美國勞工部職業安全衛生署依各種法律反報復條款下專屬保護吹哨者之制度

A Study on the Whistleblower Protection Programs Administered by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

美國總共有21部有關環保、工安、航安、產品安全、鐵路安全、貨櫃安全、有毒物質控制等等有關公共安全之聯邦法律，規定其合法申訴或為其他吹哨行為之受雇人都集中由其勞工部職業安全衛生署保護其不受解雇或其他歧視與報復。在各該法律之反報復條款下，其國職業安全衛生法第11條(C)項規定，只是該署被授權主管之保護吹哨勞工的法律之一。其規定任何人不得因受雇勞工或受雇勞工授權的代表，依各該法提起申訴或訴訟程序，或於訴訟程序中提供證詞，而被解雇或受到其他任何方式之不平等對待。由其立法可知，此21部法律多非職業安全衛生署主管之業務，卻授權專屬由職業安全衛生署主管其各該法中保護吹哨勞工之調查與有效的執行。本文以法學文獻方法探討發現職業安全衛生署設置有區域執行者(Regional Administrator, RA)、區域調查監督官(Supervisor)、調查官(Investigator)、調查協助辦公室(Office of Investigative Assistance, OIA)、（案件受理）地區主管(Area Director, AD)、安全衛生遵循官(Compliance Safety and Health Officer, CSHO)、國家勞動律師官(National Solicitor of Labor, NSOL)、區域勞動律師官(Regional Solicitor of Labor, RSOL)、區域律師官(Regional Attorney)，以執行其此一業務。若該署調查後認定雇主有不當歧視或解雇行為，該署會發出決定書(a determination letter)，要求雇主支付積欠工資(back pay)、給勞工復職、賠償員工所支付的律師和專家證人費。並採取其他步驟，以提供受害勞工必要的救濟。

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) enforces the whistleblower protection provisions of 21 statutes that govern the environment, industrial safety, aviation safety, consumer product safety, railway safety, safe containers, and toxic substances control. Among all the anti-retaliation provisions, section 11(c) of U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act is only one of the statutes providing the prohibition. The provisions prohibit any employer from dismissing or retaliating in any way against any employee due to said employee exercising his/her rights to file a complaint, pursue litigation, or testify in a legal proceeding. While the 20 other whistleblower protection statutes are not enacted for labor protection purposes, they all empower OSHA to enforce whistleblower protection to protect workers from being discharged or retaliated. By reviewing U.S. legal literature, we have found that OSHA appoints and set-ups Regional Administrators, Supervisors, Investigators, Offices of Investigative Assistance, Area Directors, Compliance Safety and Health Officers, National Solicitors of Labor, Regional Solicitors of Labor, and Regional Attorneys for enforcement. If any evidence supports an employee’s allegation of unfair dismissal or other adverse action, OSHA will issue an order requiring the employer to reinstate the employee, pay back-pay, restore benefits, and carry out other possible remedies.