Complaints about what appear to be OSHA health and safety rule violations could morph into violations of an entirely different nature, such as civil rights, environmental, or financial regulations, say attorneys representing employees in workplace retaliation cases.
And workers who fear they’ll be fired for raising safety or health complaints with their bosses shouldn’t wait for the ax to fall before taking actions to protect themselves, such as keeping a paper trail, the attorneys said—meaning employers could more often be confronted by privately-hired attorneys instead of US Department of Labor lawyers focused on Occupational Safety and Health Administration litigation.
The search for alternatives to OSHA enforcement gained more traction during the Covid-19 pandemic as worker advocates and unions grew frustrated with what they considered the agency’s apparent reluctance to cite employers for failing to protecting workers, especially those working in food processing, distribution, and health care.
The debate over what legal avenues to follow, and how, prompted a recent American Bar Association session.
“When someone comes to us and they’ve clearly complained about something that is, for example a safety issue, we have to step back and look at it creatively,” perhaps thinking beyond the constraints of OSHA’s whistleblower law, said attorney Michael Filoromo, a partner with Katz, Marshall...
NC said Thursday it has filed a criminal complaint against the operator of the YouTube channel "Yeonglaegi" on charges of spreading false information and obstructing business operations related to...