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EMPLOYEE PROBLEM-SOLVING GUIDE · SAFETY
Safety & Unsafe Work
Plain-language steps for unsafe conditions, hazards and safety concerns on the job. This guide is based only on the NNSY–TVFEMTC Collective Bargaining Agreement. The original CBA controls.
Search terms: unsafe work, unsafe job, hazard, safety concern, refuse unsafe work, PPE, protective equipment, near miss, dangerous conditions, report a hazard, safety complaint
Immediate danger or someone hurt?
Get yourself and others to a safe place and notify your supervisor right away. If you were injured, go to the Workplace Injury / CA-1 guide.
THE PRIMARY QUESTION
What should I do if I believe my work is unsafe?
Follow this response path, in order:
1
Identify the concern
Move to a safe spot if you are in immediate danger. Write down what, where, when and who.
2
Inform your supervisor
Tell your supervisor about the hazard right away.
3
Contact your steward
Contact your union steward. If you are questioned, ask for representation (see the Representation guide).
4
Escalate
If it's still unresolved, file a grievance under the CBA (see the Grievances guide) and contact TVFEMTC.
What Happened?
You were told to do work you believe is unsafe, you saw a hazard, protective equipment is missing or damaged, or there was a near miss.
What Should I Know?
The NNSY–TVFEMTC CBA covers safety and health at work. This guide is a summary only. Read the CBA's safety and health provisions for your exact rights.
What Should I Do Now?
- Move to a safe spot if you are in immediate danger.
- Tell your supervisor about the hazard right away.
- Write down what, where, when and who.
- If you are questioned, ask for representation (see the Representation guide).
Important Deadlines / Time Limits
Report hazards right away. If you file a grievance, the CBA grievance time limits apply. See the Grievances guide, and check the exact time limits in the original CBA.
Forms / Documents
- Your written notes with dates and times
- Names of witnesses
- A copy of any hazard report you submit
- If injured: CA-1 (see the Injury / CA-1 guide)
Who Should I Contact?
- Your immediate supervisor, right away
- Your union steward
- TVFEMTC, if it isn't resolved
Escalation Steps
- Report to your supervisor.
- Contact your steward.
- If it's still unresolved, file a grievance under the CBA (see the Grievances guide).
- Contact TVFEMTC.
What Happens Next?
Management reviews the concern, and your steward can follow up. Keep copies of everything. If you file a grievance, the steps are in the Grievances guide.
CBA References
- NNSY–TVFEMTC CBA: Safety & Health article
- Grievance Procedure article
- Employee Representation provisions
- Check exact article and section numbers in the original CBA PDF.
Related guides:
PHASE 2 GUIDE · SAFETY & UNSAFE WORK
Safety & Unsafe Work
What to do when you are assigned work you believe presents an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm. This guide summarizes the NNSY–TVFEMTC Collective Bargaining Agreement. The CBA language controls — always read the original text.
Primary question
What should I do if I'm assigned work I believe is unsafe?
Follow this response path, in order.
1
Identify the concern. Be specific: the hazard, the location, the task, and the precaution or protective equipment needed.
2
Inform your supervisor. Advise your immediate supervisor before carrying out an assignment you believe is unsafe or endangers health.
3
Contact a steward. Reach your steward promptly and share your notes, witnesses, instructions, and PPE facts.
4
Escalate. Unresolved safety questions go to the shop superintendent, then the Head, Safety Division. If still unresolved, the steward can use the Article 26 Step 2 option under Article 33 time limits.
âš Imminent Risk of Death or Serious Bodily Harm
If either party reasonably believes there is an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm, a Safety Division ruling is obtained before proceeding. This is the CBA process under Article 26. Follow it, and contact your steward.
âš Report Every Accident, Even Minor Ones
All accidents, even minor ones, must be reported to your immediate supervisor promptly. Untimely reporting may result in loss of Federal Employees Compensation Act benefits.
1. What Happened?
- You were assigned a job you believe could cause death or serious injury.
- You saw an unsafe condition, unsafe equipment, or a hazardous work area.
- You lacked required PPE (protective equipment).
- You were assigned potentially hazardous work in an isolated area, or asked to work alone.
- You raised a safety concern and were told to keep working anyway.
- You had an accident, even a minor one.
2. What Should I Know?
- Your duties (Article 26): Work safely, observe safe practices, wear prescribed protective equipment, know your trade's hazards, and promptly correct or report unsafe conditions or acts.
- Supervisor duties: Remain aware of hazards, enforce protective equipment, and promptly correct reported hazards.
- Equipment: The Employer provides protective clothing, toe guards, safety glasses, and other necessary equipment.
- Unsafe conditions: No employee is required to work around unsafe machines or unsafe health conditions without precautions, protective equipment, and safety devices.
- Working alone: Potentially hazardous work in an isolated area cannot require you to work alone unobserved.
- Before an unsafe job: If you believe an assigned job is unsafe or endangers health, advise your immediate supervisor before carrying it out.
- Imminent risk: If either party reasonably believes there is an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm, a Safety Division ruling is obtained before proceeding.
- Heat stress: The Employer provides heat-stress prevention and treatment information.
- Your exact rights come from the CBA's wording, not this summary. Read Article 26 in the original CBA, or ask a steward to go over it with you.
3. What Should I Do Now?
- Report the concern to the nearest supervisor before performing an unsafe assignment. State the hazard, location, task, and needed precaution.
- Ask for the hazard to be checked and fixed.
- Report every accident immediately, even minor ones.
- Write down what happened, when and where it happened, who was there, and what you were told. Preserve notes, witnesses, instructions, PPE facts, and medical records.
- Contact your steward as soon as possible.
- For an injury, use the completed Workplace Injury / CA-1 guide.
4. Important Deadlines / Time Limits
- Immediately: Report an imminent hazard right away. Don't wait.
- Promptly: Report all accidents, even minor ones, to your immediate supervisor. Untimely reporting may result in loss of Federal Employees Compensation Act benefits.
- Grievance: If the problem isn't fixed, Article 33 time limits apply, ordinarily 15 workdays from the incident or your knowledge of it. See the Grievances guide, and check the exact deadlines in the original CBA.
6. Who Should I Contact?
- Immediate supervisor: report the hazard or accident first.
- Union steward: contact promptly.
- Shop superintendent, then Head, Safety Division: for unresolved safety questions.
- Safety office: through the reporting channel your command uses.
- TVFEMTC.
7. Escalation Steps
- Report the hazard to your immediate supervisor.
- Bring in your steward.
- If unresolved, the steward reports it to the nearest supervisor, then the shop superintendent, then the Head, Safety Division.
- Raise it with TVFEMTC.
- If it's still not fixed, the steward can use the Article 26 Step 2 option: the written grievance begins with the production superintendent, under Article 33 time limits.
- For OSHA-reviewable complaints, the Council may, at its option, use grievance/arbitration. The Council gives the Employer a reasonable chance to correct the deficiency before an OSHA complaint.
8. What Happens Next?
- Supervisors are expected to promptly correct reported hazards. Management and the safety office should look at the hazard.
- Where imminent risk is reasonably believed, a Safety Division ruling is obtained before work proceeds.
- Your steward will check whether the CBA was followed.
- If it wasn't, the union can help you with the grievance process.
- If management questions you about what happened, see the Representation guide.
9. CBA References
- Article 26, Sections 1–14: Safety and Health (unsafe work and imminent danger, PPE, working alone, accident reporting, OSHA option, heat stress)
- Article 33, Sections 1, 5, 7: Grievance Procedure and time limits
- Union Representation article
- Check the exact article and section numbers in the original NNSY–TVFEMTC CBA.
Common searches
refuse unsafe work · unsafe job · dangerous assignment · imminent danger · no PPE · safety hazard · told to work anyway · can I say no to unsafe work · report a safety problem · safety retaliation
Still Not Sure?
Don't guess. Contact your steward or TVFEMTC.
SAFETY & UNSAFE WORK · STEWARD SUPPORT
Safety Steward Support
Unsafe job? Hazard on the waterfront? Told to work without proper PPE? Reach a steward or TVFEMTC safety representative and check what the NNSY–TVFEMTC Collective Bargaining Agreement says before you act.
Related Guides
- Need to file a grievance about a safety issue? See the Grievances guide.
- Being questioned by management about a safety incident? See the Management Questioning / Representation guide.
- Injured on the job? See the Workplace Injury / CA-1 guide.
Still Not Sure?
Don't guess. Contact your steward or TVFEMTC.