I am a federal employee who was assigned to a TDY that suspended for not wearing a hardhat.

I arrived at the TDY location and noticed an unsafe and possible emergency onsite. I got out of my vehicle and went to investigate wherein i found 2 contractor personnel hiding in a metal Conex while fully involved with their cellphones. There was another federal employee that I was supposed to be doing a ride-along with that stayed in the vehicle and had told me to leave it be as it wasn't the contract I was supposed to be overseeing. The contractor's employees were very upset at me and when I left, filed paperwork with their boss accusing me of being intoxicated. The other federal employee told his boss that I did not have my hardhat on. This is true but in the moment I didn't even think about it. It was early, I had driven late in the evening and only had about 3 hours of sleep, and I was preoccupied with a potentially life threatening occurrence. I have worked for this organization for 17 years without a single disciplinary action. All other personnel present said I was not intoxicated and the Supervisor sent me home, a 4 hour drive in a government vehicle, immediately so there was no concern over me drinking apparently. In the end. I was given a 7 day suspension for not wearing a hardhat and my loud and blunt manner of speaking, no insults were exchanged, with the supervisor stating "busting their balls" was not acceptable. The suspension comes across as a whip to make me heel to their desire to not deal with ripples rather than a gross infraction. There is no regulation or notice in an employee manual stating that suspension is a possible disciplinary action for not wearing a hardhat. As I have not had an issue wearing the hardhat for the previous 6,204 days, it is obvious that it was a one time, accidental occurrence that a verbal counseling would have resolved. My main concern is to remove the disciplinary action from my permanent file as Christmas, with no presents for me kids so I could make the mortgage payment, has already passed. Do I have any room to fight this, though it has already occurred and passed?

0 answers  |  asked Jan 4, 2021 10:10 AM [EST]  |  applies to Georgia

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