The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "safety inspections" ...
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Danger on Your Dinner Plate
The food industry has quietly taken over most of the role of the FDA in inspecting what Americans eat, as inspection firms paid by food makers have certified as safe meat and vegetables that have sickened millions and killed thousands of people. After the story, the FDA passed strict food safety rules and for the first time required certification of private inspectors.
Tags: Food industry; FDA; food safety; meat; vegetables; private inspection firms
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Model Workplaces, Imperiled Workers
The Center's series exposed serious problems with an ever-expanding government program that promises results through cooperative regulation but often has failed to protect the nation's working men and women. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Programs, known as VPP, recognize "model workplaces" and offer them an exemption from regular inspections. But in many cases, this government stamp of approval was a hollow trophy, allowing companies to avoid scrutiny and to attract employees. Even after preventable tragedies at these sites, OSHA rarely cracked down.
Tags: OSHA; occupational safety and health administration voluntary protection program; model workplace
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NC Auto Inspection's-Failing the Test
Every year, North Carolina auto owners must take vehicles to private garages for state-mandated safety and emissions testing meant to prevent traffic crashes and curb pollution. Drivers cannot put a car on the road legally unless it passes inspection. A review inspection data showed the program is undermined by unscrupulous garages who do a volume business, passing unsafe cars, and by other who take bribes or cheat customers with uncessary repairs.
Tags: auto owners; emissions testing; unsafe cars
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Renegade Refinery
Just weeks after the Deepwater Horizon disaster began, an analysis of inspection data obtained from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that two oil refineries owned by BP accounted for a staggering 97 of the most flagrant violations found by OSHA inspectors. Most of these citation's were categorized as "egregiously willful."
Tags: Deepwater Horizon; BP; oil spill; OSHA; Gulf of Mexico
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ESPN Outside the Lines:What's Lurking in Your Stadium Food
Health department inspection reports for food and beverage outlets at stadiums and arenas home to Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Baseball Association teams showed that more than half of them had been cited for a "critical" or "major" health inspection.
Tags: sports; stadium; arena; stadium food; health; safety; food preparation
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Built to Burn?`
While modular homes are becoming increasingly popular, this investigation shows how they are more likely to burn faster than traditional houses. The modular home industry, as the investigation shows, has been neglecting to undergo required safety inspections.
Tags: modular homes; inspection; fire; mobile home; homeowner; RV
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Drowning in Neglect
KHOU-TV discovers 1300 public swimming pools in Houston were getting a free pass for not meeting safety standards. City health inspectors failed to give violations for substandard drain covers, missing life preservers and emergency phones, and even a lack of chlorine. Health experts claim the condition of many of these pools invites the spread of disease and should warrant closure of the pool.
Tags: pools; safety; health inspection; chlorine; swimming
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School Buses Flunk
The safety inspections of 30,000 Connecticut school buses showed that one in four buses was unfit to carry children, yet state officials ignored this issue.
Tags: school bus; safety; schools; inspection; vehicle
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Disaster Ahead? Deregulated Dams
A Tennessee law allows old watershed dams to be downgraded to farm ponds from high-hazard dams, exempting them from state safety inspections. The reporter discovered 13 of these dams were downgraded in 2008. The lack of oversight poses serious consequences because fatalities are likely to occur should one of the dams fail.
Tags: dams; farm pond; regulation; inspection; safety; public safety
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Risky business; Bus safety an issue for colleges
The investigation found that "at least 85 Division I universities used charter bus companies during 2007 and 2008 with deficient federal safety ratings." Further, "about 35 have used companies with an overall conditional rating, which mean they have a more serious record of infractions." A number of things contributed to account for the companies’ bad safety records, these includes crashes, speeding tickets, unqualified drivers, and worn out vehicles.
Tags: FOIA; athletics; athletic department; transportation; sports; teams; travel; inspections; operations