EPA and OSHA Have Fully Implemented Some Report Recommendations but Not Others

Of the task force’s recommendations, EPA and/or OSHA have fully implemented three. On the basis of the 75 RCRA violations detected, EPA and the states initiated enforcement actions and collected over $2 million in penalties. EPA’s education of compliance officials. EPA did not fully implement the recommendation that it conduct research on the cause for and impact of using certain operating equipment—automatic waste feed cutoffs and emergency safety vents, or vent stacks—and that it reopen permits, as necessary, to address the use of this equipment. However, the types of inspections conducted after the task force’s inspections differed in scope from the task force’s inspections, and EPA, OSHA, and the states have not detected as many or the same pattern of health or safety violations as did the task force. EPA and OSHA Have Taken Other Actions Beyond Those Recommended by the Task Force

In addition to those actions recommended by the task force’s report, EPA and OSHA have initiated other actions to protect health and safety at incineration facilities. OSHA is planning to issue a regulation requiring hazardous waste facilities, including incinerators, to have accredited training programs for workers. However, OSHA has no method to ensure that (1) all hazardous waste facilities submit training programs for accreditation and (2) all facilities’ programs are accredited. 6. 7. 9. 29. We continue to believe that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has not implemented the task force’s recommendation to improve its coverage of inspections by including hazardous waste incinerators on OSHA’s lists of programmed inspections. 3. 4. To determine other actions taken by EPA and OSHA to improve workers’ and the public’s health and safety at hazardous waste incineration facilities, we interviewed and obtained documentation on EPA’s and the states’ enforcement actions and draft waste minimization and combustion strategy, and OSHA’s proposed policies and procedures for Hazardous Waste Training Accreditation from (1) EPA’s Office of Permits and State Programs and RCRA Enforcement Divisions and (2) OSHA’s Directorate of Policy, Office of Health and Safety Standards Program, Office of Field Programs, and Office of Statistics. Address Correction Requested
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed hazardous waste incinerators' compliance with federal health and safety regulations, focusing on the: (1) Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) efforts to protect workers' health and safety at hazardous waste incinerators; and (2) results of inspections and enforcement actions at 29 facilities.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) EPA and OSHA have fully implemented three task force recommendations to correct violations, educate the industry, and improve inspections; (2) EPA and the states have initiated enforcement actions and collected over $2 million in penalties for safety violations; (3) EPA and OSHA have conducted education outreach programs on the importance of health and safety compliance; (4) EPA has taken steps to educate its compliance officials, but it has not fully implemented recommendations to improve EPA inspection coverage, conduct research on the use of certain operating equipment, and revise facilities' incineration permits to limit the use of this equipment if necessary; (5) OSHA has not fully implemented recommendations on educating its compliance officials and improving its inspection coverage; (6) EPA and the states reinspected the incinerator facilities, but they did not detect the same pattern of violations that the task force found because the scope of their inspections differed; (7) OSHA did not reinspect the facilities because it believes that the relative risk of working at these incinerators is low; (8) EPA and OSHA have taken additional steps beyond the task force's recommendations to protect workers' health and safety at the incinerators; and (9) OSHA plans to require these facilities to have accredited training programs for workers handling hazardous wastes, but OSHA does not have a good plan to ensure that all facilities submit their programs for accreditation.