OSHA administers more than 20 whistle-blower protection acts for violations of a
ID: 429031 • Letter: O
Question
OSHA administers more than 20 whistle-blower protection acts for violations of airline, consumer product, environmental, and other laws. These statutes protect people who "blow the whistle" and are then fired, blacklisted, demoted, or otherwise subjected to adverse actions. What do you think? Have you witnessed adverse actions against an individual, either on the news or of someone that you know, that seemed to be without repercussions? Would you be willing to : blow the whistle" on your boss or company? Explain your response.
Explanation / Answer
I think it is important to protect and reward the whistleblowers in order to bring transparency about the business and expose the wrongdoings of corporations.
I have not read about any adverse action against a whistleblower but have read in the news about Cheryl D Eckard. She was a whistleblower for GSK about their wrongdoings in low quality manufacturing work in Puerto Rico. She was terminated from her job but received a reward of $96 million for bringing the matter into the light.
The willingness to blow the whistle on the boss or company depends on the ethical principles. Before deciding to blow the whistle, there are a few important things that has to be answered. Such as,
Are other being harmed if the whistle is not blown?
Is the company operating inappropriately solely to make profit or are there external restrictions?
Does the organization’s top leaders know about the wrongful practices?
If the answer to the above questions are “yes” then I will blow the whistle on my boss or company. The important point to remember here is that, the organization, though its act must not harm others knowingly.