Former MNOSHA inspectors testify that Minnesota DOLI alters reports, citations

[Omaha Steve]

Former MNOSHA inspectors testify that Minnesota DOLI alters reports, citations

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3953

Former MNOSHA inspectors testify that Minnesota DOLI alters reports, citations
By Larry Sillanpa, Labor World editor
3 March 2009

ST. PAUL - On Wednesday, Feb. 25, a “very disturbing” hearing took place in the Minnesota Senate’s Economic Development and Housing Budget Division committee chaired by Senator Dave Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm.
In the nearly two-hour hearing, two former Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors testified that the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has engaged in a number of fraudulent activities. Among the charges brought by the whistle-blowers are:

• Changes have been made to final OSHA inspection reports even after the OSHA inspector has signed the report;

• Documents have been removed from inspection files:

• Inspectors have been pressured to not find violations against MNSTAR companies or issue citations to them.

The former inspectors are members of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. Terry Swanson is from Babbitt and Douglas Crosby is from Bemidji. They have stated that they were forced to quit their jobs last year after filing separate whistleblower lawsuits the year before. The OSHA practices and violations have allegedly gone on at least since 2006.

“We held the hearing because if the allegations are true that documents were altered from what field employees submitted, we have a serious problem,” said Tomassoni. “Because of the whistle blower lawsuits being in court, we probably didn’t get everything they could have said.”

FULL story at link.

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