Monday 18th November 2024

The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also-known-as OSHA,  has sent Republican leaders at the state Capitol a letter, warning working conditions may be exposing legislative branch employees to Covid-19 hazards. The letter cited concerns about a lack of social distancing and that there is no requirement employees report Covid positive test results to leadership. The late January OSHA inspection of the Capitol did result in a 10-thousand dollar fine. The inspector said the legislative branch wasn’t keeping records of workplace illnesses or injuries and employees were handling chemical disinfectants without proper training. The most serious citation, though, was about electrical outlets in a Capitol meeting room that posed a shock or burn hazard. A spokeswoman for House Republicans called it a politically-contrived investigation and said G-O-P leaders had taken what she described as extensive efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.