The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "federal safety standards" ...
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No. 9: The 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster
The 1968 Farmington Coal Mine Disaster prompted Congress to pass the 1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, the first law to set meaningful underground safety standards and fines for violations. Despite the importance of the tragedy, which took the lives of 78 men, neither federal nor the state government determined the cause of the disaster. The state did not produce a final report as was required by West Virginia law, and the federal government did not make public its final, inconclusive report until 1990. This book pieces the story together, documenting the dangerous conditions that plagued the No. 9 from 1935 through the first deadly disaster in 1954 that killed 16 men and up to the 1968 tragedy.
Tags: farmington coal mine; virginia; united states; safety; coal
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Aging Nukes
The series examines the condition of aging nuclear power plants in the United States. It's opening installment proclaims: Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation's aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening those standards, or simply failing to enforce them.
Tags: Nuclear Power; United States; Power Industry; Reactors;
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Camp Drowning
In this investigation, it looks at the standards and regulations of U.S. summer camps. “Only 25 percent of camps in this country are accredited, meaning they meet 300 health and safety standards”. Many parents send their children to these camps believing their children are safe, but when accidents happen it is too late to do anything.
Tags: kids; Gottesman family; life guards; counselors; license; federal; American Camp Association; state; local
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American's Neglected Levees
Scripps reviewed the federal and state level system of levee oversight and found that no one at any level of government knows where all levees are, what they protect or what shape they are in. Thousands of communities are being forced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get levees certified under a national upgrade of flood hazard maps, but even FEMA admits the standards are outdated and don't accurately reflect the risks to people behind them.
Tags: FEMA; levee; flood; Army Corps of Engineers; infrastructure; National Levee Safety Committee; insurance
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Safety Second?
This investigation revealed that the US Marine Corps awarded a $300 million vehicle contract to a company that produced sub-standard vehicles which did not meet the Marines' own safety standards. This vehicle with no doors and no roof (called The Growler) was chosen over a superior vehicle designed by Detroit engineers.
Tags: military contract; federal government; Middle East conflict; army; transportation; combat
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The Problem with Recalls/Hazard in Aisle 5
In the strong tradition of Consumer's Union reports on dangerous products, these articles look specifically at the six federal agencies responsible for "overseeing the safety of the full range of consumer products." The investigation found that weak laws and poor enforcement of recalls often result in dangerous and hazardous products making their way into homes across the country. Large percentages of recalled products are never turned in, one in three toys violates mandatory safety standards, and recalled goods are often exported to unsuspecting consumers in foreign countries.
Tags: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); hazardous goods
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Danger: Government at Work. Public employers pay no fines, though safety violations numerous
"While fines are the state's prime weapon against private businesses that violate safety and health standards, state law prohibits financial penalties against state and local government employers." But, those government workplaces are four times more likely than private businesses to be cited for serious safety violations. These violations occur in all kinds of government workplaces, from wastewater plants to public schools. This article offers several well- developed examples of government safety violations, and then discusses a legislative solution.
Tags: safety inspection; accidents; federal programs; Wake Enterprises
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Collision Course: Brent Spence Bridge obsolete, dangerous
A two-part look at a long interstate bridge that doesn't meet federal safety standards and the problems entailed in fixing or replacing it.
Tags: bridge; traffic; interstate; cars; trucks; accidents; highway safety
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Costly Verdict: Why One Jury Dealt A Big Blow to Chrysler in Minivan-Latch Case
The Journal reports on the threat of high-profile safety litigation looming over the auto industry. The story focuses on deaths caused by defects in Chrysler minivans, and the subsequent lawsuits.
Tags: fatalities; GM; Ford; federal safety standards; door latches; C/K pickup trucks; liftgates
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Modern Meat
Frontline investigates health hazards posed by the nation's meat industry. The story points to evidence that the "widespread use of antibiotics to promote growth and keep livestock healthy may result in the development of bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotic treatment." The investigation started with examining a lawsuit that a Texas meat-grinding company, Supreme Beef -- after failing federal salmonella standard tests three times -- filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Tags: hygiene; diseases; deaths; food safety; USDA; Center for Disease Control; FOI requests; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT