Can my workplace make me do a job that my doctor has restricted me from doing
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can my workplace make me do a job that my doctor has restricted me from doing
I am a cashier where I work and I have severe
vertigo especially when I turn to the left a lot. So
my doctor has restricted me from running any
register where I have to turn to the left all day. I
have only one register where I work that
requires this . I have been on this register
before and have gotten so dizzy that I have
fallen down. I have gotten several written notes
from my doctor stating I cannot run this register.
Can my workplace force me to run this register
or not. What can I do if Im forced to run this
register again and I fall and hurt myself . What
are my options.
Asked on October 28, 2019 under Employment Labor Law, Alabama
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
An employer must make "reasonsble accommodations" to employee medical conditions. A reasonable accommodation is a change at work that is not too costly or disruptive for the employer and which lets you do your job. If they have registers that do not require a left turn, then it is reasonable to have to work those registers and not the one that makes you turn to the left; it therefore would be a reasonable accommodation to only put you on the non-left registers. If they refuse to do this, they may be violating the anti-disability discrimination laws and you could contact the federal EEOC or your state's equal/civil rights agency to file a complaint.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.