Whistleblower Attorneys Are Looking Beyond Safety Law Boundaries

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 ...