OSHA Whistleblower Program: 8 Frequently Asked Questions

INTRODUCTION TO WHISTLEBLOWING

If you are ready to blow the whistle, call Nashville Whistleblower attorney Timothy L. Miles

A whistleblower is anyone who has and reports insider knowledge of illegal activities occurring in an organization. A whistleblower can be an employee, supplier, contractor, client, or any individual who becomes aware of illegal business activities.​ ​If you have knowledge of a person or company attempting to defraud the federal government, and you come forward with this information, you could be receive a whistleblower award for your courage and blowing the whistle by filing a whistleblower lawsuit and do so with the knowledge you have strong whistleblower protections against whistleblower retaliation.

​If you are thinking of blowing the whistle, contact Nashville whistleblower attorney and litigation attorney Timothy L. Miles, who has valuable experience and has received numerous awards, mostly due to his high ethical standards, and hard work ethic, including most recently being named an Avvo Rated Top Lawyer 2024 by AVVO, Top 25 Class action lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association (2023-present), a Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association (2017-present) and has maintained an AV rating from Martindale-Hubble since 2014 (2014-present), was named a 2023 Top Rated Litigator (2019-present) and 2023 Top Rated Lawyer (2019-present) and 2023 Elite Lawyer of the South by Martindale-Hubble (2019-present), and was a recipient of the Avvo Client’s Choice Award in 2021, in 2022 was featured in the Top 100 Lawyers Magazine (2022) and received the Lifetime Achievement Award by Premier Lawyers of America (2019–2021). 

Contact a Nashville whistleblower attorney today, located conveniently in Brentwood, TN a suburb of Nashville. (855) 846–6529 or [email protected].
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Read on to learn the answers to the eight most frequently asked questions from consumers about OSHA' whistleblower program.

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What is the OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program?

Call Nashville whistleblower attorney Timothy L. Miles today if you are thinking about blowing the whistle

The OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program enforces the whistleblower provisions of more than 20 federal statutes. It protects employees from retaliation when they report violations of various workplace safety and health, airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime, securities, and tax laws.

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What activities are protected under the OSHA Whistleblower Program?

• ​Protected activities include, but are not limited to:
• Reporting a work-related injury, illness, or fatality
• Raising a safety or health concern with your employer or OSHA
• Providing information to a safety or health investigation
• Requesting safety data sheets
• Refusing to perform a task that you believe is unsafe or unhealthful

How can I file a whistleblower complaint?

• You can file a complaint by:
  
  • Submitting an online complaint through the OSHA Whistleblower Complaint Form
    
  • Calling your local OSHA office
    
  • Sending a written complaint to your local OSHA office
    
  Be sure to file your complaint as soon as possible, as time limits may apply.
  

What information should I include in my whistleblower complaint?

• Your complaint should include:
  
  • Your name, address, and phone number
    
  • The name, address, and phone number of your employer
    
  • A brief description of the alleged retaliatory action
    
  • The date of the alleged retaliation
    
  • A brief description of your protected activity
    
  • Any supporting documents you have
    

What constitutes employer retaliation?

​​​Retaliation can include various adverse actions such as:

• Firing or laying off
• Demoting
• Denying overtime or promotion
• Disciplining
• Denying benefits
• Failing to hire or rehire
• Intimidation or harassment
• Reassignment affecting prospects for promotion
• Reducing pay or hours

What are the timeframes for filing a whistleblower complaint?

• The timeframe varies depending on the specific statute, but generally:
  
  • For OSHA-related safety and health complaints: 30 days
    
  • For environmental and nuclear safety complaints: 30 days
    
  • For transportation industry complaints: 180 days
    
  • For Sarbanes-Oxley Act complaints: 180 days
    
  It's crucial to file your complaint as soon as possible to ensure you're within the required timeframe.
  

What happens after I file a whistleblower complaint?

• After filing:
  
  1. OSHA will review your complaint to determine if it warrants an investigation
     
  2. If an investigation is opened, OSHA will interview you and your employer
     
  3. Your employer will be asked to provide a response to your complaint
     
  4. OSHA will make a determination based on the evidence
     
  5. Both parties will be notified of OSHA's findings
     

What remedies are available if OSHA finds that retaliation occurred?

​If OSHA finds that illegal retaliation occurred, possible remedies may include:

• Reinstatement to your job
• Payment of back wages
• Restoration of benefits
• Compensatory damages
• Punitive damages (in some cases)
• Other appropriate relief to make you whole

Remember, the OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program is designed to protect workers who speak up about workplace safety and health concerns. If you believe you've experienced retaliation for reporting such issues, don't hesitate to reach out to OSHA for assistance.
Learn more about the OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program

If You Are Thinking of Blowing the Whistle, Contact Nashville Whistleblower Attorney Timothy L. Miles Today

​​​If you have knowledge of fraud against or by the federal government, contact Nashville whistleblower attorney Timothy L. Miles who can guide you through the whistleblower process and explain your whistleblower protections.  The consultation is free and confidential. Just complete the form below to get started or call (855) Tim-M-Law.  Ask a Nashville Whistleblower attorney, you could be entitled to a significant whistleblower award. 

​Please also visit our Resources center which provides a wealth of information on whistleblower lawsuits, among others.
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​Call today and see what a Nashville Whistleblower attorney can do for you.

​​The Law Offices of Timothy L. Miles
Tapestry at Brentwood Town Center
​300 Centerview Dr., #247
Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: (855) 846–6529
​​Email: [email protected]

Nashville whistleblower attorney Timothy L. Miles

Timothy L. Miles is a top-rated and AV preeminent lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee and a nationally known class action and products liability lawyer who has been leading the fight to protect consumer rights for over 22 years. Mr. Miles received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1995 and his J.D. from the Nashville School of Law in May 2001, graduating third in his class, and was made a member of the Honorable Society of Cooper’s Inn which is reserved for students graduating in the top ten percent of their class.

He is admitted to practice before the Tennessee Supreme Court; the United States District Court for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of Tennessee and the District of Colorado; and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He is a member of the Nashville Bar Association; National Trial Lawyers Association; and Harry Phillips American Inns of Court (Student Member 2000). Mr. Miles has dedicated his career to representing consumers and shareholders in complex class-action litigation, products liability and mass torts.

Whether serving as lead, co-lead, or liaison counsel, Mr. Miles has helped recover millions of dollars for aggrieved consumers, shaped precedent-setting decisions, and delivered real corporate governance reforms. Judges and peers have repeatedly recognized Mr. Miles’ relentless advocacy for the underdog, as well as his unbendable ethical standards.
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For example, Mr. Miles is a member of the prestigious Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers: The National Trial Lawyers Association, which is by invitation only and is “extended to those attorneys who exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership in their respective state based upon objective and uniformly applied criteria.” The National Trial Lawyers Association explained the significance of this honor: “With the selection of Timothy L. Miles by The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, [Mr.] Miles has shown that he exemplifies superior qualifications, leadership skills, and trial results as a trial lawyer. The selection process for this elite honor is based on a multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third party research.” Further, “[m]embership is extended only to the select few of the most qualified attorneys from each state or region who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature and public profile measured by objective and uniformly applied standards in compliance with state bar and national Rule 4-7.”
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Additionally, Mr. Miles has maintained an AV Preeminent Rating in securities law with Martindale-Hubble since 2014, their highest award given. The coveted AV Preeminent rating is reserved for “[a]n elite group of approximately 10 percent of all attorneys.”  Additionally, while Martindale’s peer review ratings have been trusted for decades because they are based on the opinions and feedback of fellow legal practitioners, the organization’s special judicial edition rating, which Mr. Miles received this year for the sixth year in a row, is an even higher honor. As Martindale notes, the prestigious judicial rating is its highest possible distinction, and is representative of the opinions of both a lawyer’s peers and members of the judiciary.

CONTACT                                                      
The Law Offices of Timothy L. Miles
Tapestry at Brentwood Town Center
​300 Centerview Dr., #247
Brentwood, TN 37027
​​Phone:(855) 846-6529
​Email: [email protected]
​Websites:
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