U.S. Department of Labor Sues Hair Salon for Firing Stylist Following Reports of Health and Safety Hazards

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Blown Away Dry Bar and Salon and its owners, Jennifer and Rand Singer, for allegedly terminating a hairstylist whose husband reported hazards to the Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In March 2017, salon employees were exposed to sewage and chemicals resulting from a plumbing backup and subsequent cleanup at the Kennett Square salon. The owners ignored stylists’ complaints of nausea and headaches. Concerned that the employees were exposed to hazardous materials, one stylist’s husband reported the conditions to OSHA. After learning the stylist’s husband contacted the agency, the owners fired the stylist, who later filed a complaint with OSHA alleging that her termination was retaliation for engaging in protected activity under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). OSHA’s investigation found that the complainant was terminated in violation of Section 11(c) of the OSH Act.

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