Firm Agrees to Pay Fired Worker $10,000 in Back Wages

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A Texas drilling firm has agreed to pay a former employee $10,000 after the U.S. Department of Labor said it found merit to the worker's claim that he was fired for complaining about mold in crew living quarters. In re: Orion Drilling Co., No. DOL-OSHA-09-1551-DAL (OHSA).

The department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration didn't release the individual's name in announcing the settlement with Corpus Christi-based Orion Drilling Co.

The unidentified worker filed a claim with OSHA after his termination, contending that his firing violated the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of …