In addition, OSHA is required to submit to the President an annual report  on the status of federal employees’ occupational safety and health. Drawing from our prior work, a review of the literature, and OSHA’s  requirements, we identified six components often found in sound safety  programs: (1) management commitment, (2) employee involvement, (3)  education and training, (4) identification of hazards, (5) following up and  correcting hazards, and (6) medical management. However, agency officials we surveyed and interviewed reported they face  a number of implementation challenges that cut across the components,  particularly in using automated systems, holding managers accountable  for maintaining an effective safety program, and making the best use of  their limited resources. Most Agencies Reported Having at Least One Activity for Each Safety Program Component

All of the 57 agencies surveyed reported that their safety programs  incorporate activities for the management commitment component. Approximately a  quarter of the agencies surveyed reported that they did not have  automated systems for tracking safety training completed by their  employees. In addition, a potential consequence of operating with limited resources is  the use of collateral duty safety officers—employees whose primary  responsibilities do not involve safety. OSHA Provides Inadequate Oversight of Federal Agencies Because It Does Not Use Its Enforcement and Compliance Assistance Resources Strategically

OSHA’s oversight of federal agencies’ safety programs is not as effective as  it could be because it does not use its enforcement and compliance  assistance resources in a strategic manner. First, OSHA does not routinely  conduct inspections that target federal worksites with high injury and  illness rates. Finally, while  OSHA has a range of promising programs for assisting agencies in  complying with its regulations and improving worker safety, not all of  these programs are being fully utilized. Recommendations for Executive Action

The Secretary of Labor should direct OSHA to    develop a targeted inspection program for federal worksites based on  the new worker injury and illness data federal agencies are required to  collect by requiring that relevant portions or summaries of that data be  included in agencies’ annual reports to OSHA or by obtaining the data  from agencies or worksites through periodic, selected surveys;  track violations disputed by federal agencies to their resolution and  ensure that unresolved disputes are reported to the President;    conduct evaluations of the largest and most hazardous federal agencies    use evaluations, inspection data, and annual reports submitted by  federal agencies to assess the effectiveness of their safety programs,  and include, in OSHA’s annual report to the President, an assessment  of each agency’s worker safety program and recommendations for  improvement.
Why GAO Did This Study

Federal workers' compensation costs exceeded $1.5 billion in 2004, with approximately 148,000 new claims filed that year. Because of concerns for the safety of federal workers, as well as the costs associated with unsafe workplaces, GAO described the characteristics of federal agencies' safety programs and the implementation challenges they face, and assessed how well the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees and assists federal agencies' efforts to develop and administer their safety programs.

What GAO Found

Based on a survey of 57 agencies, GAO found that most agencies reported having at least one activity for each of the six components generally associated with a sound safety program--(1) management commitment, (2) employee involvement, (3) education and training, (4) identification of hazards, (5) correction of hazards, and (6) medical management (which includes having a return-to-work program for injured employees). However, agencies faced implementation challenges that cut across the components in the areas of data management, accountability, and safety resources. The survey results indicated that many agencies do not have automated systems for tracking elements of their safety programs, such as training. In addition, several of the agencies did not demonstrate that their managers are held accountable for maintaining effective safety programs. Finally, many agency officials stated that, due to limited resources, they often must depend on safety officers with limited professional safety experience. OSHA's oversight of federal agencies' safety programs is not as effective as it could be because the agency does not use its enforcement and compliance assistance resources in a strategic manner. Although inspections are one of OSHA's primary enforcement tools, it does not conduct many inspections of federal worksites or have a national strategy for targeting worksites with high injury and illness rates for inspection. Furthermore, although OSHA is responsible for tracking violations that agencies dispute and reporting any unresolved disputes to the President, OSHA does not track these disputed violations or their resolution. In addition, although OSHA is required to review agencies' safety programs annually and submit a report on them to the President each year, as of January 2006, the last report submitted was for fiscal year 2000. Finally, while OSHA has a range of compliance assistance programs designed to help agencies comply with its regulations and improve safety, these programs are not being fully utilized.