OSHA and NLRB Collaborate on Worker Protections

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen the agencies’ collaborative partnership and reinforce anti-retaliation protections for employees who report workplace safety and health violations.

The MOU establishes a process for sharing information, referrals, training and outreach pertinent to compliance with the National Labor Relations Act and the OSHA Act. The intent is to increase overall awareness on rights and remedies available to employees under federal anti-retaliation and whistleblower protection laws. A related resource, Building Safe & Healthy Workplaces by Promoting Worker Voice, was released by the agencies.

The MOU is part of the NLRB General Counsel’s interagency coordination initiative, which was established to ensure that the government is “co-acting and co-enforcing all related laws in the most effective and efficient way, which will ensure workers are fully protected while minimizing employers’ compliance burdens,” according to an NLRB press release.

States with their own safety and health agencies are not directly subject to the MOU, but they will be expected to respond to complaints about potential violations of state regulations.