Customs’ Limited Tests of Imported Fasteners Found No Evidence of Substandard Fasteners Imported After December 1999

Customs’ Chicago laboratory tested 66 randomly selected shipments of graded bolts (12 in small lots) imported during March and April 2001 and found that none were substandard. Federal Agencies Reported No Evidence of Changes in Industry Practices

None of the officials that we spoke with in DSCP or NASA reported any evidence of changes in fastener industry practices resulting from, or apparently resulting from, the small-lot exemption. Conclusion

We found no evidence that the fastener industry has changed any practices resulting from, or apparently resulting from, the small-lot exemption.
Why GAO Did This Study

This report reviews changes in fastener industry practice "resulting from or apparently resulting from" the small-lot exemption of the Fastener Quality Act.

What GAO Found

GAO found no evidence that the fastener industry changed any practices resulting from, or apparently resulting from, the small-lot exemption. The Customs Service's limited tests of imported fasteners in 2001 found no evidence of substandard fasteners and no evidence of any decline in the quality of fasteners from the results of tests Customs conducted in 1998.