To a very great extent, people will not risk their jobs to speak up about problems. They cannot afford it. That is reality. It is the very reason why the Occupational Safety and Health Act has protection for whistleblowers. It is also the reason for the Federal Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA).
Workplace safety and health improves when workers feel safe to speak up about workplace problems. Americans benefit when Federal employees feel safe to speak up about problems they see in their agencies. They should be protected by the WPA. Unfortunately, there is a serious short-coming in that law itself. Fixing it would help to protect the public and to improve government.