WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) are pressing Postmaster General David Steiner for answers following the tragic death of Nicholas Acker, a maintenance mechanic at the United States Postal Service (USPS) Detroit Network Distribution Center (NDC) in Allen Park, Michigan. In a letter, the senators express concern about workplace safety policies and procedures at USPS facilities and have called for a comprehensive accounting of the events surrounding Mr. Acker’s death.
“No workplace related injuries or fatalities should ever be acceptable inside of a Postal Service facility,” wrote the senators. “Every worker is entitled to safe working conditions, and the Postal Service must take every step possible to prevent a tragedy like this from occurring again.”
“We are deeply concerned about Mr. Acker’s death and the length of time it took to both determine he was missing and locate his body after the accident,” continued the senators. “This incident also raises broader questions about USPS policies regarding routine practices and workplace safety within USPS facilities.”
In their letter to the Postmaster General, the senators requested detailed information about the timeline of events, as well as USPS safety policies and procedures followed at the Allen Park facility. The senators asked for clarification on whether USPS policies were modified or disregarded, whether employees were properly trained, and how USPS intends to ensure an impartial and thorough investigation into Mr. Acker’s death. They also pressed USPS to commit to fully cooperating with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and to allow union representatives to conduct fact-finding free from interference.
The full text of the letter is available here.
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