One thrift store worker explained in a viral TikTok how he got his company to address an injury he got while on the job.
Suffice it to say, it required plenty of persistence.
In a video that has amassed over 42,000 views, TikToker Leo (@adriftincyberspace) said, “So last Friday, on May 5, I got punctured with a needle at the thrift store where I work at.”
He said that after bringing the incident to his boss’ attention, he was allegedly told to wash his hand and put a bandaid on the injury.
“I said, ‘That can’t be all there is for this kind of procedure,'” he continued. “That doesn’t sound like sound medical advice.”
@adriftincyberspace Some shady shit in thrift #workmanscomp ♬ original sound – Leo
The TikToker said he gave his higher ups the benefit of the doubt that additional action would be taken, but days went by, and no one ever addressed the incident. He said he decided to confront his boss while the thrift store was undergoing an inspection one day.
“‘Do you have an update for me on the thing we discussed this morning?'” he said he asked his boss while in front of the inspector.
He claimed his boss still attempted to avoid giving him an answer but that he was persistent. He said he demanded an answer to his request for what he should do about his workplace injury and refused to leave without one.
“It took them five days to write down a claim number on this little piece of paper for me to go get tested,” the TikToker angrily declared while showing off a tiny sticky note with the information written on it. “That seems suspiciously long to me. That seems extremely suspiciously wrong and long to me.”
In the comments section, many viewers gave the TikToker suggestions as to what his next steps should be.
“File a complaint with OSHA,” user @shortyylutfz suggested. “File a complaint with HR. Now you’re protected employee. Seek an attorney.”
“I would have collected the needle and gone straight to the ER,” another TikToker advised. ” File it under workman’s comp because it happened on the job. Tests NEED to be run!!”
“You will also need to retest for everything again at 3 and 6 months after incident,” user @am5808 said.
In response to @am5808’s comment, Leo revealed he was slated to “go in for my follow up ER visits with my primary to figure out next steps.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Leo via TikTok comment.