Kentucky Mine Safety Analyst Charged With Faking Reports Quits

April 21, 2009

A Kentucky mine safety analyst has resigned after a probe into allegations that she falsified inspections reports.

Betty Sue Whitaker was accused of pretending to evaluate workers at mines that she had visited briefly or not at all. The Courier-Journal reported that she resigned last month after 10 years with the Office of Mine Safety and Licensing.

Whitaker’s primary responsibility was to prevent accidents and fatalities by observing miners’ work habits and submitting detailed reports on her findings to her supervisors. Investigators claimed that she rarely visited any the mines she claimed to have inspected.

The 50-year-old Whitaker denied falsifying reports. She told the newspaper that she resigned because of an array of physical ailments that rendered her barely able to walk.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal,
http://www.courier-journal.com