Boart Longyear to Pay $177,500 for EEOC Race Discrimination Charge

ELKO, Nev. – Drilling services provider Boart Longyear Company (US) agreed to provide $177,500 to a former employee following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that supervisors and coworkers harassed a black employee on the basis of his race during his employment at a Boart Longyear facility in Elko, Nevada from November 2021 to October 2022.

“The things that were said, and who said them, sent me a strong message that I was not good enough,” said the former employee. “It was uncomfortable. I appreciate that the EEOC is there to stand up for every worker’s right to be free from harassment at work.”

“Employers must model leadership and accountability when it comes to workplace harassment, to comply with federal law and to ensure every employee is treated with dignity and respect,” said Christopher Green, director of the EEOC’s San Francisco District. “We commend Boart Longyear for working with the EEOC to improve its practices and prevent future violations.”

The alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination or harassment in employment. Following the investigation, the parties engaged in the EEOC’s pre-litigation conciliation process, resulting in a settlement requiring the company to provide compensatory damages; update if necessary and redistribute its U.S.-based employee handbook; conduct additional training for all employees, managers and human resources personnel in Northern Nevada; post a notice concerning equal employment opportunity rights; continue tracking all racial harassment complaints; and report to the EEOC for two years.

For more information on race discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/facts-about-racecolor-discrimination.

According to its website, Boart Longyear is a global provider of drilling services, drilling equipment and performance tooling for mining and drilling companies and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah with regional offices and operations located in Asia Pacific, North and South America, Europe and Africa.

The EEOC’s San Francisco District has jurisdiction over Northern Nevada, Northern California, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.