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Environmental and Nuclear Energy Whistleblower Protections Strengthened

In a move designed to make whistleblower protections consistent across various industries, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently published a final regulation that strengthens whistleblower protections for environmental and nuclear energy workers.

Workers routinely make so-called whistleblower complaints if they believe their employer is allowing harmful or hazardous conditions to exist in the workplace or is committing illegal acts. Workers often feel compelled to file a complaint in these situations as hazardous conditions or illegal actions could contribute to an industrial accident that could seriously injure the worker, co-workers and/or the public. Unfortunately, if a worker reports the situation to authorities, the worker’s position is often placed in jeopardy as employers illegally retaliate by firing the whistleblower or creating a hostile work environment so that the whistleblower is forced to quit. When illegal retaliation occurs, federal and state laws protect whistleblowers after they have reported danger in the workplace.

Environmental workers and nuclear energy workers routinely face hazardous conditions in the workplace as a matter of course. Despite the inherent risks of the job, employers have a duty to keep their workers and the public as safe as possible from the dangers of a nuclear or environmental disaster.

OSHA’s new rule is an attempt to expand access to whistleblower protections to nuclear energy workers and others who work in industries covered by the Environmental Reorganization Act of 1974. These workers have thus been granted the same protections as workers in other industries such as aviation, logistics and transportation, consumer product safety, healthcare and others.

If you have experienced retaliation due to a whistleblower complaint or have suffered an on-the-job injury because of an industrial accident, toxic chemical spill, contact with hazardous chemicals or waste, or any other workplace hazard, contact an experienced worker’s compensation lawyer to discuss your rights.

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