S.C. OSHA investigating 99 coronavirus complaints

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The S.C. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is currently investigating 99 complaints related to the coronavirus that it has received since mid-March, according to information received by the Business Journal in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

The administration has received more than 300 phone calls and emails related to COVID-19; 135 wound up being official complaints, meaning the queries were related to issues covered by OSHA.

The complaints have included accusations of a lack of or inadequate amount of personal protective equipment; individuals working with symptoms of COVID-19; noncompliance with social distancing; and employers not listening to or acting on employee complaints.

Complaints alleging a violation that might be an imminent health threat to employees have been triaged and worked on immediately, the administration said, leaving the 99 complaints currently being investigated.

OSHA said it cannot release additional information related to the complaints until investigations are completed and the files are closed.

South Carolina is one of 22 states that operates its own OSHA programs for private and public sector workplaces. All other states are overseen by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The federal agency said it has received 3,123 complaints and closed 2,027 cases related to the coronavirus since Feb. 1.