Telling Somebody At Work
ORC 4113.52 — oral notice then a written report, twenty four hours back, and one hundred eighty days to sue
Ohio's whistleblower section protects an employee who reports a violation, and it protects them only where the report was made the way the section describes. More claims are lost on the procedure than on the merits, which is why the order of the steps is the whole page.
Orally first, then in writing, to the supervisor. An employee who becomes aware in the course of employment of a violation orally notifies the supervisor or other responsible officer of the employer, and subsequently files with that supervisor or officer a written report that provides sufficient detail to identify and describe the violation.
The employer answers within twenty four hours, or by the close of the next business day. The employer notifies the employee in writing within twenty four hours after the oral notification was made or the report was received, or by the close of business on the next regular business day following the day on which the oral notification was made or the report was received, whichever is later, of any effort to correct the alleged violation or hazard, or of the absence of the alleged violation or hazard.
No disciplinary or retaliatory action, where the effort to be accurate was made. No employer takes any disciplinary or retaliatory action against an employee for making a report the section authorises, where the employee made a reasonable and good faith effort to determine the accuracy of the information reported.
One hundred eighty days to bring the action. Where an employer takes disciplinary or retaliatory action against an employee because the employee filed a report under the section, the employee may bring a civil action for injunctive relief, for the remedies the section sets out, or both, within one hundred eighty days after the date the action was taken, in a court of common pleas.
The court may order reinstatement to the same position at the same site or to a comparable position at that site, the payment of back wages, full reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority rights, or any combination of those remedies.
| The step | The section's terms |
|---|---|
| The stepThe employee learns of a violation at work | The section's termsOral notification to the supervisor or responsible officer |
| The stepThen | The section's termsA written report to the same person, in enough detail to identify and describe it |
| The stepThe employer's answer | The section's termsIn writing, within twenty four hours or by the close of the next regular business day, whichever is later |
| The stepIf the employer retaliates | The section's termsA civil action in common pleas within one hundred eighty days of the action |
| The stepWhat a court may order | The section's termsReinstatement, back wages, fringe benefits and seniority, or a combination |
Which violations the section reaches, the separate route for reports about a fellow employee, the reports to outside authorities the section authorises in particular cases, public employees and their own provisions, and the case law on what counts as strict compliance with the reporting steps are not on this page. Whether a particular report was made the way the section requires is the question these claims turn on, and it is one for a licensed Ohio attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- ORC 4113.52 — Reporting a violation of law by an employer or fellow employee
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Talk to a licensed Ohio attorney about your situation.