Governor questioned over probe of Amazon death
November 27, 2019By The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s governor is facing calls from Democrats to explain his role in Amazon being cleared of responsibility for a warehouse worker’s death despite initial findings of four major safety violations.
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb denies any involvement in the state Department of Labor’s investigation of the September 2017 death at Amazon’s Plainfield warehouse, as reported Monday by the nonprofit news outlet Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.
A state safety inspector levied a $28,000 find against Amazon, concluding the company didn’t provide sufficient training before a forklift that wasn’t correctly propped up fatally crushed 59-year-old Phillip Lee Terry.
The report cites a recording the inspector made in which the state’s top safety administrator tells Amazon officials how to reduce the fines and shift the blame to “employee misconduct.” The inspector’s boss later tells him, “I hope you don’t take it personally if we have to manipulate your citations.”
The final state report issued in September 2018 dropped the fine and all safety violation orders, saying that Amazon “made a sufficient showing that it met all the required elements of an unpreventable employee misconduct defense.”
The death investigation happened while the Holcomb administration touted the state’s business friendly environment in a bid to attract to Indiana Amazon’s planned second headquarters project, which could have meant 50,000 new jobs.
Holcomb said in a statement that Reveal’s “reporting is both irresponsible and deliberately misleading. We are exploring any possible recourse to remove these heinous lies.”
Reveal Editor-in-Chief Matt Thompson stood by its story.
“We included a robust denial from Gov. Holcomb’s office in our story, after having reached out multiple times pre-publication for an interview with the governor,” he said. “We’d welcome the opportunity to interview him now.”
Amazon spokeswoman Ashley Robinson defended the company’s safety record but would not comment on the circumstances surrounding Terry’s death, citing privacy concerns.
The three Democrats seeking to challenge Holcomb in next year’s election all said the governor needs to explain how he and his administration handled the Amazon safety report. State Sen. Eddie Melton of Gary, former state health commissioner Woody Myers and tech business executive Josh Owens also each called for an outside investigation of the case.
The governor’s office and a state Republican Party spokesman didn’t comment on the Democrats’ investigation request.
State Rep. Lisa Beck of Hebron, the top Democrat on the Indiana House labor committee, said companies needed to be held accountable for meeting safety standards.
“The allegations of a cover-up by the governor and other state officials are highly disturbing and highlight the need for greater accountability in Indiana’s workplace safety programs,” Beck said. “We cannot have the very agency that is supposed to protect workers and the public interfere with and manipulate a safety investigation.”
More on DuboisCountyHerald.com
-
Steel focus of recent work on cultural center
The last several weeks of work on the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center can be summed up in one word:... -
Habitat for Humanity obtains ‘ideal location’
As Dubois County Habitat for Humanity is planning the dedication of its newest home, it has set... -
Grace Sickbert named 2020 Lilly endowment scholar
Sickbert was chosen out of an applicant pool of 83 candidates from all four high schools in... -
Builders Club engages students in community
At a national level, Builders Club aims to engage students ages 11 to 14 in service and... -
Christmas tree farm keeps real-tree tradition
While Christmas tree farms close across the state, the Scherles are pushing ahead. -
Linda's Nails opens doors in former Disinger building
The owners of Linda’s Nails have a lot of experience in the nail business. -
New music studio a place to turn dreams into reality
Nestled in a dimly lit, cozy room on the second floor of the J. Herman building in Ferdinand,... -
Veteran endured years of separation to serve
Eugene DeMotte is glad he served 20 years in the U.S. Army. But it wasn’t easy. There was a...