Bonnie feels that the office is always too cold, so she keeps a heater under her desk. to use the heater,
she must run an extension cord across to another electrical outlet. several times, the safety officer in
the practice asks her to discontinue using the heater. bonnie will put the heater away for a couple of
days, then bring it back out when she feels it will not be noticed. the safety officer comes by one day
and confiscates the heater and extension cord. bonnie feels that this is unfair because she is cold
during the day. she thinks she should be allowed to use the heater, which allows her to perform her
duties in comfort and more efficiently.
questions:
• what osha violations are of concern in this situation?
• did the safety officer handle the situation correctly the first few times?
• did the safety officer have the right to confiscate the heater and extension cord?
• how might the situation be rectified to make bonnie comfortable?