Alternative Dispute Resolution Pilot Programs with OSHA

America’s worksite-safety watchdog, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), announced this October that it is soon launching an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) pilot program. The program will address complaints filed with the agency’s Whistleblower Protection Program. According to OSHA, ADR is designed to help employees and employers resolve their disputes voluntarily and in a mutually beneficial manner.

The ADR program is initially slated for two OSHA regions and will provide two voluntary methods of ADR: mediation and early resolution. OSHA explained that whenever it receives a whistleblower complaint in one of the pilot regions, it will officially advise the parties concerned of their ADR options. If needed, they will send an OSHA regional ADR coordinator to employ these methods.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Dr. David Michaels, said all this is in alignment with OSHA’s commitment to enforce the whistleblower laws enacted by Congress and protect the interests of the American worker. He emphasized that ADR facilitates resolution and offers immediate relief to the disputing parties.

The pilot communities for the program are Chicago and San Francisco, with the first (through the Chicago Regional Office) responsible for whistleblower cases in Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois; and the second (through the San Francisco Regional Office) in charge of whistleblower investigations filed in Nevada, California, Arizona, and the various Pacific islands, including Hawaii, Guam, Western Samoa, and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 stipulates that employers are responsible for providing safe worksites for their workers. OSHA's task is to ensure that safe conditions are always met by employers by setting protocols and enforcing standards, and by making available to both employees and employers training and assistance.

An important part of that responsibility is enforcing the whistleblower provisions of all 22 laws covering millions of workers in both the public and private sectors, in such diverse industries as transportation, air travel, pipeline, rail, health care, finance, and food. About 2,500 whistleblower complaints are filed every year with OSHA offices nationwide.

OSHA stated that details of the ADR program can be accessed at http://s.dol.gov/WV while information on the OSHA whistleblower program can be viewed at http://www.whistleblowers.gov and training courses can be accessed at http://www.oshacampus.com.

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OSHA and the Workplace

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has more than 2500 safety inspectors that from time to time conducts business or workplace check without any notification. They aim to reduce hazards that may cause injuries, diseases and even fatality as certain workplaces, such as construction, welding, mining, etc., involves a huge number of health and safety issues. Through the years, statistics do show that there are a lot of employees that suffer from fatal injuries in different workplaces and year by year, OSHA has helped decrease those numbers. Non compliance with OSHA, of course, will result to penalties and/or even the shutdown of the company. OSHA mandates safety guidelines and regulations that are made for specific fields for different industry.

Aside from the regulations and the inspections that OSHA makes, they also offer training programs that is very essential and helpful for both the worker and the employer. The safety training they provide for specific fields is designed to enforce health and safety. If the worker is properly trained for the hazards that may exist in the workplace, they are able to avoid it and deal with it properly. Avoiding injuries and accidents in any kind of workplace can help avoid extra expenses for the employer and can even help ensure optimum operation on the daily basis. With those training, they wouldn’t have to deal with medical bills, operation delays bill, extra fixtures in case of certain accidents, loss of manpower, etc..

Companies who are cutting down on expenses but is neglecting specific safety regulations may even end up with more expenses but the secret of most successful companies out there is OSHA compliance. There has been a lot of news lately on companies being penalized by OSHA for hundreds of thousands of dollar for not being compliant with them. I say that this is just right as there is no amount that can ever replace a worker’s worth. 

Check out OSHAcampus.com to get more workplace safety education and awareness. 

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