OSHA’s new nationwide year-long pilot program that took effect on February 17, 2023, will aim to streamline the whistleblower complaint intake process. OSHA, which administers over two dozen whistleblower statutes, has seen a rising number of whistleblower complaints filed in recent years. This pilot program aims to relieve the strain on OSHA’s investigative resources by … Continue Reading
On October 7, 2022, OSHA announced that it had ordered ExxonMobil Corp. to immediately rehire two computational scientists who alleged that they were fired in retaliation for leaking to the media their concerns about improper conduct by the company. In addition to reinstatement, the former employees were also awarded over $800,000 in back-pay, interest and … Continue Reading
On June 21, 2021, OSHA’s much-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) on COVID-19 protections went into effect. While Proskauer’s Law and the Workplace blog covered the ETS in detail here, this post focuses on the anti-retaliation provision in the ETS. Anti-Retaliation Provision The ETS, which applies only to the health-care sector, contains an anti-retaliation provision prohibiting … Continue Reading
In recent weeks, there have been numerous widely reported incidents of employees, particularly those in the health care industry, claiming that they have been retaliated against for reporting health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. Such complaints are indicative of the kinds of whistleblower and retaliation claims employers are likely to see in the near … Continue Reading
According to data released by OSHA, the number of whistleblower complaints filed under SOX and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”) declined in 2018. OSHA received 45 complaints under the CFPA in 2018 (down 50% from the 90 complaints received in 2017) and 155 complaints under SOX (down from the 186 received in 2017). Whistleblower … Continue Reading
The ARB recently affirmed a motion for summary decision against a Complainant claiming retaliatory discharge under SOX, finding that he failed to demonstrate that he engaged in protected activity and that the Company would have discharged him in the absence of any protected activity given his misconduct. Latigo v. ENI Trading & Shipping, 2018 DOL … Continue Reading
On February 1, 2016, the Northern District of Indiana ruled in a case brought under the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) that whether a whistleblower has fulfilled relevant administrative requirements prior to filing suit is a “condition precedent” rather than a “jurisdictional requirement.” King v. Ind. Harbor Belt R.R., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43263 (N.D. … Continue Reading
On January 13, 2017, OSHA published the Recommended Practices for Anti-Retaliation Programs. OSHA’s guidance provides examples and suggestions of steps companies can take to implement an effective anti-retaliation program. However, it does not interpret whistleblower statutes or create legal obligations.… Continue Reading
OSHA recently released its final rule implementing the whistleblower provisions of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (“CFPA”). The following are the key features of the rule: Deadline for Filing a Complaint: A complaint must be filed within 180 days of the alleged retaliation. OSHA’s rule notes that such a complaint … Continue Reading
On January 28, 2016, OSHA issued a revised Whistleblower Investigations Manual (“Manual”) outlining procedures for the handling of retaliation complaints under the various whistleblower statutes that OSHA oversees. Chapter 3 of the Manual, titled “Conduct of the Investigation,” states that the burden of proof to be applied by investigators is “whether there is a reasonable … Continue Reading
According to figures recently released by OSHA, there has been a general increase in the number of whistleblower cases filed in fiscal year 2015 (FY 2015), in comparison to the number of cases filed in FY 2014. Here are some of the key findings from OSHA’s FY 2015 figures:… Continue Reading
A recent audit conducted by Inspector General (OIG) concluded that the training provided to OSHA whistleblower complaint investigators could be improved in material respects (we previously blogged about the OIG’s audit here). It found that the absence of an official training directive combined with complex statutes, policies and procedures created an environment where training was lacking. … Continue Reading
On September 30, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published the findings of its audit of OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs (Whistleblower Programs). The audit focused on (1) determining what improvements have been made to the Whistleblower Programs, and (2) what improvements still need to be made. Though the report … Continue Reading
On May 21, 2015, OSHA—which has responsibility for investigating and enforcement under 22 whistleblower retaliation statutes—released an updated edition of its Whistleblower Investigations Manual (the Manual), the first such update since September 2011. The new edition provides additional guidance to investigators on a variety of issues, with the majority of changes related to potentially available … Continue Reading
The Directorate of Whistleblower Protection Programs recently issued a guidance memorandum titled “Clarification of the Investigative Standard for OSHA Whistleblower Investigations,” for the apparent purpose of clarifying the standards for its whistleblower investigations. A review of this memorandum provides employers with insight as to the standard OSHA uses to determine whether a merits finding is in … Continue Reading
Please join us for a webinar with heads of the SEC and OSHA whistleblower programs and a prominent plaintiff-side whistleblower attorney, titled: Whistleblower Reward and Retaliation Claims: Current Developments. Register here: REGISTER Our distinguished panel will include: Sean X. McKessy – Chief, Securities and Exchange Commission Office of the Whistleblower Anthony Rosa – Department of Labor, … Continue Reading
On March 5, 2015, OSHA issued a long-awaited Final Rule regarding SOX whistleblower procedures and related matters. The new Final Rule will replace the Interim Final Rule enacted in 2011, after Dodd-Frank amended SOX. The Final Rule largely follows the Interim Final Rule, even though commenters expressed a range of serious concerns. One key revision … Continue Reading
Since the enactment of Dodd-Frank in 2010, the number of whistleblower complaints filed under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”) has risen significantly while the number of SOX complaints filed with OSHA has largely declined. According to data provided by OSHA, the total number of whistleblower complaints has generally increased over the past ten years. This … Continue Reading
On September 26, 2014, OSHA issued a preliminary order that an Illinois employer, Stericycle Inc. (the Company), reinstate and pay $262,000 to a supervisor who was discharged after allegedly reporting safety concerns to management.… Continue Reading
On September 18, 2014, the ABA’s Labor & Employment Law Section sponsored a program called “SOX, OSHA and Beyond: Litigating Whistleblower Claims at the DOL.” M. Patricia Smith, Solicitor of the Department of Labor, Connie N. Bertram, Partner and Co-Chair of the Proskauer Whistleblower Group, and Jason Zuckerman of Zuckerman Law participate in the program’s … Continue Reading
According to its recent press release, OSHA issued a preliminary order requiring SpongeTech Delivery Systems, Inc. of New York (Company), a cleaning product company, to pay a complainant $31,835.33 in back wages based on its determination that she was retaliated against in violation of Section 806 of SOX. Complainant apparently reported fraudulent sales to Company … Continue Reading
The NLRB Office of the General Counsel recently issued a memorandum stating that the NLRB entered into a “referral agreement” with OSHA, which requires OSHA to inform whistleblowers that certain untimely filed retaliation claims may be actionable and timely referred to the NLRB.… Continue Reading
On April 29, 2014, David Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, testified before the U.S. Senate subcommittee of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions regarding proposed changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (“OSH Act”) whistleblower provision. After highlighting some the recent changes in the … Continue Reading
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Risk and Compliance Journal, on April 29, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) sent a letter to OSHA questioning the effectiveness of OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program (“WPP”). Considering this in context, it should be noted that in 2009 and 2010, two governmental “watchdogs” released reports critical … Continue Reading
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