How should a CO respond when a worker reports TIP through a contractor?

• A. Ensure confidentiality, protect the whistleblower, initiate an incident review, and work with the contractor to implement corrective action and document the response.
• B. Publicly disclose the worker's identity.
• C. Ignore the report.
• D. Assign blame to the contractor without review.

Answer: (A)

When TIP is reported through a contractor, the priority is to protect the whistleblower and handle the information with care while moving through a formal, constructive process. The best approach is to ensure confidentiality, protect the whistleblower, initiate an incident review to gather facts, work with the contractor to implement corrective actions that address the issue and strengthen controls, and document the response for accountability and future reference. This approach upholds safety and compliance, demonstrates due diligence in the contracting process, and creates a traceable record of how the concern was handled. Publicly disclosing the worker’s identity is inappropriate and dangerous, ignoring the report leaves TIP unchecked and could violate policies and law, and assigning blame to the contractor without a proper review bypasses due process and misses underlying causes.