Katrina Bryant, a former worker at a construction site for a new Amazon warehouse in Boardman, Oregon, alleges she was the victim of wrongful termination after she raised concerns to superiors over safety measures to prevent COVID-19 spread.
Allegations in the case
Bryant was tasked with safety compliance at the construction site, with duties including temperature checks for all workers in vehicles before they were allowed on to the job site.
However, according to Bryant, the thermometers did not work. She was getting very faulty readings—occasionally in the 70s, or even as high as 107. In other cases the thermometer would not provide a reading at all.
Bryant’s alleged instructions were to manipulate the readings if an employee had a fever above 100 degrees so sick workers could come on to the construction site—a clear violation of COVID-19 safety protocols. She was also instructed to tell workers to roll down their windows, turn on air conditions and use cold water or soda bottles on their foreheads to try to bring down their temperature readings.
Bryant says she alerted higher-ups at Gray Construction about these safety concerns in mid-May, and was fired by her temp agency just three days later.
It is absolutely imperative that all businesses take COVID-19 safety precautions extremely seriously to prevent widespread transmission of the virus. If you are aware of any internal failures to follow COVID safety protocols, it is important you take appropriate action to raise the issue internally, or externally as needed.
For more information about how to proceed with your case, contact an experienced whistleblower attorney at Kardell Law Group.
