#osha

BNY keeps pushing RTO 4 days/week and open‑desk seating like nothing in the world has changed, while employees are left wondering whether leadership has even skimmed the latest CDC guidance on workplace exposure risks. The CDC may not mandate hantavirus controls, but it’s clear about best practices: identify and control rodent presence, seal workspaces, improve ventilation, use PPE when needed, and restrict work for exposed or symptomatic employees. OSHA’s general duty clause still applies — employers must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards. Rodent‑borne pathogens qualify.

Many employees in the Jersey City office in particular have reported concerns on this forum regarding concerns of rat infestation and control.

So here’s the question employees keep asking: Will BNY communicate anything at all? Will they adjust RTO, restrict open‑desk seating, or even acknowledge that shared workspaces increase exposure risks? Or will they continue the pattern — silence, spin, and “business as usual” — while employees shoulder the health risks?

With the recent cruise ship outbreak and the 2025 death of actor Gene Hackman's wife and dog, people are concerned and fearful, especially given current RTO policies.

BNY has a stewardship responsibility, not just a shareholder one. If state or local OSHA programs tighten requirements, the bank won’t be able to hide behind “CDC guidance is voluntary.” And even now, nothing stops BNY from adopting the CDC’s recommendations as a basic duty of care.

People aren’t asking for miracles. They’re asking for transparency, updated safety protocols, and a realistic assessment of whether RTO makes sense when exposure risks — viral or otherwise — are rising.

Until leadership addresses these concerns directly, employees are left to wonder whether workplace safety is a priority or just another line item to downplay.

I will remind everyone that according to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, your employer has an obligation to ensure your safety in your job.

Can anyone argue that these buildings in the major cities where PNC has office space (Pittsburgh, Philly, Detroit, Columbus, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago, etc) have gotten SAFER post Covid, post summer 2020? Look at the data - it's gotten way worse.

Another employee right we must all seek is for our own safety. That would be a strong pillar of a unionization effort. Can you imagine if the current Minneapolis situation was occurring nearby a PNC office building. It could certainly happen.

Will PNC care about us then? Likely, no - "get your butts back here 5 days / week!"

We need someone to reach out to osha wage theft for salary employees

It looks like that they are conducting unscheduled OSHA inspects at the Plano offices. This is good news to those of who are assigned at these poorly maintained office buildings.

I recommend everyone to submit an OSHA complaint for 2900 and 3400 Plano Pkwy to AT&T further up on their radar. If OSHA finds safety violations, they will hit them with fines and penalties. And then we will have to get some respectable facilities.

Hope you didn’t drink the water today…

Hello Everyone -

There is not much we can do as employees to make our situation better. But, the one of the things we can and should do is file an OSHA complaint with OSHA. Please everyone reading submit an OSHA complaint today, but only if there is a safety hazard at your location. You can select an option so your name is not revealed to your employer.

If there is a legitimate safety hazard at your location, then you can fill out their online form and OSHA will take it from there. Lack of parking or reasonable access to the office building can all be taken as a form of a safety violation because it increases the risk of vehicle and pedestrian accidents. Your statements must be truthful, and there are penalties for submitting anything false.

Once submitted, OSHA will do an on-site inspection (often unscheduled) of the building you reported within weeks or months. If they find any safety hazards they take several escalating actions including citations, penalties, required corrective action, re-inspection, and whistleblower protection.

I have just submitted an OSHA complaint for 7 safety hazards I documented at 3400 W Plano Pkwy in Plano, TX. I encourage everyone reading this to please do this for your office if there are safety hazards and parking issues. This is the quickest way to get some noticeable change in our god awful buildings we call our offices.

Please like this post, and tell others either by word or on this site to do the OSHA as well. If multiple employees submit complaints to OSHA, that will put AT&T on their radar, and they would love to go after a Fortune 50 company that is being negligent.

My understanding of the RTO is that there is a signup to reserve an office/cubicle and it's based on availability. The cubicle can be reserved for up to 30 days. Obviously this is not a long term situation and would create quite a bit of work for staff who handle moving and modifying office furniture. As a FTT I was given guidelines on how to set up my desk to avoid repetitive stress injury. Are these rules going to be followed when you show up at your desk that's at a height for a person of 6 foot tall when you are only 5 foot tall? How will they handle the workers comp claims when people start complaining of back pain from working at a desk that doesn't accommodate them?
Personally if I saw that my assigned desk was not lowered to the proper height and a keyboard tray supplied; I would take a photo and turn around and go back home to work. Provide the photo evidence to your manager and if there is no recourse, contact your state's labor dept.
Another course of action is to tough it out, go the chiropractor with your injury and file a worker's comp claim. When they deny it: sue.
I'm not sure if Optum/UHG is self-insured but I know the workers comp underwriters don't like their customers filing claims too often and let their customers know it.

Our building in NJ has 3 out of 5 floors being demolished, and all of us need to show up every day and breathe the contaminated air, odor, asbestos, dust and hazardous materials.
Why they make us take so many classes to deal with emergencies when they create those themselves.

How come nobody calls the NJ OSHA?

Close down NJ, call us back when all the work is done,
all the ducts, and filters are clean.