I'm in EHS and had OSHA (proper, most OSHA are state run programs but not in WV) show up on a routine inspection at one of my plants. Hustled out there to join the inspection and found the Union rep leading the inspector to every little tiny issue throughout the plant and complaining to high heaven about the working conditions. Nothing I could do (at that moment), union rep was just an asshat wanting to jab his finger in the eye of the company. Basically stuff he knew about but never decided to bring up until he could use it against the company.

So we are inspecting a paint spray booth, and the inspector wants to know the booth air flow and pulls out a hot-wire anemometer, basically a heated wire which cools as a relation to the air velocity running over it. A heated, non-intrinsically safe instrument, in a booth that has flammable paint overspray on the walls. I in no uncertain terms told him no, and needless to say he was pissed. Told him I would get my air flow monitor to measure the flow but was not going to have him blow up the plant.

Turns out the OSHA guy was in industrial hygiene and decided to do sampling in the plant because the union rep told the OSHA inspector many people complained of scratchy throats and various other potentially work related exposure illnesses, as well as me shutting him down on the air flows. So a 2 day inspection turns into a 2 week inspection.

In the end, one significant finding and a handful of minor findings. $16K in fines knocked down to $4K after correcting findings and conference with his boss. He had the good graces to not bring up me shutting down his air flow monitoring because I would have embarrassed him in front of his boss. No exposure issues found either.

Union rep got his a few months later, they had paper on him for performance and kicked his sorry butt to the curb.