The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold an online meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, to hear public comments and suggestions.

OSHA ordered the Maersk Line to reinstate the seaman and pay $457,759 in back wages, interest, compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. 

A whistleblower investigation initiated on Aug. 2, 2022, by OSHA found American Airlines Inc. retaliated against employees who filed complaints about the illnesses with the company and Federal Aviation Administration.

During the Trump administration, some were critical of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for taking a too-relaxed approach to enforcement. The number of inspections and citations between 2016 and 2019 were lower than previous years, and OSHA was not always as vocal about its enforcement efforts.

Most workers in the United States are protected from retaliation for raising workplace health and safety concerns and for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. While these protections have been in place for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a record number of complaints from covered employees claiming retaliation by their employer. Since

Officials say an Oklahoma City roofing and building products company will now have to pay thousands in damages after firing two employees. 

In this series, the concept of and need for whistleblowers will be explored along with historical and present-day cases. In this part one, the concept of whistleblowers, OSHA’s language regarding them and types of whistleblower reports are explored.