April 12, 2013 by Fred Hosier
Continuing a pattern that has played out through the Obama administration, the President’s proposed FY 2014 spending plan would cut the OSHA budget for compliance assistance programs and add money to the agency’s whistleblower enforcement program.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: compliance assistance, OSHA budget, VPP, whistleblower
April 1, 2013 by Fred Hosier
A bill in the Indiana legislature would make it illegal to photograph or record video of a workplace hazard at a farm or industrial operation and use the pictures to defame or harm the business. What effect might this have on occupational safety and health?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Ag Gag bill, Indiana legislature, photograph hazard, whistleblower
March 27, 2013 by Fred Hosier
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty,” said CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow. A new journal article says companies that encourage dissent have better workplace safety.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: American Society of Safety Engineers, dissent, whistleblower, Whistleblower Protection Program
January 29, 2013 by Fred Hosier
As it stands now, OSHA accepts whistleblower complaints from workers orally or in writing. A proposal would make it even easier to file these complaints.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: OSHA, retaliation, whistleblower
January 16, 2013 by Fred Hosier
BNSF Railway Co. has signed an agreement with OSHA to address alleged violations of the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA). As a result, the railroad will change several safety and personnel policies.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BNSF Railway, on-the-job injuries, reporting injuries, whistleblower
December 28, 2012 by Fred Hosier
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has lost its bid to overturn a jury award of $2.3 million dollars to a former employee. The scientist says Pfizer fired her for speaking up about worker safety.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: lab safety, Pfizer, whistleblower, worker safety
December 14, 2012 by Fred Hosier
The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a consent agreement with a Connecticut dentist who fired an employee after she filed an OSHA whistleblower complaint that the office was too cold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: office is too cold, OSHA complaint, whistleblower
November 9, 2012 by Fred Hosier
This company learned the hard way that firing a whistleblower for voicing safety concerns can be very expensive.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Federal Aviation Administration, OSHA, safety concerns, whistleblower
October 2, 2012 by Fred Hosier
There’s been a lot more emphasis in the last couple of years about protecting whistleblowers from retaliation by their employers. But new statistics point to another potential problem for employees who report safety or other workplace misconduct:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Ethics Resource Center, retaliation, whistleblower, workplace violence
September 10, 2012 by Fred Hosier
OSHA has ordered an Arizona trucking company to reinstate an employee and pay him $315,000 in back wages and damages. The employee said his co-driver shouldn’t smoke while hauling explosives — a violation of federal regulations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: explosives, smoking, Surface Transportation Assistance Act, whistleblower
