Since we started our campaign, a number of Elaine’s employees have come forward to tell us just how miserable worker morale is within the agency under the reign of Elaine. Some employees are even afraid to do their jobs out of fear of punishment - the following story makes it easy to see why.

Over a year ago, the Labor Department suspended an OSHA employee, Ira Wainless, because he issued a report cautioning auto mechanics on the dangers exposure to brake pads can cause. A November 20, 2006 article in the Baltimore Sun notes:

It took six years to get federal worker safety officials to issue warnings to auto mechanics that the brakes they’re working on could contain lethal asbestos fibers. But it took only three weeks after the warnings were posted before a former top federal official with ties to the auto industry reportedly pushed to have them removed.

And who was this federal official? John Henshaw, former top dog at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, demanded the advisory bulletin about asbestos in brakes be amended to include studies financed by the auto industry saying otherwise.

Last week, David Ippolito, an official with OSHA’s Directories of Science, Technology and Medicine, told Wainless that he would be suspended without pay for 10 days if the changes weren’t made, according to documents.

With the Department of Labor being run to keep pace with Elaine’s corporate agenda, it’s no surprise OSHA officials apparently took extreme measures to protect the auto industry at the expense of mechanics health and safety. It took Wainless’ union and public pressure to get his suspension revoked.

And what ever happened to Henshaw? He went from running OSHA to working as an industry consultant, including serving as an “expert witness” twice for companies who make the brakes containing asbestos and are being sued by workers adversely injured.

No wonder so many DOL employees fear that if they continue to do their jobs, they’ll get the pink slip. The message is clear: put up or shut up.

Sources for this article are not available online, only in Lexis/Nexis. Citations:

Andrew Schneider “Pressure at OSHA to Alter Warning; Author of Advisory on Asbestos in Brakes Faces Suspension for Refusing to Revise It,” The Baltimore Sun 20 Nov 2006

Andrew Schneider “Brakes Warning Remains; OSHA Statement on Asbestos Exposure Hazard Survives Challenge; Sun Follow-Up,” The Baltimore Sun 17 Dec 2006

This entry was posted by Jon Steed on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm to Elaine Chao, Health & Safety, OSHA.
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