Washington – The OSHA program tasked with protecting employees from retribution after reporting violations of workplace regulations will now report directly to agency administrator David Michaels.
The Office of the Whistleblower Protection Program previously was overseen by the Directorate of Enforcement Programs, but the reorganization will elevate the priority status of whistleblower enforcement, OSHA said in a March 1 press release announcing the move.
The reorganization is part of OSHA’s plan to strengthen enforcement of the program, which oversees 21 whistleblower laws. Other steps taken include establishing a separate budgetary line item for the program in the OSHA budget and launching pilot projects to evaluate structural changes in different OSHA regions that could strengthen the program.
Also on March 1, OSHA announced Sandra Dillon as director of the program. Dillon has served as the program’s acting director since May 2011.
