State’s Top Court Rules Whistleblower Law Extends to Watchdog Employees
Workers whose job is to evaluate health and safety issues are less vulnerable to being fired for telling truth to employers. The New Jersey Supreme Court yesterday widened the state's whistleblower law, ruling that employees whose jobs entail identifying helath and safety risks are entitled to protection under the statute. See Article Here
‘Watchdog’ Employees can Seek Whistleblower Protections, NJ Supreme Court Rules
Workers whose job is to monitor whether their employer complies with standards and regulations are not barred from whistleblower protections under a state law designed to prevent retaliation against employees who speak out, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. See Article Here
Healthcare Workers Push for Greater Workplace Safety
Workers in New Jersey recently protested against on-the-job hazards that can significantly harm or even kill employees. In 2013, workplace violence kept an average of four employees per 10,000 off the job in the private sector, but four times that many health care workers lost time at work - and it's trending up from the year before. See Article / Video Here
State Policy on Emergency Response Puts Residents in Harm’s Way, Report Says
The Christie administration is failing to ensure the public has access to up-to-date emergency response plans for nearly a hundred facilities handling extremely hazardous chemicals, according to a labor and environmental organization. See Article Here
Group Concerned about Crude Oil on Railways Seeks Access to Emergency Plans
Labor and environmental groups on Tuesday called on the Christie administration to ensure that the public can review local emergency management plans, a concern because large quantities of volatile crude oil are being transported on railways through towns in Bergen County and elsewhere in New Jersey. See Article Here
NJ Environmental Group Says Many Municipalities Won’t Allow Review of Emergency Response Plans
The New Jersey Work Environment Council says 68 percent of counties and towns where the most potentially hazardous chemical and oil facilities are located denied the group's request to review local emergency response plans. See Article Here