Democrats alarmed at alleged warnings to employers of ‘surprise inspections’
www.theguardian.com
House members write to labor department raising concerns about possible undermining of important labor safety tool

US lawmakers have written to the Department of Labor inquiring into reports some state safety agencies are tipping off employers before workplace inspections are conducted.

The letter from ranking Democratic members of the House committee on education and the workforce, the congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott and the congresswoman Dr Alma Adams, cites testimony from farm workers and advocates in California and a New York Times article on child labor where an employer in South Carolina admitted to ordering workers to clean up and prepare for an inspection after receiving a tip-off about an upcoming inspection from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha).

  • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
    19·
    3 months ago

    democrats are sounding the alarm that OSHA tips off employers? Anyone here work in an OSHA ‘regulated’ job? Are y’all surprised? cuz i saw it happen myself, and the old-heads told me it was a pretty standard practice.

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
      10·
      3 months ago

      Same. Happend in the factory I work in a few years ago… We were told the same, to clean up and wear protective gear.

      Naturally they came during the most beautiful day too so they couldn’t even see that we are quite literally a sweat shop. 75° dew point and 90° literally swimming in the air but OSHA happens to come on a beautiful 70° day…

      • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        8·
        3 months ago

        Profits are more important than the truth. You can’t eat the truth, can you? Or use it to buy a holiday in Fiji.

    • TommySoda@lemmy.world
      3·
      3 months ago

      If I were to tip off one of my coworkers about an OSHA inspection I’d be slapped with fines and fired. Even if I see one on the job site I wouldn’t even technically be allowed to point them out to the dude next to me. You know… If they were doing what they are supposed to be doing. I think the people that trained me on OSHA regulations took it more seriously than actual OSHA.

      • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        3 months ago

        I think the people who trained me on OSHA regulations took it more seriously than actual OSHA

        Real. My training required 30hrs of OSHA and it was the same smorgasbord of bull you get from every “safety first” company out there. You learn how it should be done and then you go work daily and see how work is really done. All that safety paperwork stuff is encouraged to be pencil whipped to cover the company’s ass, only used when something does go wrong to prove the employee was at fault and shift the blame to the employee for not following their official safety protocols. As you say OSHAs guys might say pop a guy or at least pull them aside for working unsafely so it looks like their doing something, but in my experience docking the jobsite itself just doesn’t happen.

        My experience is limited of course, but i feel like most of the safety construction workers enjoy is down to insurance companies and the fact companies who have a poor safety rating get blackballed from big projects

        Outta curiosity did you do that big 500hr class to become a safety specialist?