Union alleges neglect in South Carolina safety inspections

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal complaint has accused the South Carolina agency tasked with ensuring occupational safety of racial discrimination by failing to routinely inspect disproportionately Black workplaces. The Union of Southern Service Workers says the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration neglects industries staffed predominantly by Black employees compared to fields filled largely by workers of other races. The group is asking the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate the state agency’s process for deciding where it conducts planned inspections. The agency’s communications director says it is reviewing a copy of the complaint. Striking workers described hazardous conditions at a Tuesday rally outside a warehouse in Columbia, South Carolina.