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, and submitting your complaint through an email.
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).
However, an employee needs to have some certainty before filing a complaint. They must be aware whether their workplace is in violation of any OSHA conduct.
What Constitutes Unsafe or Unhealthy Work Conditions?
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 amputations.
- 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, you can file a complaint as soon as possible by calling OSHA at 800-321-6742 (OSHA) or by visiting OSHA's website.
But here what you need to keep in mind before filling the complaint:
- 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 those 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). Taking action would be difficult in cases of more than 30 days since the discovery, as OSHA only investigates cases six months old. However, some options may still be available depending on how long ago they occurred, so don't hesitate to contact OSHA.
As OSHA remains devoted to conducting detailed investigations of all complaints filed with the agency, the authority 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 OSHA 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 information about 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, telling the truth as best as possible is crucial to 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. However, if this happens, contact OSHA 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 them. 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 during 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 OSHA can make arrangements for your presence during the OSHA visit.
Conclusion
Remember, filling a complaint when you notice a hazard is the ethical thing to do. You should file the complaint without any fear of losing your job or being at the receiving end of a lawsuit. OSHA goes out of its way to help whistle blowers who play their role in keeping worksites safe.