COLUMBIA, S.C. — Viewers have been asking News19 what their rights are in the work place when it comes to COVID-19.
A USC employment lawyer Joseph Seiner, explains what an employee can do if they feel unsafe in the workplacedue to the pandemic. .
According to Professor Seiner, employees can make the decision to come into work or not.
He says most companies have rules and safety protocols, and its ok for an employee to ask their employee to see those.
"South Carolina, like the majority of the states in this country, follows employment at will approach, which means workers can be fired at any time for any reason," said Seiner.
He went on to say, "So if workers don't feel safe, the major power that they have, and the major decision they have to make is whether or not to come in at all."
Professor Seiner says if an employee can prove their employer was negligent and put a staff member in harms way, and by doing so they got COVID, that employer could face legal ramifications.