• Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
Whistleblower Network News
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home OSHA

Recap: OSHA’s Meeting on Whistleblower Program and Rights of Migrant Workers

Ana PopovichbyAna Popovich
October 28, 2021
in OSHA
Reading Time: 4 mins read
Photo of an online meeting with a cup of coffee and a notebook sitting nearby
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

On October 13, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) held a virtual public meeting about OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program. During the meeting, contributors with a variety of affiliations and connections to OSHA and the meeting topic gave input on how OSHA promotes the whistleblower program and the dangers that migrant workers face when considering blowing the whistle or reporting concerns in the workplace.

Ahead of the meeting, individuals could submit written comments about the topic at hand. Several individuals from advocacy and nonprofit groups submitted comments advocating for the rights of migrant workers and outlining ways in which OSHA should be aware of the unique challenges migrant workers face in regards to whistleblower retaliation.

The meeting was held on Microsoft Teams. As an introduction, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA James Frederick welcomed attendees and said that protections offered through the OSH Act and all other statutes are “vital and important.” Valeria Treves, Advisor for Worker Voice Engagement for the DOL, said that “DOL is committed to upholding the rights of all workers.” Treves talked how DOL is increasing outreach efforts to workers who may not know they are being mistreated and remarked, “These workers need more than our thank-yous. They need action…every worker deserves to go home safe at the end of the day and receive their fair pay.”

Support Whistleblower Network News

A Spanish translator was present at the meeting to field comments from Spanish-speaking participants. The contributors in the meeting spanned several industries, such as nursing and healthcare, human resources, and railroad.

Several contributors talked about the challenges migrant workers face when considering blowing the whistle in the workplace: for many, the threat of deportation and dire retaliation looms too largely. Additionally, some speakers mentioned that retaliation like termination and deportation have a dire effect on not only the worker but their families as well.

Many participants had suggestions for outreach and education about worker’s whistleblower protections under OSHA: numerous speakers told the officials who were attending the call that OSHA needs to have more of a presence in the lives of workers and employers alike. One person suggested OSHA visit businesses and launch an education campaign about whistleblower rights, emphasizing to employers that workers have protections and that it is unacceptable to engage in whistleblower retaliation. Another person pointed out that if OSHA does inspections but announces the inspections prior to their arrival, companies will try to hide dangers in the workplace, so the individual suggested conducting unannounced visits to companies.

Additionally, multiple individuals mentioned improvements OSHA could make to its posters to promote awareness of whistleblower protections for workers; another suggestion was making a separate poster that focuses solely on whistleblower rights. One person suggested that OSHA host trainings on how to avoid contracting COVID-19, while others urged the agency to collaborate with the Solicitor’s Office and the Department of Justice to rigorously enforce whistleblower policies.

Overall, numerous speakers expressed confusion (or confusion on behalf of other workers) about the exact steps and processes to follow to blow the whistle, pointing to a lack of education about worker’s whistleblower rights. One speaker urged OSHA to have a sample whistleblower policy on their website for employers to look at.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a record number of whistleblower complaints filed to OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program: in Fiscal Year 2020, “whistleblowers filed 3,448 retaliation complaints,” according to previous WNN coverage. This was a fiscal year record for the number of whistleblower complaints filed to OSHA, according to the data made public by the agency. However, an October 2020 report by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) found that OSHA was failing to truly pursue whistleblower retaliation complaints.

The report analyzed data on the 1,744 COVID-19-related retaliation complaints filed by workers from the beginning of the pandemic to August of 2020: NELP “found that over half of the complaints – 54% – were dismissed or closed without investigation. Additionally, just 1 in 5 complaints were docketed for investigations, and a total of only 2% of complaints were resolved in the period,” a WNN article states.

OSHA has not yet published Fiscal Year 2021 statistics on its “Data and Statistics” page for the Whistleblower Protection Program.

View the meeting details and public comments on the Federal Register Notice for the public meeting.

Read more OSHA and DOL news on WNN.

Tags: OSHAOSHA whistleblower program
Previous Post

Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen Testifies Before Parliament

Next Post

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Essential FCA Amendments, Whistleblower Advocates Express Support

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
FCA

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Essential FCA Amendments, Whistleblower Advocates Express Support

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

US Attorneys Reflect on UK’s Whistleblowing Awareness Week

OSHA Highlights Railroad Worker Whistleblower Protections in Wake of Train Derailments

AML Whistleblower Law Could Shift the Way DOJ Handles Whistleblowers

Two Powerful Women Whistleblower Pairs to Learn From This Women’s History Month

WNN Exclusive Interview with Social Security Whistleblowers Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith — Part 2

Change the Culture, Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent

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
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

  • The Whistleblowers Handbook
  • 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 © 2021, 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.

SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
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
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook
  • National Whistleblower Day ’23

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

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

Add New Playlist

Go to mobile version