U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff launched an official inquiry on June 12 into the fourth employee death at the Palmetto USPS facility in Georgia, demanding answers from Postmaster General David Steiner about workplace safety and communication failures at the troubled mail distribution center.
The Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto, which opened in February 2024, has now recorded four worker deaths in just over two years. The most recent death occurred June 3, when 45-year-old Demarcus Little collapsed at the facility. According to local reporting, postal workers have continually reported difficulty making calls inside the facility during emergencies, poor working conditions, and management struggles.
In his formal inquiry, Ossoff cited a critical safety hazard: employees lack functional cellphone service inside the building. “Employees have recently said that they ‘haven’t had any phone service since [they] came to that building’ and ‘someone’s house had burned down to the ground, and they didn’t even know it until we went on break,'” Ossoff wrote to Steiner. He noted another case where an employee’s child was in a serious car accident but the worker “wasn’t able to be reached.”
An Office of the Inspector General audit from last year detailed “insufficient supervision and a poor employee work culture” at the Palmetto facility. Ossoff personally inspected the site in May 2024 and identified the same cellular service failures that persist today. “Postal workers are working hard to deliver the mail and deserve safe working conditions and proper management,” Ossoff stated in his inquiry.
The senator set a June 26 deadline for USPS leadership to respond to five detailed questions about workplace safety standards, progress on implementing the federal watchdog’s recommendations, and how Palmetto’s safety metrics compare to other regional processing centers. Ossoff also requested details on grief counseling and support services for the affected workforce.
Sources
- Ossoff.senate.gov — Official press release on the inquiry launch, four deaths since 2024 opening, employee cellphone service failures, and OIG audit findings.
- FOX 5 Atlanta — Reporting on Ossoff’s formal inquiry, communication blackouts, and workplace safety concerns at the facility.
- 11Alive.com — Coverage of Ossoff’s letter to the postmaster general and employee safety complaints.
- WSB-TV — Reporting on Demarcus Little’s death and the facility’s troubled history since opening in 2024.
