"New Scrutiny of Worker Safety Excludes Some Chemical Plants"

"Worries about fires, explosions and chemical releases prompted the federal agency in charge of workplace safety on Wednesday to expand a special inspection program focusing on the nation's chemical plants. Regulators believe the industry is particularly vulnerable to such hazards, meriting the closer attention."

"Yet some plants will continue to be shielded from the special inspections, despite past worker deaths, because of their status as 'model workplaces.'

'Far too many workers are injured and killed in preventable incidents at chemical facilities around the country,' said David Michaels, the head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in announcing the broadening of the pilot program, which began in 2009."

Chris Hamby reports for the Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News December 1, 2011.