Democrats raise alarm as states accused of warning employers before ‘surprise inspections’

Members of committee on education and workforce say in letter it is an important tool for enforcing labor safety

US lawmakers have written to the Department of Labor inquiring into reports some state safety agencies are tipping off employers before workplace inspections are conducted.

The letter from ranking Democratic members of the House committee on education and the workforce, the congressman Robert Bobby" Scott and the congresswoman Dr Alma Adams, cites testimony from farm workers and advocates in California and a New York Times article on child labor where an employer in South Carolina admitted to ordering workers to clean up and prepare for an inspection after receiving a tip-off about an upcoming inspection from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha).