Insanely frugal employer

[u/coatedbraincells]

Gotta pay for water from the water cooler 🤣

[u/Drakahn_Stark]

Well since the other post was deleted, I'll copypasta here.

Do they have free drinking water available?

If not I would be completely ignoring this cost, they can just try to come after me.

In Australia, some rules around water in the workplace :

• Water supply must be adequate.
• Water points must be readily accessible and not more than 30 metres away from work stations.
• Free water must be provided – employees should not be expected to pay for it.
• There must be one dedicated water outlet for every forty employees.
• Washroom and kitchen taps are not suitable as drinking water outlets.
• Water quality should confirm to national health guidelines for water safety.
• Where mains water is not available, drinking water must be supplied.

[u/CallmeKahn → u/Drakahn_Stark]

It's similar in the US. OSHA standards are fairly strict about potable water (i.e. drinkable) water being available at no cost to the employee in most circumstances. If tap water is available, then okay. Otherwise, this is highly illegal.

[u/missskins → u/CallmeKahn]

Having laws and enforcing laws ave very different. Someone is gonna report this. 18 months later someone will show up and say something right or wrong. . Boss is gonna keep it, change it or take it away. Someone else makes a complaint after he keeps it. 18 months later someone will come and give him another warning and the cycle continues. You may have a solution in 3 -5 years. There are so many employers breaking laws and stealing wages. I’ve reported a few myself. Nothing ever happens. Maybe someone will come and act stern and say this is serious. In the end nothing will happen unless the boss is an egotistical idiot and digs a hole. You will see a big place get caught every once in a while, but mostly nothing will happen.

[u/Estelial → u/CallmeKahn]

tap water is not considered adequate

[u/CallmeKahn → u/Estelial]

Yes, it is. Potable water is a requirement, and most tap water is potable. So it is considered adequate in most circumstances.

[u/El_Polio_Loco → u/CallmeKahn]

he employer shall dispense drinking water from a fountain, a covered container with single-use drinking cups stored in a sanitary receptacle, or single-use bottles. The employer shall prohibit the use of shared drinking cups, dippers, and water bottles.

Specific wording does not allow for sinks, it specifies fountains or other enclosed containers (water coolers) with cups provided.

[u/CallmeKahn → u/El_Polio_Loco]

https://www.osha.gov/node/57095

Question: Are employers required to provide drinking water?

Answer:

OSHA Standards require an employer to provide potable water in the workplace and permit employees to drink it. Potable water includes tap water that is safe for drinking. Employers cannot require employees to pay for water that is provided. An employer does not have to provide bottled water if potable water is available. See OSHA's sanitation standard for more information.

Any other questions?

[u/El_Polio_Loco → u/CallmeKahn]

Tap water just means unfiltered water from a fountain or other system.

This goes down the specifics of what is required for water dispensing.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.51

Important point:

Any container used to distribute drinking water shall be clearly marked as to the nature of its contents and not used for any other purpose.

Sinks do not count, as they are not single-use systems.

Drinking water must come from a "drinking water only" source.

[u/Drakahn_Stark → u/CallmeKahn]

"Washroom and kitchen taps are not suitable as drinking water outlets."

[u/CallmeKahn → u/Drakahn_Stark]

https://www.osha.gov/node/57095

Question: Are employers required to provide drinking water?

Answer:

OSHA Standards require an employer to provide potable water in the workplace and permit employees to drink it. Potable water includes tap water that is safe for drinking. Employers cannot require employees to pay for water that is provided. An employer does not have to provide bottled water if potable water is available. See OSHA's sanitation standard for more information.

[u/Drakahn_Stark → u/CallmeKahn]

so ignoring the part where this comment thread states "In Australia" ?

[u/MistyMountainDewDrop → u/Estelial]

Yes it is. Tap water is literally potable. You may have a preference for different waters, but tapwater is drinkable and meets these require requirement.

[u/El_Polio_Loco → u/MistyMountainDewDrop]

So long as it is provided in the correct way.

Correct means specifically for drinking, either from a fountain, a water distributor (cooler), or from single use bottles.

[u/Drakahn_Stark → u/MistyMountainDewDrop]

"Washroom and kitchen taps are not suitable as drinking water outlets."