Whistleblowers: Management of the Program to Protect Trucking Company Employees Against Reprisal
GGD-88-123
Published: Sep 22, 1988. Publicly Released: Oct 25, 1988.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) management of the Whistleblower Protection Program for trucking company employees who allege safety violations by employers.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Labor | The Secretary of Labor should direct the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health to ensure that the management information system (MIS) being developed will provide accurate and up-to-date information on the current status of Section 405 cases. |
Closed – Implemented
OSHA has implemented a system to track section 405 cases.
|
| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should develop, in cooperation with OSHA, a procedure for obtaining information from whistleblower complaints alleging motor carrier safety violations and use the information as a factor to consider in identifying and following up on motor carriers alleged to have violated federal laws and regulations. |
Closed – Implemented
DOT implemented new procedures for obtaining whistleblower complaint information from OSHA. Also, according to OSHA, new streamlined procedures for handling federal complaints in states should free existing resources to spend time on federal cases.
|
| Department of Labor | The Secretary of Labor should direct the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health to identify the problems, factors, and conditions that are causing delays in case processing and take action to correct them. |
Closed – Implemented
As a pilot program to improve investigation timeliness, OSHA realigned field resources conducting 11(c)/405 investigations. The impact on 405 investigations was substantial. Two additional pilot programs have been started as variations to this one and are intended to manage existing investigator resources more effectively. New investigators were hired to handle the intake of complaints.
|
| Department of Labor | The Secretary of Labor should direct the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health to develop and implement a better, more comprehensive public information program and mechanism to ensure that trucking company employees are aware of their rights and protections under the act. |
Closed – Implemented
OSHA increased publicity since issuance of the GAO report by developing a poster for use in trucking companies to help publicize the whistleblower protection program.
|
| Department of Transportation | The Secretary of Transportation should develop, in cooperation with OSHA, a procedure for obtaining information from whistleblower complaints alleging motor carrier safety violations and use the information as a factor to consider in deciding what penalties to impose on motor carriers who have committed repeated or serious violations. |
Closed – Implemented
DOT implemented new procedures for obtaining whistleblower information from OSHA.
|
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Topics
Labor lawManagement information systemsMotor vehicle safetyOccupational safetyProgram managementSafety regulationTrucking operationsWhistleblowersEmployeesMotor carriers