Port Arthur, TX (WorkersCompensation.com) - The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against a Florida security contractor that terminated a worker after they raised concerns in a work group chat on a secure messaging app about safe firearm storage and coronavirus-related workplace hazards, including a lack of physical distancing and other potential exposure risks.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division, the department names VRP Group Inc. – doing business as Regius Investigations and Protective Services – alleging the employer illegally terminated the worker in August 2020, shortly after the worker texted supervisors in the work group chat to report hazardous work conditions. VRP Group notified the worker of their termination using the same messaging app.

The worker was among a group of Regius employees assigned initially to supply security services to Entergy Texas to secure properties near Port Arthur. After Regius directed the worker and their colleagues to relocate from an area hotel to temporary housing, the worker raised concerns with their supervisors about the move, citing COVID-19 policies and protocols and the need for secure firearm storage.

Following their termination, the employee filed a retaliation complaint with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An investigation by OSHA's Dallas Regional Office of Whistleblower Protection Programs found that the Gainesville-based, VRP Group...

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