In a letter to Stuart Harris, Vice President of Local 1929 of the National Border Patrol Council, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concluded the Border Patrol was in violation of OSHA standards and other program elements.
Based on an inspection conducted on August 24, 2010, OSHA found:
Border Patrol Agents were working in the Sky Watch Tactical Platforms which have non-functioning controls within the cabin. Controls found to be non functioning included, but not limited to: the Up/Down Joystick, safety buttons and wind speed meter. This condition exposed employees to potential fall and/or Struck-by hazards.
As a result, OSHA issued a Notice of Unsafe and Unhealthful Working Conditions to the Fabens Border Patrol Station . All NBPC local officials should conduct similar inspections of SkyWatch Towers being utilized in their sectors to ensure similar non-functioning controls are not found.
