Hair Salon Fired Manager in Reprisal for Reporting Electrical Incident

When the manager of a hair salon unplugged a charger from a power bar, the electrical outlet arced because wet wigs had been hung over it to dry. She suffered electrical burns and bruises. Her boss didn’t take any steps to address the hazard or report the incident. So the manager reported it to the MOL, which resulted in an inspection. The salon fired her for doing ‘such a stupid thing.’ It also refused to issue a record of employment so she could collect benefits. The manager filed a reprisal complaint, which the Labour Relations Board upheld. The salon fired the manager in a ‘most callous and vindictive manner.’ The boss’s conduct was unfair and in bad faith, and he took a ‘cavalier attitude’ towards OHS duties. So the Board ordered the salon to pay the manager more than $16,000 in lost wages and $7,500 in aggravated damages [Brenda Bastien v. 817775 Ontario Limited (Pro-Hairlines), [2014] CanLII 65582 (ON LRB), Oct. 27, 2014].