[IN] Can I take legal action and safely prove ongoing OSHA violations and unsafe work conditions at my workplace?

I’ve witnessed my managers refusing to follow OSHA regulations on many occasions and would like to know how best to prove that.

I have recorded conversations between me and my co-workers, or between me and my managers, where we discuss examples of their unsafe practices. I plan on continuing these recordings for stronger evidence.

Yes, I have been working with them for a little over a year. I would like to stay there, I’m just not sure I can do that safely.

No.

Yes, is it alright if I send a message that will be a few paragraphs? I’d love to provide you with an in-depth explanation.

So here is my situation that I’d like advice about. I’ve worked as a Facility Maintenance Technician in West Lafayette, Indiana for a little over a year now. I like my job and plan on staying for a while. However, recently we have had a lot of accidents occur due to a lack of safety precautions or concerns. Multiple times now, people have fallen off ladders, been electrocuted, have not been provided with any PPE or safety training, have not been provided adequate means for following safe procedures, and generally work in unsafe conditions on a regular basis.

For example, I myself have been electrocuted on a few occasions because I have been asked multiple times to work on electrically live circuits without any insulated tools or PPE, or been provided with the necessary equipment for a lockout/tagout procedure. None of these things are new—this has very clearly been how my workplace has operated for many years—and these incidents have just happened more frequently than usual.

All of a sudden, my immediate superiors are making some changes to our workplace. We will now gradually begin following some OSHA guidelines. We will also start being provided appropriate PPE and begin having “safety meetings” to learn standardized practices to reduce the likelihood of further incidents.

All of that sounds good—and it is—but my immediate superiors have indirectly made it very clear that all of these decisions are being made strictly as an effort to avoid facing consequences for years of negligence toward OSHA standards and other employment laws, and not out of concern for employee well-being.

They have also made other unethical and potentially unlawful decisions, such as constantly asking me to waive overtime (they never use that exact word, only paraphrase it), as well as refusing certain repairs to be made to company-provided vehicles.

I am bothered by their many years of poor management, but more importantly, I feel that I need to take proactive measures to ensure my well-being at my current position.

So with all of that in mind, can you tell me a few things:

• Whether or not I should speak with an attorney in person and seek any form of legal action for my supervisors’ repeated refusal to follow basic laws?
• What would be the best way to prove all of this information for lawful purposes?
• What you believe will likely happen if I choose to pursue legal action?