What Can I Do About Unsafe 16-Hour Shifts at My Utah Work Program?
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Reviewed & verified by A. Jason Velez, Esq.*
Managing Attorney, 1LAW · Last reviewed January 1, 2026
Legal Inquiry
Consumer Legal Issue
I was placed in a work program that required me to work sixteen or more hours a day with no sleep. They had us risk our safety to protect customers' items from breaking. Is there something I can do about this?
Attorney Answer
Requiring workers to put in 16 or more hours a day with no rest, especially where safety is at risk, raises real concerns under both federal and Utah workplace law, and you have options for addressing it.
For adult workers, Utah does not cap the number of hours you can be required to work in a day, but you likely still have two strong protections here: wage and hour rights, and workplace safety rights.
Overtime pay. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, most non-exempt employees must be paid one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a week. If you are working 16-hour days regularly, you are almost certainly owed significant overtime, unless your specific role is legally exempt. It is worth reviewing your pay stubs to see whether you are actually being paid time-and-a-half for those extra hours.
Workplace safety. Employers have a general duty to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that could cause serious harm, and that includes fatigue-related risks from extended shifts without rest. In Utah, workplace safety is enforced by Utah Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Utah Labor Commission. You can file a complaint with them, and by law your employer cannot legally fire or punish you for doing so. If you later need to file a retaliation complaint under federal OSHA rules, you generally only have 30 days from the retaliatory act, so do not wait if something happens after you speak up.
What you can do right now:
1. Start keeping your own daily log of hours worked, tasks performed, and safety concerns, with dates. 2. Save pay stubs and any schedule or text messages about your hours. 3. File a complaint with Utah Occupational Safety and Health if you believe conditions are unsafe. 4. Ask the Utah Labor Commission about filing a wage claim, or contact the federal Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division about unpaid overtime.
The term "work program" can mean different things legally. Whether this is a typical job, an internship, or something court-ordered can change which protections apply, so it helps to describe the arrangement in more detail to an attorney.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. A Utah employment lawyer can review your actual work arrangement and tell you exactly what protections apply and how to safely raise these issues.
*Attorney review is supported by AI-assisted drafting and legal research algorithms. Use of this Chat does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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Courts & Legal Aid in Utah
- File or look up a case through the Utah State Courts, which serves the state.
- Get free civil legal help from Utah Legal Services.
- Use the LSC — Find Legal Aid to find a local legal-aid office by ZIP code.
- Use the LawHelp.org to browse free legal information and self-help resources.
- Use the ABA Lawyer Referral Directory to get matched with a local attorney through your state bar.
- Visit EEOC — File a Charge to report workplace discrimination or harassment.
- Visit U.S. Department of Labor — Wages to learn about unpaid wages and worker protections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I entitled to overtime pay for working 16-hour days in Utah?
If you are a non-exempt employee, federal law requires overtime pay of one and a half times your regular rate for any hours over 40 in a week, regardless of how those hours are spread across days. Whether you qualify depends on your specific job duties and how you are paid.
Can my employer legally require unsafe working conditions?
No. Employers must provide a workplace free of recognized hazards likely to cause serious harm, and extreme fatigue from extended shifts can qualify. You can report unsafe conditions to Utah Occupational Safety and Health, and your employer cannot legally retaliate against you for doing so.
What should I do if I think I am being retaliated against for complaining?
Document everything, including dates and what was said, and consider acting quickly, since federal OSHA retaliation complaints generally must be filed within 30 days of the retaliatory action. An employment attorney can help you evaluate your options right away.
