Occupational Safety and Health

GAO checked on the safety and health protections afforded workers at the Government Printing Office (GPO) and four Capitol Hill offices--those of the Architect of the Capitol, the Attending Physician, the House Clerk, and the House Doorkeeper. The serious hazards GAO discovered included improper placement of automatic sprinklers, unenforced protections concerning excessive noise levels, exposed blades on power saws and machines, poor ventilation in areas where flammable materials were being used, and missing or improper labels on chemicals. Congressional employees are not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the job of ensuring workplace safety and health is spread among several offices. The legislation does cover employees of legislative branch agencies, such as GPO, which are required to have a comprehensive safety and health program. Even so, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has no authority to examine the effectiveness of programs in the legislative and judicial branches or to inspect their workplaces.

GAO found that: (1) at the Government Printing Office (GPO) and each of the congressional offices, except the Office of the Attending Physician, there were hazards that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would classify as serious; (2) at all of the offices and GPO there were other conditions and practices that OSHA would classify as other than serious; (3) congressional offices are not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act; (4) congressional offices are not required to develop and implement safety and health programs or to comply with OSHA standards; (5) GPO has a comprehensive safety and health program that provides protections comparable to those required by OSHA standards and regulations; (6) each of the congressional offices reviewed has some elements of a comprehensive program; and (7) each office's program lacks one or more of the elements that are required of federal agencies and recommended for the private sector, which include self-inspection for both safety and health hazards, a written plan for hazard abatement and control, safety and health training for employees and managers, and employee involvement.