OSHA Updates Whistleblower Investigations Manual

The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration revised its Whistleblower Investigations Manual, designed to simplify and streamline procedures.

The full manual outlines various procedures and legal concepts for handling retaliation complaints under OSHA whistleblower statutes.

The updated manual signifies the first complete overhaul of the manual since 2011, superseding the 2016 revisions.

Employers are encouraged to review the changes.

Key changes include: 

• Incorporating past policy memoranda and procedures piloted by OSHA field offices. 
• Clarifying and streamlining procedures that lacked sufficient guidance or were unclear in the 2016 version. 
• Statute-specific chapters were removed and converted into statute-specific desk aids.
• Restructuring the manual for greater organization of legal concepts that guide whistleblower investigations.

For more information, contact CBIA’s Phillip Montgomery.