Lawmaker demands safety steps and full cooperation with OIG audit after worker fatality

A lawmaker told the committee that protecting postal employees must be central to any reform of the Postal Service and urged full cooperation with an Office of Inspector General facility safety audit following a workplace fatality.

The speaker recounted the death of Nicholas Aker at an Allen Park processing facility and said that OSHA cited the facility for safety-standard noncompliance. The lawmaker said the Office of Inspector General has launched a nationwide facility safety audit and that they expect USPS to ‘‘fully cooperate with the audit and double down on its efforts to protect all of its employees when they're on the job.’’

The lawmaker made a direct appeal for comprehensive safety measures and for the Service to prioritize returning every employee home safely. The transcript does not record a response from USPS officials in this excerpt.