Feds Find Kentucky Fails To Meet Standards For Worker Safety
In its 2017 audit of state-run OSHA programs, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identified Kentucky to be more deficient in workplace safety standards than any other state. Kentucky is one of 28 states which the federal agency has authorized to run its own worker safety program. The federal agency runs a yearly audit on the 28 state plans to ensure that their programs are equivalent to federally-supported states. Kentucky was determined to be understaffed, with particular shortcomings in investigating deaths on-the-job, as in one case where the Kentucky OSH inspector didn’t interview the sole eyewitness, failed to document employee interviews and missed possible safety violations at the worksite. The Department of Labor is working with Kentucky on a corrective action plan.
See "Feds Find Kentucky Fails To Meet Standards For Worker Safety", Eleanor Klibanoff, NPR, November 27, 2018