Cherie Berry: What Me Worry?

from the Charlotte Observer:

The Observer's recent interview with Republican N.C. Labor Secretary Cherie Berry sounded like a satire on how public officials work.

Staff writer Ames Alexander asked her whether she planned to do anything in response to the Observer's series describing workplace safety violations at poultry processing plants run by House of Raeford Farms, a big N.C. company.

Her answer: No.

Asked how her department is doing in keeping workers safe in such dangerous jobs as poultry processing, she replied:

"Our department has the best safety record and fatality record we've had in many, many years. Our numbers have been on a downward trend. And that's what our work is targeted toward -- keeping those numbers going down."

What about companies that aren't reporting workplace injuries? Her response:

"Well, I find it offensive that it seems to me you're suggesting that not keeping the proper paperwork is commonplace in our business community. I just don't find that. ...We're going to keep doing what we're doing because it's working. And, no amount of ink and paper in the world that you generate is going to stop us from doing the good job we're doing."

Observer reporters learned that North Carolina is more lenient than most states with companies found in violation of workplace safety rules. This state's average fines for serious violations are less than half the national average, and the toughest penalty is imposed here in only one of every 1,800 citations against manufacturers, far less than the national average of about one in 300.

Her explanation: "When you say we're more lenient, I can't accept that. Granted, if you look at total fines imposed, they may be lower; but we're not in the business of collecting money. We're in the business of getting hazards abated. And, if during a settlement process, we can negotiate a fine downward and get that hazard taken care of immediately, that's where I'm going."

Observer reporters talked to workers who'd been fired after reporting injuries, who weren't allowed to go to the doctor after reporting injuries, who say they've gotten the message that if they complain they become unemployed.

Her response: "They need to call us if that's the case. They're protected under the law. They need to call us. If we don't know about them, we can't help them."

Secretary Berry is wrong about her responsibility. It's not "keeping numbers down," it's ensuring that workers are safe. It apparently hasn't occurred to her that the factors helping to keep the numbers down may include fewer inspections and her indignation when it's suggested that some employers fail to report injuries.

Secretary Berry says her department has gotten rid of the "adversarial relationship" between regulators and business. That's good up to a point, but she seems to have gone way beyond that point. The state doesn't need a mad dog as its chief regulator, but it does need a watchdog. Observer reporters found many worker safety problems. Maybe it's because they looked.