Occupational Safety and Health

In the wake of a deadly 1991 fire at a North Carolina chicken-processing plant that had never been inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), questions were raised about the need for changes in the workplace safety and health programs run by OSHA and the states. GAO testified that federal oversight of state-run job safety and health programs is still plagued by substantial weaknesses that GAO pointed out five years ago, the most basic flaw being OSHA's lack of information about the effectiveness of both its own program and state programs. In addition, (1) the program activity measures OSHA uses are flawed by the lack of priorities and moving targets for comparison, (2) OSHA still does not require states to do self-assessments, and (3) OSHA has been unsuccessful in getting states to implement its recommended corrective actions. OSHA's special evaluations discovered that all except one of the 21 state programs covering private sector and government workers were unacceptable in one or more crucial areas. GAO found four unique program features adopted by states or supported by empirical research that merit further consideration by OSHA and the states as ways to strengthen safety and health programs.