Everyone in the industry has heard at least one horror story about someone getting fired or demoted for reporting a safety violation.
In fact, OSHA’s whistleblower department investigates approximately 3,000 such cases a year. Reporting a safety violation is rarely easy. Employees don’t want to get their company in trouble and may be afraid of bringing the issue to superiors.
When employees notice a safety concern, it’s not uncommon that the fear of blowback results in a reluctance to bring it to the attention of their supervisors. But repressive atmospheres that discourage employees from reporting can lead to much bigger problems
