OSHA Releases Spanish-Language Whistleblower Fact Sheets
Author: Marta Moakley, XpertHR Legal Editor
July 17, 2013
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has enhanced its Whistleblower Protection Program publications library with three new Spanish-language versions of existing English-language Fact Sheets. These publications address protections available to employees in the aviation and transportation industries. The availability of such information regarding external whistleblowing programs should serve as a reminder to employers with linguistically-diverse workforces to ensure that internal communications are available, informative and consistent regarding internal reporting procedures.
OSHA released the following new publications:
- Whistleblower Protection for Employees in the Aviation Industry ("Protecciones como denunciantes para los empleados en la industria de la aviación");
- Whistleblower Protections and the Environment ("Protección a denunciantes y el medio ambiente"); and
- Whistleblower Protection for Employees in the Transportation Sector ("Protección a denunciantes para empleados en el sector del transporte").
Currently, the following publications are available in Spanish:
- Whistleblower Protection for Commercial Motor Carrier Workers ("Protección a denunciantes internos del sector de los transportistas comerciales");
- Whistleblower Protection for Consumer Product Industry Workers ("Protección a denunciantes internos para los trabajadores del sector de productos de consumo");
- Whistleblower Protection: Your Rights as a Whistleblower ("Sus derechos como denunciante");
- Whistleblower Protection for Public Transportation Agency Workers ("Protección a los denunciantes internos para los trabajadores de agencias del transporte público"); and
- Whistleblower Protection for Railroad Workers ("Protección a los denunciantes internos para los trabajadores ferroviarios").
General information regarding OSHA's scope of coverage of federal laws is included in the Spanish-language publication regarding "Whistleblower Protection: Your Rights as a Whistleblower." However, corresponding Fact Sheets in Spanish have not been made available for the following subjects:
- Whistleblower Protection under the Affordable Care Act; and
- Whistleblowers and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Employers should expect further enhancements to OSHA's library of Spanish-language publications. According to the Department of Labor, by 2020 workers of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are projected to comprise approximately 19 percent of the nation's labor force.