By James L. CurtisMeagan Newman, and Craig B. Simonsen

shutterstock_150166427The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently completed a Memorandum of Understanding (December 1, 2015), which will permit the sharing of information under the anti-retaliation provision of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR21),
Continue Reading OSHA and FAA Sign Agreement on Protecting Airline Workers from Retaliation

By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has just released its whistleblower statistics, showing another jump in the number of whistleblower cases filed with OSHA in FY 2014, to over three thousand.

This is the first time that the total number of claims filed has topped 3,000, and is the result of a
Continue Reading Not Surprisingly, 2014 Sees Another Increase in Whistleblower Cases

By Brent I. Clark, Ada W. Dolph, and Craig B. Simonsen

In remarks before its Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee, OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels said that he will lessen the whistleblower’s burden of proof in investigations.

Dr. Michaels spoke at the September 3, 2014 Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee meeting. In his introduction, he noted that from 2009
Continue Reading OSHA Head Says OSHA Will Lower Whistleblower’s Burden of Proof in Investigations

By Ilana R. Morady, Kerry M. Mohan, and Craig B. Simonsen

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration have just adopted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement their joint policy that will allow OSHA to enforce its bloodborne pathogen, hazard communication, and hearing conservation standards in aircraft cabins during flight operations (not including the
Continue Reading OSHA’s on Your Flight Too: OSHA and FAA Adopt Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Policy for OSHA Standards for Aircraft Cabin Crewmembers

By Brent I. Clark and Meagan Newman

Today, the FAA, working in conjunction with OSHA, issued a final policy for improving workplace safety for aircraft cabin crew.  The new FAA regulations will take precedence over OSHA regulations that cover the same or similar hazards, though some OSHA regulations will continue to apply.

“This policy shows the strength of agencies working
Continue Reading FAA Issues Workplace Safety Policy for Aircraft Cabin Crewmembers

Whistleblower Gap Widens

By James Curtis and Meagan Newman

Data shows that the gap between the number of whistleblower claims filed–under all 21 provisions that provide OSHA with jurisdiction, including OSHA 11(c), STAA, AIR21 and SOX–and the number that are completed is growing.  The result is an ever-increasing number of unresolved whistleblower claims and a commensurate number of whistleblowers that
Continue Reading Gap Widens Between Whistleblower Cases Received and Completed