I've just come up with an attempt at a short (750 words, I think) humorous tale -- probably for Fictioneer, since it's non-TG and there's only been one story posted there by anyone in more than 10 weeks.
But it seems slightly more appropriate for me to set it in England than the U.S. Because of that, I'd appreciate a reader from that side of the pond letting me know if the dialogue is too American. (Now that I think about it, I don't even know if the payoff sentence is used there.)
One other question: the story revolves around a visit to an independent genetics laboratory by someone with the power to cite the owner. It's written right now as a police inspector, but I assume there'd be a more appropriate civil authority of some sort (environment? health? something more specific?)
Anyway, if someone's game for it, please let me know and I'll send it to them.
Thanks, Eric
I will offer
Let me see
Inspectors
The police would only be involved if some form of criminal activity was suspected. What would be more likely would be an auditor from a regulatory body.
The Health and Safety Executive - www.hse.gov.uk, would be a likely candidate. They would investigate any work place accidents and have the power to prosecute employers who do not ensure the safety of their employees.
The is also the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - www.mhra.gov.uk, who would monitor for compliance against "Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)" which is a statutory standard required by law. I think they would be involved if it was human genetics.
If its non-medical, for example plant related, then the Environment Agency (EA) or Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) may also have an interest in monitoring of activities. Especially in relation to controlled or uncontrolled release of genetically modified organisms.
You could also have independent auditors visiting, for example for quality standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or ISO 18001. Additionally, you would most likely have financial auditors in each year, although they are less likely to be touring laboratories as their focus would be on the office support staff.
Hope this gives you some ideas,
D.L.