National Parks' Health and Safety Problems Given Priority; Cost Estimates and Safety Management Could Be Improved

Gao ID: RCED-83-59 April 25, 1983

In its second in a series of three reports, GAO reviewed the National Park Service's (NPS) estimate of its current health and safety backlog of construction projects and its systems to identify, set priorities for, and fund health and safety programs.

In it first report, GAO estimated that the cost to complete the backlog construction projects was about $1.6 billion. Although NPS can improve its estimates, the uncertainty of project costs until final plans are developed limits NPS ability to make more reliable estimates. In 1982, NPS updated its construction priority list and planned to fund $538 million for health and safety projects between 1983 and 1987. It estimated an additional construction backlog of $1.7 billion for fiscal year 1988 and beyond. GAO found that officials and employees responsible for health and safety inspections in the National Parks it visited do not fully comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of the Interior, and NPS health and safety inspection requirements. Deficiencies included lack of required inspections as well as inadequate inspection documentation, followup procedures, and monitoring by regional offices and NPS headquarters. GAO stated that progress varied in the NPS-wide inspection programs which encompass safety and maintenance assessments for roads, bridges, tunnels, buildings, and dams and environmental health inspections for water supply and sewage systems. GAO noted that NPS acted to improve roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, and water supply systems; however, summary data on corrections to sewage systems were not available.

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.

Director: Michael Gryszkowiec Team: General Accounting Office: Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division Phone: (202) 275-5514


The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.