Last month, a violent chemical reaction killed two workers at the Ames Goldsmith Catalyst Refinery near Charleston, and federal records show the facility was cited for safety violations in 2018.
But that doesn’t mean inspectors checked operations regularly over the years.
The fact that the facility was not inspected again before the fatal incident underscores a problem with workplace safety in West Virginia and across the country: Federal inspectors are not regularly inspecting the most dangerous workplaces.
Here’s how workplace safety inspections work in West Virginia, and why labor advocates are calling for more oversight to keep workers safe on the job.
How does OSHA inspect the workplace?
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) conducts thousands of workplace inspections each year, including hundreds in West Virginia.
OSHA inspectors are not required to notify the workplace when conducting an inspection. When violations are discovered, inspectors can issue fines and citations. These are Classification Depending on the severity, this includes willful, serious and repeated violations.
Employers also have the right to challenge or appeal these violations.
Because West Virginia doesn’t have its own OSHA Approved Workplace Safety planning, inspection and execution are the sole responsibility of federal inspectors.
Last year, the federal Officials conduct A total of more than 300 inspections were carried out across the province.
Today, just now VI Federal OSHA Inspectors oversee workplace safety for more than 695,000 workers at approximately 60,000 workplaces in West Virginia, according to the AFL-CIO’s annual report “Die at work” Report.
At current staffing levels, it would take the agency about 186 years to inspect every workplace in the state, the report said. In 2011, there were 10 inspectors covering the state.
“This is a capacity issue,” West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword said. “There are fewer inspectors than ever across the agency, making workplaces less safe.”
Don’t federal laws require periodic inspections?
Usually not.
Federal law does not require OSHA to regularly inspect most private workplaces.
Instead, worker complaints or serious injuries trigger inspections. Inspectors are also targeting some high-risk industries more frequently.
Some industries, such as coal mining, pose enough dangers to workers to merit separate legislation and supervision. Under the Mine Safety Act, coal mines are subject to federally mandated inspections multiple times each year.
While OSHA conducts some planned inspections, most private workplaces can go years without inspections unless a serious incident occurs or workers report unsafe conditions.
This means facilities that handle hazardous chemicals or operate heavy equipment may not receive regular federal inspections.
An OSHA spokesperson did not respond to questions about the agency’s inspection and staffing levels.
Is the Trump administration doing less to protect workers?
OSHA’s federal budget has been a target for the administration. The U.S. Department of Labor has requested reduced funding for the agency, eliminating dozens of full-time positions and slashing millions of dollars in budgets.
The Trump administration has repeatedly proposed cuts over the past few years to agencies that study and enforce workplace safety. The layoffs are part of a broader effort to roll back safety regulations and shrink the size of the federal workforce.
Last year, federal officials proposed cutting more than 90% of the workforce at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which studies workplace hazards, including those in West Virginia.
The layoffs were later reversed, but labor groups warned it disrupted ongoing research to protect workers.
Nina Master, a policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, said limited staffing reduces OSHA’s ability to proactively implement protections.
“A lot of their enforcement activities actually rely on worker complaints,” she said. “There’s really no deterrent effect anymore because the capacity to do these inspections is so small.”
There have been many chemical accidents in the Kanawha Valley, resulting in worker casualties.
In 2008, an explosion occurred at a pesticide factory, killing two workers. In 2010, another leak killed a worker at a chemical plant.
In response, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board urged state officials to develop safety plans that would hold chemical manufacturers more accountable.
The plan would require companies to submit safety plans, require government review of those plans and give the public greater insight into safety conditions at local plants.
But state officials ignored the proposal and never funded or created the program.
Meanwhile, labor experts from the AFL-CIO have asked the federal government to expand protections for workers in the most hazardous industries and hold employers more accountable.
They want officials to oppose efforts to weaken worker health and safety agencies, including NIOSH and OSHA, and increase funding for those agencies.
They also want Congress to pass legislation that would increase civil and criminal penalties for employers who violate safety laws.
Congress May Pass Protecting American Workers Act renewal and reform The previous Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted in 1970. If passed, it would expand protections to include public employees and increase penalties for employers.
In West Virginia, lawmakers could opt for a state-approved OSHA program that would provide more protections for private workers and increase the number of inspectors. The state already provides limited career protections to public officials who can request inspections.
Like other states with these programs, West Virginia will have its own inspectors responsible for enforcing federal and state workplace safety laws.
Sword said despite various recommendations, workplace safety protections were often ignored.
“If you’re in an unsafe workplace, it doesn’t matter how much money you make or how good your benefits are,” he said. “If something happens and you get hurt or killed on the job, none of it matters.”
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This story was originally published on Mountain State Spotlight and distributed in partnership with The Associated Press. Trey Spencer wrote this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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