents occur when there are small grievances that cannot be prevented, such as long wait times.

Because most of the violent incidents take place at night, when many other restaurants are closed, the report strongly encourages McDonald’s to adopt the OSHA guidelines used by many late-night retail chains, such as increased staffing, panic buttons and secure counters. Workers claim that anti-violence measures would be easy for McDonald’s to implement.

Employees seeking workers’ compensation might benefit from consulting an attorney experienced in seeking damages for personal injury and emotional trauma. An attorney may be able to prove that the workplace’s negligence was responsible for the incident leading to the victim’s injury or trauma. Compensation may include lost wages and medical expenses, among other damages.

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