Environmental contractor settles OSHA retaliation claim

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Environmental Management Specialists Inc. have settled a lawsuit alleging the company retaliated against an employee who reported workplace safety concerns.

Steubenville, Ohio-based EMS, which provides remediation and emergency response services, will pay $21,000 in back wages to a field technician who alleged that EMS terminated him after he filed complaints with OSHA that employees were exposed to confined space and respiratory hazards as they cleaned storage tanks, according to an agency statement issued on Friday.

In addition to paying the back wages, EMS will expunge the termination and all references to this action from the employee’s record.

“An employee’s commitment to workplace safety should be commended — not punished,” Ken Nishiyama Atha, OSHA Chicago area regional administrator, said in the statement. “This settlement represents a true win for an employee willing to exercise his rights to ensure workplace safety for his co-workers and himself.”

A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.