BNSF Railway Ordered To Pay $12k To Worker Disciplined For Taking Doctor-Ordered Leave

BNSF Railway Co. has been found in violation of the Federal Railroad Safety Act by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for disciplining an employee at its Murray Yard complex for following a physician’s treatment plan. The company has been ordered to pay the conductor $12,000 in damages, remove disciplinary information from the employee’s personnel record and provide whistleblower rights information to its employees.

“It is illegal to discipline an employee for following doctor’s orders,” said Marcia P. Drumm, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Kansas City. “Workers should never be forced to choose between their health and facing disciplinary action. Whistleblower protections play an important role in keeping workplaces safe.”

Click here to view the release from OSHA.