• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Demand Protections for Artificial Intelligence Whistleblowers | Take Action!
Subscribe
Donate
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home OSHA

OSHA Seeking Input on Improvements to Whistleblower Program with a Focus on Healthcare Workers

Ana PopovichbyAna Popovich
April 12, 2022
in OSHA
Reading Time: 5 mins read
Photo of a laptop with a stethoscope on the keyboard
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

On May 18, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will host a public online meeting to seek input and public comments about its Whistleblower Protection Program, specifically in relation to protecting healthcare workers. This is the ninth event in a series of meetings requesting public input on the program; previous meetings have both been generally seeking input on the Whistleblower Protection Program and centered around specific topics, like the protection of migrant workers.

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program enforces 25 whistleblower statutes, conducts investigations, and issues decisions regarding whistleblowers. In February of 2021, the agency announced that it was to oversee whistleblower retaliation complaints filed under two additional laws, the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In 2020, whistleblowers filed 3,448 retaliation complaints with OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program, a fiscal year record. According to prior WNN reporting, the bulk of the whistleblower complaints OSHA received in Fiscal Year 2020 were related to violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act). The number of whistleblower complaints received in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a 25% increase from Fiscal Year 2019.

Register for National Whistleblower Day Register for National Whistleblower Day Register for National Whistleblower Day

On Labor Day 2021, the DOL Office of Public Affairs posted a blog post in which Jim Frederick, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, emphasized OSHA’s commitment to improving whistleblower protections.

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program came under scrutiny in a February 2022 article in Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The article featured contractors and subcontractors at a partially completed Amazon warehouse in Fort Worth, Texas. The employees voiced their hesitancy to speak out about safety hazards: one contractor told Stateline that every person who raised concerns about safety was terminated “for holding up production.”

According to the article, “OSHA dismissed 54% of complaints and took legal actions in about 27%. Only 21 cases, less than 1%, were found to have merit, meaning the agency asked for the employee to be reinstated or paid for damages.” Additionally, Stateline highlights that while some states have laws that expand on the whistleblower protections OSHA offers, 24 other states (including Texas) do not have their own OSHA plans. Former OSHA Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Adviser during the Obama Administration Debbie Berkowitz said that “it is nearly impossible for federal officials to enforce worker safety and health laws.”

“Workers can only enforce their rights under the law by asking OSHA to inspect, and OSHA resources are so scarce that it would take 160 years to inspect every workplace under its jurisdiction just once,” Berkowitz said in the article.

Past Public Meetings

In previous public online meetings that OSHA hosted to solicit comments about its Whistleblower Program, participants ranged from whistleblowers to compliance officers to industry professionals. In the meeting held on October 13, 2020, several participants brought up COVID-19 and issues their industries were facing in light of the pandemic. Other contributors suggested that OSHA make available information about whistleblower laws and past whistleblower cases as resources for both managers and employees to use.

OSHA’s public meeting on October 13, 2021, focused primarily on the rights and protections of migrant workers. During the meeting, speakers provided an array of suggestions and comments regarding the Whistleblower Protection Program and the dangers migrant workers face when considering blowing the whistle or reporting concerns in the workplace. Several contributors talked about the threat of retaliation and deportation as a chance many migrant workers are unwilling to take to blow the whistle. “Additionally, some speakers mentioned that retaliation like termination and deportation have a dire effect on not only the worker but their families as well,” previous WNN reporting states. Many participants in the meeting also had suggestions for OSHA about increasing outreach and education about the whistleblower protections employees have. Numerous speakers expressed that the exact steps and processes to follow to blow the whistle are confusing, again emphasizing the importance of education.

Upcoming May 18 Public Meeting

The upcoming meeting will again welcome comments and suggestions from the public about OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program. The meeting, which is free to join, will begin at 1pm Eastern Standard Time, and participants can join via phone or Zoom. There will be Spanish language translation during the meeting, and individuals interested in attending the meeting need to register in English or Spanish by May 11. The meeting will focus on protecting healthcare workers and whistleblowers.

The news release states that OSHA is seeking comments on the following questions:

    “How can OSHA deliver better whistleblower customer service?
    What kind of assistance can OSHA provide to help explain the agency’s whistleblower laws to employees and employers?
    What can OSHA do to ensure that healthcare workers are protected from retaliation for raising concerns related to COVID-19?”

Individuals can also submit written comments for the meeting by May 11 at the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

Read the news release announcing the meeting here.

Read more employment/OSHA news on WNN.

Tags: EmploymentOSHAOSHA whistleblower program
Previous Post

House Bill Offers Fixes to AML Whistleblower Program

Next Post

Experts to Discuss Role of Whistleblowers in Stopping Russian Oligarchs

Ana Popovich

Ana Popovich

Ana Popovich is a contributing editor with Whistleblower Network News, where she writes about breaking whistleblower news, healthcare fraud whistleblowers, and Covid-19 fraud whistleblowers. Ana has a B.A. in English from Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, she was the marketing chair of an affinity group and wrote content for the McDonough School of Business’ Business for Impact program. In 2018, Popovich was a public interest legal intern at the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto. 

Next Post
Russia AML

Experts to Discuss Role of Whistleblowers in Stopping Russian Oligarchs

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

CFTC Awards $700,000 to Whistleblower for “Courage” and “Critical Role in Enforcement Efforts”

Whistleblowers to Receive Up to $920K after Alleging Fraud in Breast Cancer Testing

Supreme Court Upholds, For Now, Trump Firing of MSPB Chair

Whistleblower Suit Leads to $3.3 Million Stark Law Settlement

Paper Outlines Founding Father’s Warnings As Trump Goes After Key Whistleblower Appointees

Whistleblower Receives $5 Million for Exposing California Health System’s Alleged Kickback Scheme

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments.

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN
Join the Waitlist for National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
JOIN WAITLIST

Add New Playlist

Demand Protections for Artificial Intelligence Whistleblowers

Take Action!
No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version