Final answer:
A business may be sued for negligence if it fails to protect its employees from unnecessary risk or health hazards on the job. Negligence involves the failure of the employer to provide a safe work environment, adhere to safety regulations, or give proper safety training.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a business fails to protect its employees from unnecessary risk or health hazards on the job, it may be sued for negligence. Negligence occurs when a business does not take reasonable care to avoid causing injury or loss to another person. In the context of workplace safety, if an employer does not follow safety regulations, does not provide adequate safety training, or fails to ensure a safe working environment, and as a result, an employee is harmed, the employer can be held legally responsible for those injuries.
Employers have a duty under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards to provide a workplace free from serious recognized hazards and comply with standards, rules, and regulations issued under the OSH Act. Failure to do so can lead to significant consequences including legal action and fines. The other options, libel, misrepresentation, and incompetence, pertain to different forms of wrongdoings that do not specifically concern workplace safety and health standards.