Reporting Your Boss To OSHA

Your boss cannot dismiss you or retaliate against you for informing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about a hazardous working condition.

So, what should you do if you’re aware that you’re working in a dangerous environment? Do you make a report about it? Do you want to risk losing your job? Here’s a basic overview of OSHA and how it impacts workplace safety and employee rights.

What Role Does OSHA Play in the Workplace?

OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is a government agency that oversees workplace safety and health in a variety of industries. OSHA can also prosecute and fine employers who violate its laws, conduct compliance audits, and examine individual complaints filed by employees and their California Employment Lawyers.

Those who break OSHA’s standards may face legal action in addition to any fines or penalties levied by the agency. This is especially true when such infractions result in injured or ill employees at work.

What Can I Do to Avoid Retaliation?

If you choose to report the safety breach, use these measures to minimize the danger to your job:

1. Check With Your Co-Workers

A group complaint presented as a standard issue by several of you may be able to temper your boss’s fury toward any of you.

2. Consult Your Labor Union

Even though unions are becoming less frequent these days, if you have one, make use of it. Then, while negotiating with your employer to remedy the harmful condition, your union representative can (usually) keep your identity out of the matter.

3. Talk To Your Employer, Manager, Or HR

Try to communicate with your direct supervisor, shift manager, or another person in authority before filing a complaint with OSHA. It’s possible that the threat is being overlooked. Bosses frequently have a lot on their minds and aren’t always as aware of what’s going on at work as their employees are.

If everything else fails, submit a formal complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA responds first to complaints that show an immediate or imminent hazard to worker safety. As a result, the wording of your complaint is quite important. Say something if you fear someone’s life is at risk.

Making A Formal OSHA Complaint

If just looking for records and chatting with your boss about an issue to request action does not yield results in a reasonable length of time, legal help may be required. You can also make a formal complaint or seek an inspection of the relevant company or workstation by contacting OSHA directly.

OSHA complaints can be submitted online, through fax, by phone, or in writing. You can ask OSHA to keep your name confidential rather than informing your employer who submitted the complaint.

When Can You File A Retaliation Lawsuit?

If you are facing retaliation due to submitting a complaint, you must act quickly, whether it begins when you bring the issue to your supervisor’s attention or when an OSHA inspector arrives.

You only have 30 days to submit an OSHA retaliation complaint.