The term "Assistant Secretary" means the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health or the person(s) to whom that Assistant Secretary delegates authority under CAARA. This is the official who oversees OSHA matters under this part (1991.101).
The term "Antitrust laws" specifically means section 1 or section 3 of the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. 1 or 3). In practical terms, that refers to common prohibitions such as price-fixing, market division, and certain group boycotts covered by those sections (1991.101).
"Business days" are defined as days other than Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays. Use this definition when you compute time limits or deadlines under this part, so if a deadline falls on a weekend or Federal holiday it is not counted as a business day (1991.101).
CAARA stands for the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act, Public Law 116–257 (codified at 15 U.S.C. 7a–3). This is the statute that this part implements and protects whistleblowers who report certain antitrust violations (1991.101).
A "Complainant" is the covered individual who filed a CAARA complaint or on whose behalf a complaint was filed. In other words, it's the person protected by and asserting rights under CAARA in a complaint filed under this part (1991.101).
A "Covered individual" includes employees, contractors, subcontractors, and agents of an employer, and also people presently or formerly working for, applying to work for, or whose employment could be affected by another person. In short, it covers a wide range of workers and applicants who might experience retaliation for reporting criminal antitrust activity (1991.101).
Yes. An individual applying to work for another person is explicitly included as a "Covered individual" under this part, so applicants are protected under CAARA definitions when they report covered wrongdoing (1991.101).
Yes. Former employees are explicitly included in the definition of "Covered individual," so protections can apply even after employment has ended if the individual meets the other requirements of CAARA (1991.101).
Yes. Contractors and subcontractors are specifically listed as examples of "Covered individuals," so independent contractors and subcontracted workers can be protected under the CAARA definitions in this part (1991.101).
"DOJ" means the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice, which is the federal law enforcement agency that prosecutes criminal antitrust violations; it is referenced because CAARA protects individuals who report criminal antitrust activity that may be investigated or prosecuted by the DOJ (1991.101).
An "Employer" means a person, or any officer, employee, contractor, subcontractor, or agent of such a person. This broad definition captures both corporate entities and individuals acting in an employing capacity under CAARA (1991.101).
For this part, "Federal Government" includes a Federal regulatory or law enforcement agency, and also any Member of Congress or committee of Congress. That means these entities are explicitly covered by the definition when determining who may be implicated or involved in CAARA matters (1991.101).
"OSHA" means the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor, which is the agency that administers the CAARA complaint process covered in this part (1991.101).
The term "Person" has the same meaning as in 15 U.S.C. 12(a) and includes individuals, corporations, and associations under U.S., state, territorial, or foreign law. "Employer" is a subset of "Person" defined to include a person or any officer, employee, contractor, subcontractor, or agent of such a person; so all employers are persons, but not all persons are necessarily employers (1991.101).
A "Respondent" is the person named in the complaint who is alleged to have violated CAARA. In practice, the Respondent is the party the complaint alleges took retaliatory action in violation of the statute (1991.101).
The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Labor, the head of the Department of Labor, who has oversight responsibilities for OSHA and matters under this part (1991.101).
Yes. An agent of an employer falls within the definition of "Employer" and also meets the broader definition of "Person," because "Employer" is defined as a type of person (e.g., officer, employee, contractor, subcontractor, or agent of such a person) and "Person" includes individuals and entities under applicable law (1991.101).
No. "Business days" excludes only Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays; it does not exclude state or local holidays unless those holidays also are federal holidays. Use Federal holidays when computing business days under this part (1991.101).
Yes. The definition of "Federal Government" in this part explicitly includes any Member of Congress or committee of Congress, in addition to federal regulatory or law enforcement agencies (1991.101).
Yes. "DOJ" in these definitions refers specifically to the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice, the component responsible for criminal antitrust enforcement referenced by CAARA (1991.101).