U.S. OSHA begins unusual review of state agency

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun an unusual review into the practices of a state occupational safety and health agency.

The Las Vegas Sun reported that a task force comprised of federal OSHA officials and two officials from other state workplace safety agencies have been at the offices of Nevada OSHA to review how the state investigates workplace accidents.

Nevada OSHA came into the spotlight last year after 12 construction worker deaths on the Strip in Las Vegas during an 18 month period. The accidents received widespread attention due to a Pulitzer Prize winning series of articles in the Sun.

Nevada, along with about half of the states, has its own agency to enforce laws governing workplace safety. In the remaining states, the federal OSHA governs workplace safety. The federal version of OSHA is also charged with reviewing the state plans to make sure they’re at least as effective as the federal approach, but it is unusual for the feds to undertake a review like the one now underway in Nevada.

The task force is expected to report on its findings in a month.