In May, staff at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel (OSC), which protects federal whistleblowers, alleging mismanagement and unsafe work conditions including poor lab ventilation, broken fire alarms and wild temperature swings.
After Reuters exclusively reported the complaint, USDA closed one major research building at the site for repairs.
Maintenance tasks should be performed on a schedule ranging from daily to annually, the complaint said.
BARC staff conduct research on climate change, invasive pests, crop yields and more.
Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
BARC, Leah Douglas, Cynthia Osterman
Organizations:
U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, Research, Staff, U.S . Department, Reuters, Agricultural Research, U.S . Office, USDA, OSC, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Centers for Disease Control, OSHA, Thomson
Locations:
Beltsville, Beltsville , Maryland, Legionella, BARC's