Federal OSHA ordered Union Pacific Railroad to present the welder his original job back, repay the welder for continuously and mileage he spent commuting to a second job he was employed in, pay his attorney fees and pay him compensatory damages.

OSHA doesn't release what they are called of employee-whistleblowers, but here's what perform know about the situation: the employee was previously a welder based in Beverly, Iowa, who worked on repairing railroad tracks for Union Pacific Railroad. You've heard that old adage that you're never should stop on railroad tracks, right? Well that is where this welder spent his work day - landing on railroad tracks. It's dangerous work.

So a single day he is particularly concerned about on-coming trains. For that matter he goes to his Track Manager and asks for a lookout. "Hey, while I'm looking down at my welding torch could we have now someone there looking out for trains?"

"No."

"Well, here's ideas for some tools that would make the welding job more secure."

"You can't have them."

Just what happens to this employee for speaking up? He's rewarded along with a hostile work environment. A retaliatory, illegal hostile work environment. In fact the Track Manager was mad at the welder that the Track Manager attempted to terminate the employee by eliminating his position, and forcing him to give up or accept a welder job that was out-of-the-way - 131 miles (over 120 minutes driving) further away in Marshalltown, Iowa.

But our welder didn't collapse. He fought back against his bully boss and filed a complaint with OSHA. He kept his job, made the horrible commute, and argued to OSHA about the job transfer created a hostile work environment in retaliation for raising safety concerns. Starting to an investigation, a hearing, and also bully boss lost.

The OSHA investigator figured that the Track Manager acted illegally when he eliminated the welder's position and forced him decide between resigning or taking a job 120 minutes away. The investigator noted how the manager's actions not only made the welder's work day longer amazing commute more expensive, but the change also "took him from the his family for extended periods time."

OSHA said that this story ought to be a lesson to other managers. "A supervisor doesn't always have the right to abolish a job position because becomes annoyed by a worker voicing safety concerns," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Might, Mo. "While OSHA is best known for ensuring the security and health of employees, it also includes a federal government whistleblower protection agency."

If you worry you may work in a hostile work place caused by a bully boss or co-worker, all of the to fight back by firmly asserting your legal rights.

Many people may believe that their workplace is "hostile" since these feel forced into tolerating the bullying behavior found in a co-worker or explosive outbursts from any tyrannical boss. But in order to be considered a hostile working environment out of a legal standpoint, several criteria usually needs to be in place.