The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is making it easier for complainants to allege a violation by proposing upgrades to its online whistleblower retaliation complaint.
OSHA is the federal agency designated with responsibility for enforcing whistleblower protection provisions contained in 22 different federal statutes. The agency began accepting complaints online in late 2013. As part of the procedures mandated under the federal Paperwork Reduction Act, OSHA is asking for public comments on its proposed changes before submitting the final version to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.
The new form requests much of the same information from complainants as the previous form but would add several interactive features such as buttons, drop-down boxes, and pop-up boxes that display additional information when clicked.
OSHA’s notice announcing the new form was published in the February 17, 2016 Federal Register and is available here.
Public comments must be submitted by April 18, 2016.
Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.