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).

  • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
    79·
    3 months ago

    It happens regularly with the EPA too. Source is my friend who works there.

    Yes, he has reported this practice multiple times. No, they don’t care but at least they haven’t retaliated against him.

    • karashta@lemm.ee
      271·
      3 months ago

      I remember the EPA inspections when I worked in pest control. They were basically a joke.

      • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
        29·
        3 months ago

        He said the EPA is a glorified tax collector with no real powers to enforce the law. Advance notice of such inspections mainly serves as a cost management measure, forgetting their main purpose which is of course to protect the environment.

    • LustyArgonian@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      3 months ago

      Also the health department, except not by the health department themselves. The managers in an area sometimes know each other and do food exchanges, and will text each other when the inspector does come because they usually do a few restaurants in a day

    • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
      5·
      3 months ago

      I think with health inspections and other sorts of audits. In multiple jobs now I’ve had to clean and help put up the facade it takes to pass one of these audits before the inspectors ever arrive on site.