Top-level executives and government officials who violate laws or intentionally withhold vital information could threaten the physical safety and financial security of a large number of people. Whistle-blowers are individuals who prevent others from being harmed because illegal practices or concealed information.

Identification

A whistle-blower is someone who speaks out about criminal or unethical activities. Typically, a whistle-blower is a firsthand witness to these activities because of work responsibilities.

Types

Whistle-blowers can report a situation to legal authorities; to government regulators, such as the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); or to an ethics hot-line. Whistle-blowers can testify against an employer in a trial or leak evidence relating to the inappropriate situation to the media.

Protection

In the United States, federal laws exist to protect whistle-blowers who report illegal, unethical or unsafe activities related to the federal government, trucking, airlines, nuclear power, pipelines, the environment, railways, consumer products and securities, according to OSHA. The law forbids employers from retaliating against a whistle-blower.

Famous Whistleblowers

Daniel Ellsberg is a well-known whistle-blower who leaked information about lies concerning the Vietnam War perpetrated by the American government. Another famous whistle-blower, Jeffrey Wigand, exposed dangerous practices by the cigarette industry.

Considerations

A whistle-blower's claims must be factual and true to receive protection under federal laws. Someone who reports an employer to a government agency because of a dispute over employment, work breaks, pay or related human-resources matters is not a whistle-blower.

Source:

Government Accountability Project: What is a whistleblower?

OSHA: Office of the Whistleblower Protection Program