During the Trump administration, some were critical of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for taking a too-relaxed approach to enforcement. The number of inspections and citations between 2016 and 2019 were lower than previous years, and OSHA was not always as vocal about its enforcement efforts.
Most workers in the United States are protected from retaliation for raising workplace health and safety concerns and for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. While these protections have been in place for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a record number of complaints from covered employees claiming retaliation by their employer. Since
As humans experienced the first global pandemic since 1918, it also experienced a multitude of missed opportunities that would have mitigated the frequency and severity of COVID-19 exposures and infections. Contrary to many messages communicated by politicians, the pandemic is not a political issue. Instead, it is a hazard, subject to scientific hazard control.
As the U.S. has begun to reopen with the coronavirus continuing to affect the country six months after many shelter-in-place mandates developed, workers across a multitude of industries — from manufacturing plants to agriculture to meat processing — are getting sick.
Illegal retaliation puts workers at risk, say safety advocates, as Inspector General warns of delays and calls for faster investigations
September 10, 2020
As complaints of retaliation against whistleblowers skyrocket during the COVID-19 pandemic, safety advocates say workers’ lives are at risk due to a slow and inadequate response from the OSHA.
OSHA is reminding employers that it is illegal to retaliate against workers because they report unsafe and unhealthful working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
A safety director who was fired after providing a statement and safety documentation to OSHA for an investigation will receive $48,000 in back wages and compensatory damages from his previous employer.
Jasper Contractors - headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia, but performing roofing work in Florida – has agreed to the settlement with OSHA, which resolves a lawsuit filed under the anti-retaliation provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.