House committee calls on DOL to address complaints about safety inspection information

Members of Congress are urging the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate allegations that some state safety agencies inform employers before workplace safety inspections.

Lawmakers on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce wrote to Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su on Tuesday asking the department to look into reports that Cal/OSHA, California’s occupational safety and health plan, gave employers advance notice of inspections.

“Many workers and attorneys also spoke of what appeared to be a widespread belief that Cal/OSHA personnel acting on worker complaints would alert employers when they come for an inspection, allowing supervisors to correct or clean up sites of work”, the letter states. .

The members of Congress were referring to a recent legislative hearing in California, during which state lawmakers heard “many allegations” from farmworkers and their advocates that the state’s OSHA plan agency notified the companies.

The letter also mentions a recent report of a resurgence of child labor in South Carolina. The report cited a case in which a South Carolina employer admitted to violating federal child labor rules and standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Lawmakers said the South Carolina account raises questions about the state’s compliance with state OSHA enforcement and the possibility that “federal funds could be used to help employers avoid detection of child labor trafficking and oppressive child labor violations.” , the letter states.