Manufacturer Faced with OSHA Lawsuit

The Client

A large international manufacturing company

The Problem

The client terminated an engineer who had complained internally about a workplace safety violation several months earlier. The former engineer then contacted OSHA, which launched a whistleblower investigation into his allegations of retaliation.

The Approach

After initial efforts at settlement were unsuccessful, Brian Pezza coordinated the company's response to OSHA's on-site investigation. He interviewed employees, composed a defense strategy, and prepared various witnesses (including supervisors and plant managers in Missouri and the former company president in Japan) to provide testimony.

The Result

OSHA agreed with the company's position that the employee had been terminated due to the elimination of his position, and not out of any retaliatory motivation. The determination was upheld by OSHA's Directorate of Whistleblower Protection Programs in Washington, DC, and the complaint was dismissed.