Employees Damaging Barcode Scanners?

Do you have some clumsy employees or those that seem to be extremely hard on their barcode scanners? Do your barcode scanners always seem to be breaking down and in need of repair? Not sure how you should handle the situation?

There seems to be debate on whether it is right and legal to dock pay and whether it is beneficial to enforce a “you break it, you bought” philosophy in your workplace.
Many states have labor laws that prohibit employers from making reductions to employees’ wages. Based on the OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), when seeking payment for company equipment, the company must adhere to strict labor laws and guidelines. Under its PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) guidelines employers are not allowed to charge for safety and protective gear, such as gloves and goggles, or the replacement of them. Those items must be provided by them and the employer can only request that the employee covers the cost, but not force them too. The employer can only require an employee to pay for damaged equipment, if the damage is done on purpose or because of gross negligence. If it was done by accident, the employer can’t demand the employee to pay for replacing the equipment. It must be treated as a business expense.

This being said, it is in the employers best interest to minimize damages in order to keep down costs. The best way to do this is to ensure that their employees are well trained and versed in equipment handling and understand the importance of care and maintenance of the equipment. Good solid education and mutual respect goes a long way, and is a much more beneficial philosophy than enforcing a strict “you break it you bought it” philosophy. It is also a good idea for employers to purchase heavier duty equipment for their employees to help prevent undo downtime. This is especially recommended if working with barcode scanners or barcode mobile devices in manufacturing, distribution, route delivery, warehousing, or any other heavy handed work environments.

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Source: http://wagehourlaw.foxrothschild.com/2011/02/articles/exemptions/you-break-it-you-bought-it-is-not-t...