General Services Administration

Efforts to Communicate About Asbestos Abatement Not Always Effective Gao ID: GGD-92-28 January 16, 1992

The effectiveness of efforts by the General Services Administration (GSA) to communicate with tenant agencies about asbestos removal varied in the federal buildings GAO reviewed. Tenant agency employees in 10 of the 15 buildings GAO contacted were dissatisfied with GSA's communication efforts. GSA recognizes that improvements are needed and has taken a step in the right direction by revising its guidance. GSA has not, however, addressed the need for more effective oversight of the communication process concerning asbestos. Until it has an effective oversight process, GSA will be uncertain about whether the revised guidance is working or tenant agencies are satisfied.

GAO found that: (1) during fiscal years (FY) 1990 and 1991, GSA efforts to communicate with tenant agencies about asbestos abatement projects in the 15 federal buildings reviewed varied in effectiveness; (2) GSA communication was generally reactive at 10 of the 15 buildings, and effective communication occurred only after tenant agency employees complained about the lack of timely and adequate information on abatement projects or regular communication about project progress; (3) tenant agency employees for the other five buildings had fewer complaints and were generally satisfied with the communication process, because GSA provided information at the beginning and throughout the course of the projects; (4) GSA communication efforts may have varied because GSA had limited oversight of the communication process and had vague guidance on how to communicate about asbestos abatement; (5) GSA did not actively monitor the project communication process and instead depended on the limited information it obtained during biennial safety and environmental evaluations, telephone calls, and tenant complaints; and (6) in April 1991, GSA revised its principal communication guidance to emphasize the importance of early and continuing communication and identified specific steps for the asbestos coordinators to follow when communicating with tenant agency employees.

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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