Every employer should prioritize the health and safety of their employees. To ensure the working condition of every job site is hazard-free, OSHA provides several options for reporting safety violations at work, including calling 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), visiting the online complaint form at submitting your complaint by emailing OSHActc@dol.gov. In addition, if you want to keep your identity secret, you can file an anonymous complaint with OSHA by calling 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).
What If There Are Unsafe or Unhealthy Conditions at Work
What is an unsafe or unhealthy work environment?
An unsafe or unhealthy work environment is any activity that endangers workers' health and safety. Examples of such hazardous conditions include:
- Lack of training exposure on equipment, tools, or processes
- Insufficient lighting in the workplace (can be a factor in falls)
- Working with hazardous chemicals without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can cause burns and other injuries.
- Dealing with heavy machinery without adequate training can cause severe injuries, burns, or even amputation.
- Working without sufficient indoor ventilation can cause several types of respiratory issues
- Insufficient protection from weather extremes (can cause hypothermia, heat stress, and dehydration)
- Exposure to toxic chemicals or gases (can cause cancer or congenital disabilities)
- Working with heavy loads or equipment that needs to be adequately secured.
When Do I File a Complaint
If, as an employee, you observe that your workplace doesn't comply with OSHA's health and safety standards, or if you require urgent assistance to deal with a dangerous working condition, we encourage you to file a complaint as soon as possible by calling OSHA at 800-321-6742 (OSHA) or by visiting OSHA's website.
Information provided below will accompany you in deciding whether or not to file a safety violation complaint with OSHA:
- If you identify a safety hazard that may cause severe injury or even lead to death if not fixed immediately, however, before filing a complaint, you must comprehend the types of safety hazards that OSHA covers and the ones not covered.
- OSHA must be contacted within 30 days of discovering an alleged safety violation of an OSHA standard unless otherwise specified in its regulations (such as whistleblower protection). In case of more than 30 days since the discovery, taking action would be difficult as OSHA doesn't investigate cases more than six months old. However, some options may still be available depending on how long ago they occurred, so don't hesitate to get in touch with us anyway!
As OSHA remains devoted to conducting detailed investigations of all complaints filed with our agency, we will contact you if additional information about your complaint is required or if there are any queries.
How Do I File an OSHA Complaint?
Contact the nearest OSHA office to file a complaint by calling 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). You can also file online at OSHA
You can keep your identity anonymous when filing a safety violation complaint; however, it is usually better to provide your name and contact info so we can look into it with questions or for more details about your situation. Even if you file an anonymous safety violation complaint, be mindful that you may be contacted for more details on the incident(s) reported to examine them thoroughly and determine what hazards might exist at the workplace where these incidents occurred. When filing an OSHA complaint, it's crucial to tell us the truth as best as possible to help us find solutions faster!
If you are concerned about losing your job, then stay assured that filing an OSHA complaint will not get you fired. It is against the law for your manager to retaliate or take any action against you for filing an OSHA complaint or participating in an OSHA inspection. If this happens, contact us immediately at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). As soon as OSHA takes notice of your filed complaint, you will be notified of the results of its inspection.
Suppose OSHA finds that there has been a safety violation of OSHA. In that case, it will try to remedy the situation by ordering the employer to correct any hazards found during its inspection and provide training for employees exposed to those hazards. If necessary, OSHA may also issue citations against employers who violate safety standards or commit other types of violations under other federal laws enforced by OSHA (such as discrimination). You are not required to be present while an inspection; however, if you wish to participate in one, please call 1-800-321-OSHA before arriving at work on the day scheduled for your inspection so that we can make arrangements for your presence during the OSHA visit.
If you would like to file an OSHA complaint online, visit the official website of OSHA.
Conclusion
This article aims to help you comprehend how to file an OSHA Safety Complaint. The most essential aspect to remember is that you have the right to complain about every unsafe condition under OSHA standards in the workplace, and your employer cannot retaliate against you for doing so!
