Today, in commemoration of National Whistleblower Day, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced that two whistleblowers at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) have received OSC's 2025 Outstanding Public Servant Award.
The whistleblowers, Patrick Barney, an Assistant District Manager, and Troy Van Wey, a Supervisory Special Investigator disclosed to OSC that MSHA failed to inspect 51 active mines in the Pacific Territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands since at least 2016, with inspections not scheduled until 2027. MSHA incorrectly classified the mines as “abandoned" and inaccurately reported to Congress 100 percent inspection completion rates since at least 2023. OSC directed the Department of Labor to investigate the allegations, and the investigation substantiated the whistleblowers' claims and found that MSHA's actions raised “urgent concerns for miner safety and health."
“We thank these whistleblowers for their courage in coming forward, shining a light not only on serious health and safety risks to miners but also the agency's failure to accurately report the status of mine inspections to Congress," said OSC Senior Counsel Charles Baldis. “We applaud their bravery in alerting Congress and the public and helping ensure needed change is brought to MSHA while encouraging other whistleblowers to report government wrongdoing."
Each year, OSC bestows its Outstanding Public Servant Award to deserving federal employees in celebration of the anniversary of the first whistleblower protection law enacted on July 30, 1778. The day serves to honor the bravery of whistleblowers who disclose government waste, fraud, and abuse, including substantial and specific dangers to public health and safety.
On July 1, 2025, OSC issued a press release on the MSHA mine safety case in conjunction with its report to the President and Congress.