One of our union’s jobs is to make sure members are safe and healthy in the workplace. When there’s a safety violation that the agency refuses to address, we take the issue to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) so it can investigate. That’s exactly what happened at the Louisville Veterans Affairs hospital in Kentucky.
Earlier this year AFGE Local 1133 informed the hospital that it was not safe for custodial employees to use water and mop floors directly next to electrical outlets located on the floor. When the complaint was ignored by management, the local reached out to OSHA so that it could investigate.
OSHA not only substantiated our complaint but also found other critical violations that exposed workers to serious injuries or death. These hazards involved requiring workers to fill and empty mop buckets next to an electrical breaker panel box and to store and retrieve the cleaning cart and supplies from the electrical closet to which only qualified personnel should have access.
This is good news for the 60 custodial employees who have worked hard to keep the hospital clean for veterans and their families.
Local President John Hetzel said he was surprised that there were so many safety violations at the hospital.
“For our bargaining unit employees, it is paramount that we ensure that they are safe and healthy. The investigation obviously showed that there was some negligence on the part of the VA medical center in keeping our bargaining unit employees safe and healthy,” said Hetzel. “I’m happy to see OSHA and the Department of Labor render this decision.”
Similar safety problems may exist at other VA hospitals, but if safety protocols go unchecked, workers will continue to be exposed to unnecessary danger.
“For every labor leader, one of the paramount things would be, in addition to upholding our contract and rules and regulations, to ensure employees are safe and in a healthy work environment. That’s one of our major things.”
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