Whistleblower Protection

There are a large number of statutes that constitute the various protections for employees who have raised complaints or safety concerns about an employer. Most of them, though, fall under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is in charge of handling many of the cases involving employees who bring up concerns about safety or health issues related to their work environment.

These statutes combine to offer protection against discriminatory action on the part of the employer. Without these guidelines, if an employee raised a concern about being asked to work in unsafe conditions or in dangerous circumstances, the employer would be able to threaten them or retaliate with lowered wages, fewer benefits, changes in position, or even firing the employee.

These laws, though, offer protection for any employee who begins the process of placing a complaint or starting a proceeding regarding an unsafe work practice. It also protects those who testify in such a proceeding, cooperate with the proceeding, or file a complaint. They are protected from any kind of discriminatory action that their employer could take against them for bringing up the violation, i.e. “blowing the whistle.”

Depending on which statute the offense falls under, the employee has between 30 and 180 days from the date of the offense to file a complaint.

Contact Us

If you have been discriminated against by your employer for raising an issue regarding the health or safety of your job, you may be entitled to reparations. For more information, contact the Austin whistleblower protection lawyers of The Melton Law Firm by calling (512) 330-0017 today.