Final answer:
The OSH Act protects employees who refuse to work in environments they believe to be unsafe and prohibits employer retaliation. This includes a wide array of rights such as the request for OSHA inspections and access to safety training and records. Employers have specific responsibilities to maintain a safe workplace and inform their workers of potential hazards.
Step-by-step explanation:
The OSH Act indeed prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who refuse to work due to concerns about an unhealthy environment. Under the Act, workers have the right to a safe workplace and can report any work-related injury or illness. It is illegal for employers to retaliate or discriminate against employees who exercise their rights to report hazards, ask for OSHA inspections, receive hazard training in a comprehensible language, and access workplace injury records, among other provisions.
Employers are responsible for providing a workplace without serious hazards, informing workers about chemical and safety risks, and implementing safety measures. Effective hazard reduction strategies include switching to safer chemicals and improving ventilation. Retaliation against workers who act as whistleblowers, whether under the OSH Act or related federal laws that OSHA oversees, is prohibited.