OSHA has released a new "highly-desired" policy for resolving whistleblower disputes. With several thousand complaints a year, OSHA is emphasizing the early resolution process, part of a regional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). The early resolution process offers parties a chance to negotiate a settlement, assisted by an OSHA whistleblowing expert, without an investigation. Piloted in 2012 and 2013 in Chicago and San Francisco, the ADR program's implementation is at the discretion of Regional Administrators.