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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated 826 worker deaths in fiscal year (FY) 2024—an 11% reduction from 928 in the previous year, the agency announced November 4. FY 2024 ended September 30. The agency noted significant decreases in the number of fatal injuries from trench collapses and falls, two of the leading causes […]
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials have ordered the Dallas area location of a national childcare provider to reinstate an employee and pay $43,295 in back wages and damages after firing the employee for reporting concerns about unsanitary and unsafe conditions in the facility’s kitchen to Texas health officials, the agency announced August 22. […]
A federal court ruled an Amsterdam, New York, eye doctor illegally fired an employee who reported a lack of COVID-19 protections to state health officials, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced August 12. An OSHA whistleblower investigation found that the doctor and his practice retaliated against an employee for filing complaints with the […]
An Austin, Texas, Porsche dealership must pay $15,000 in compensatory damages to a whistleblower who was terminated after informing coworkers of their COVID-19 exposure risk, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced March 27. On March 20, Labor Department (DOL) attorneys obtained a consent judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Western District […]
On December 7, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a Denver-based information technology services provider must reinstate a whistleblower who raised concerns about the company’s failure to pay trust fund taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 303 Technologies Inc. violated the Taxpayer First Act, according to the agency, and must pay the […]
Do you have a robust antiretaliation program? Are you prepared for an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) whistleblower investigation? OSHA has had whistleblower protection authority since its beginning. Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 established protections for those who file safety and health complaints or participate in inspections or […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ordered ExxonMobil Corp. to reinstate two illegally terminated employees when the company suspected the two leaked information to The Wall Street Journal, the agency announced October 7. OSHA ordered the employees’ reinstatement following a whistleblower investigation under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and ordered the company to reinstate the employees […]
On September 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that Wells Fargo violated the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by improperly terminating a Chicago area-based senior manager in the company’s commercial banking segment. The agency ordered the San Francisco-based bank to pay the employee more than $22 million to cover back […]
A federal jury found that a Massachusetts employer and his company retaliated against an employee who reported an on-the-job injury, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced on June 22. The jury awarded $650,000 in damages—$600,000 in punitive damages and $50,000 in compensatory damages—in the case. The DOL filed a lawsuit in February 2019 against Tara […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine OSHA’s whistleblower protections and how to establish an anti-retaliation program in the workplace. Reporting safety issues is an integral part of maintaining an effective, positive safety environment in the workplace. Workers […]