OSHA will listen, but not on February 10
The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has announced that it will conduct an "OSHA listens" meeting. The meeting was originally scheduled for Wednesday, February 10, 2010, but has now been postponed due to the weather here. To speak at the "OSHA listens" meeting, participants were required to register by February 3. Perhaps registration will reopen when the event is rescheduled. The original details are in the continuation of this entry.
This will be an opportunity for whistleblowers and their advocates to speak about their experience with OSHA investigations. How do you feel about having regional directors make the initial decisions? Would a national whistleblower office be better? Are OSHA investigations thorough and thoughtful? Does OSHA communicate well by informing parties and their attorneys of their actions? Now is a good time to speak up.
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Today was the first day on a new job for E. Cooper Brown as he begins his service as Vice-Chair of the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB). Brown had served on the ARB in the 1990's, until the Bush Administration swept out the old Board members in 2001. I particularly appreciate his concurring opinion in Khandelwal v. Southern California Edison, ARB No. 98-159, ALJ Nos. 1997-ERA-6 (ARB Nov. 30, 2000). He made clear that the scope of discovery is broad -- something the ARB was reluctant to say thereafter. Brown previously served the District of Columbia as Chair of the Compensation Review Board (CRB), where his tenure was noted for more efficient administration and clearing a pre-existing backlog. This skills are well suited for today's ARB.
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