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.

An OSHA investigation determined that LSP Operations LLC, operating as Little Sunshine Playhouse Operations, retaliated against an employee for engaging in actions protected by the Food Safety Modernization Act. The Southlake location is a subsidiary of the privately owned Little Sunshine’s Enterprises Inc. in Springfield, Missouri.

OSHA’s whistleblower protection authority was established by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 to protect workers who lodge safety or health complaints or who cooperate with agency investigations of workplace safety and health violations. OSHA is now responsible for investigating whistleblower complaints under more than 20 federal statutes.

In August 2023, the Little Sunshine Playhouse Operations employee alerted the company and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services that the facility’s kitchen wasn’t being cleaned overnight, an unsanitary area was used for food preparation, and food was stored at unsafe temperatures. The employee told investigators they suffered severe rashes because of the kitchen’s conditions.

“Our investigation found Little...

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