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 "inspection" ...
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Danger on Your Dinner Plate
The food industry has quietly taken over most of the role of the FDA in inspecting what Americans eat, as inspection firms paid by food makers have certified as safe meat and vegetables that have sickened millions and killed thousands of people. After the story, the FDA passed strict food safety rules and for the first time required certification of private inspectors.
Tags: Food industry; FDA; food safety; meat; vegetables; private inspection firms
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Model Workplaces, Imperiled Workers
The Center's series exposed serious problems with an ever-expanding government program that promises results through cooperative regulation but often has failed to protect the nation's working men and women. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Programs, known as VPP, recognize "model workplaces" and offer them an exemption from regular inspections. But in many cases, this government stamp of approval was a hollow trophy, allowing companies to avoid scrutiny and to attract employees. Even after preventable tragedies at these sites, OSHA rarely cracked down.
Tags: OSHA; occupational safety and health administration voluntary protection program; model workplace
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Wounded Warriors
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review began following up on tips worldwide from military personnel inside the Warrior Transition Units, the special military-medical wards constructed in the aftermath of the scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. After months of gathering leaked documents and compiling numerous interviews at bases nationwide, especially with soldiers, the Tribune leaked reams of secret reports detailing the Pentagon's own inspection of medical wards.
Tags: Military Personnel; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Washington D.C. Documents
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NC Auto Inspection's-Failing the Test
Every year, North Carolina auto owners must take vehicles to private garages for state-mandated safety and emissions testing meant to prevent traffic crashes and curb pollution. Drivers cannot put a car on the road legally unless it passes inspection. A review inspection data showed the program is undermined by unscrupulous garages who do a volume business, passing unsafe cars, and by other who take bribes or cheat customers with uncessary repairs.
Tags: auto owners; emissions testing; unsafe cars
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California Court Management Investigated
The KGTV 10News I-Team began inspecting the inner workings of California's court management system more than two years ago. Our entry includes six stories, highlighting our continued investigation of California's Administrative Office of the Courts, the court's governing body. We revealed how much California court leaders were willing to spend on routine court maintenance and alerted state leaders of our findings.
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Champaign Pest Inspection
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District conducts about 1,300 inspections of restaurants and other food-service facilities next year. But, unlike many other health departments in the area and across the U.S., the district does nothing to publicize the results of these inspections.
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Renegade Refinery
Just weeks after the Deepwater Horizon disaster began, an analysis of inspection data obtained from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that two oil refineries owned by BP accounted for a staggering 97 of the most flagrant violations found by OSHA inspectors. Most of these citation's were categorized as "egregiously willful."
Tags: Deepwater Horizon; BP; oil spill; OSHA; Gulf of Mexico
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No Worker Left Behind
Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program faced funding cuts in 2010. A large proportion of the funds for the program were going to private trade schools, however, no state agency was licensing or inspecting these schools.
Tags: No Worker Left Behind; funding; job retraining; labor; unemployment
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ESPN Outside the Lines:What's Lurking in Your Stadium Food
Health department inspection reports for food and beverage outlets at stadiums and arenas home to Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Baseball Association teams showed that more than half of them had been cited for a "critical" or "major" health inspection.
Tags: sports; stadium; arena; stadium food; health; safety; food preparation
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Built to Burn?`
While modular homes are becoming increasingly popular, this investigation shows how they are more likely to burn faster than traditional houses. The modular home industry, as the investigation shows, has been neglecting to undergo required safety inspections.
Tags: modular homes; inspection; fire; mobile home; homeowner; RV