Morning light hit the office windows. Dust floated in the beams. Shared desk cleared. Mateo dropped a manila folder on the edge. Crew roster. Twelve names. Former dock workers. Local hires. He slid a clipboard beside it. "Background checks cleared," he said. "OSHA thirty-hour certs current. Forklift licenses renewed. Hazmat endorsements valid. I ran them through municipal safety database. No flags. No expired tags."
Elena opened the folder. Pulled the first sheet. Checked ID numbers. Cross-referenced certification codes. Verified expiration dates. "Forklift license on row four expires next month. Schedule renewal before training starts. Can't run heavy equipment on expired certs."
"Renewal queued," Mateo said. "DMV processes it by Friday. I'll route the temporary permit. Covers them through the orientation phase."
