Congress moves to dramatically strengthen worker safety enforcement and whistleblower rights
S. 4413 — Protecting America’s Workers Act · Filed by Bernie Sanders (I-VT) · 15 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 28, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill significantly strengthens worker protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) by expanding whistleblower rights, increasing penalties for safety violations, requiring faster reporting of workplace injuries and deaths, and giving workers and their families greater voice in safety investigations. It makes it harder for employers to retaliate against workers who report unsafe conditions, raises civil and criminal penalties for violations, and requires OSHA to conduct investigations into all workplace fatalities and serious incidents.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to strengthen OSHA enforcement, expand worker retaliation protections, increase penalties for violations, and mandate faster reporting and investigation of workplace injuries and deaths. It is fundamentally a worker-protection statute, not a deregulatory or corporate-benefit measure.
What the text implies
- Employers will face significantly higher compliance costs due to stricter recordkeeping, mandatory reporting of hospitalizations and amputations, and increased civil penalties (up to $700,000 for willful violations). Small businesses may struggle with administrative burden.
- The bill creates a new private right of action for workers to sue in federal court if OSHA administrative processes stall, potentially increasing litigation volume and employer legal costs.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
workers and labor unions; plaintiff employment attorneys; occupational safety consultants