Injured on the job

Varner Hall has been the site of two recent occupational injury incidents — though the two incidents appear by all accounts to be unrelated to one another.

At 9:30 a.m. on November 29, 2021, an employee of the university was walking through Varner Studio Theatre when a set of portable steps fell from its place atop the risers onto the back of the employee’s head/neck area. The employee sought medical treatment for his injuries at McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac following the incident.

No investigation was made at the scene of the incident, which was reported to the Oakland University Police Department (OUPD) on December 16, 2021.

Months later on the evening of February 3, 2022 — somewhere between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. — an employee departed Varner Hall for a moment of fresh air before reentering the building. Upon setting foot in the lobby beside the theatre, the snow that had collected on the bottoms of his Skechers Dress Boots caused the employee to slip, falling to the ground and dislocating his right shoulder.

The employee proceeded to seek medical treatment for his injury at Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, making a complaint regarding his accident to the OUPD on February 9, 2022.