Occupational Health Inspections and Consultations Generally Appear Adequate

GAO reviewed the adequacy of health inspections and consultations made by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and State industrial hygienists in four States. Completed inspection and consultation files were reviewed, and industrial hygienists were interviewed and accompanied on some inspections and consultations.

It was found that: the industrial hygienists were well qualified; health inspection and consultation procedures were adequate; sampling equipment was generally accurate, reliable, and available in sufficient quantities; health inspections and consultations were generally complete; and hazardous conditions in work places were identified. While inspections and consultations were usually done properly, in some cases inspectors and consultants did not follow correct sampling procedures, classify violations and issue citations correctly, cite all violations found in the citations and reports issued to employers, make required followup inspections, or completely evaluate areas requested by employers. The laboratories visited appeared to be accurately analyzing samples. However, the OSHA evaluation of laboratories was limited, and potential problems were noted. Of the eight laboratories reviewed, seven were not accredited, two did not participate in a laboratory proficiency testing program, and two were rated nonproficient for the last 2 years. Exposure levels determined by industrial hygienists may be inaccurate because error factors to be applied to laboratory results appeared too small, and outdated and/or improperly stored detector tubes were used.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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