This is not generally how a good company wants a supervisor to respond to a worker who reports unsafe conditions: “Next time you have a problem with safety, talk to me. Then get in your car and hit the f***ing road.” Then you write him up, don’t renew his contract — and, for good measure, fire his son for “talking on the job.”
A supervisor who was fired by Amtrak after raising concerns about safety and fraud was the victim of retaliation, according to OSHA, which ordered the company to reinstate the employee and pay him nearly $900,000 in back wages and damages.
OSHA has issued Recommended Practices for Anti-Retaliation Programs to help employers create workplaces in which workers feel comfortable voicing their concerns without fear of retaliation. The recommendations are intended to apply to all public and private sector employers covered by the 22 whistleblower protection laws that OSHA enforces.
A worker who reported safety concerns about the zip-line equipment his company manufacturers was terminated for insubordination in violation of federal whistleblower laws, OSHA has found.
OSHA has agreed to further delay enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions in its injury and illness tracking rule until Dec. 1, 2016. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas requested the delay to allow additional time to consider a motion challenging the new provisions.
OSHA is delaying enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions in its new injury and illness tracking rule to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers.
For nearly five years, Darrell Whitman was a federal investigator who probed whistleblowers’ complaints about being fired or otherwise punished for exposing alleged corporate misconduct.
A receptionist at a Bronx, New York beauty salon who was fired after giving co-workers an OSHA fact sheet about formaldehyde hazards will get $65,000 in lost wages, after the agency stepped in to enforce whistleblower provisions of the OSH Act.
A salon manager who was fired after warning her colleagues about an occupational health hazard will get $165,000 from the salon, in a settlement with the U.S. Labor Dept.
Poultry workers are twice as likely to suffer serious injuries and six times more likely to get sick on the job than other private sector workers. In response to this, OSHA has launched a new Regional Emphasis Program in eight states to reduce musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic stressors affecting industry workers.
