Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued draft guidance to assist employers in strengthening anti-retaliation programs in their workplaces.  The draft guidance, "Protecting Whistleblowers:  Recommended Practices for Employers for Preventing and Addressing Retaliation" identifies five steps for creating an effective anti-retaliation program:  (1) ensuring leadership commitment; (2) fostering an anti-retaliation culture; (3) implementing a system for responding to reports of retaliation; (4) conducting anti-retaliation training; and (5) monitor progress and program improvement.

 

Practical tips on how to implement each of the foregoing are provided, stressing the importance of clear and regular communication on this topic to demonstrating that raising concerns about workplace conditions and activities is valued.  Steps for developing anti-retaliation training are also detailed, and the need to monitor the program's efficacy is stressed.

 

The draft document is based on recommendations of OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.  Comments on the draft will be accepted until January 19, 2016 at www.regulations.gov using the docket number OSHA-2015-0025.