OSHA Update—Whistleblowers Can Now File Complaints Online
Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an online form to provide workers a new way to file complaints online. Under the OSHA, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthy workplaces for their employees. This new form will help hold employers accountable by giving workers an additional way to speak out and exercise their rights without fear of retaliation.
Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health, said the following, “Whistleblower laws protect not only workers, but also the public at large and now workers will have an additional avenue available to file a complaint with the OSHA.”
Current whistleblower provisions under the OSHA, provide protection against retaliation to workers who report violations of 22 different statutes. Some of the statutes included are violations against the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, Clean Air Act, Federal Water Pollution Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and the more recent Affordable Care Act.
The new digital form can be found at www.osha.gov/whistleblower/WBComplaint.html and will prompt the worker to include basic whistleblower complaint information so that they can be contacted for further follow-up if needed. Complaints will be automatically routed to regional whistleblower investigators. The form can also be downloaded and submitted via fax, mail, or hand delivered. Workers will still be able to make complaints by phone at
1-800-321-OSHA.
For more information on employee whistleblower rights, visit www.whistleblowers.gov. Information on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration can be found at www.osha.gov.
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