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Open Recommendations (83 total)

H-2A Visa Program: Agencies Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Oversight and Enforcement

GAO-25-106389
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, identifies and evaluates options, including the costs and benefits of those options, for reducing the resource burden on WHD in its efforts to find workers to return back wages. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

IT Portfolio Management: OMB and Agencies Are Not Fully Addressing Selected Statutory Requirements

GAO-25-107041
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the department CIO to work with OMB to ensure that annual reviews of their IT portfolio are conducted in conjunction with the Federal CIO and the Chief Operating Officer or Deputy Secretary (or equivalent), as prescribed by FITARA. (Recommendation 24)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should direct the department CIO to work with OMB to ensure they conduct a review in conjunction with the investment's program manager and in consultation with the Federal CIO, for major IT investments that have been designated as high risk for four consecutive quarters, as prescribed by FITARA, including identifying (1) the root causes of the high level of risk of the investment; (2) the extent to which these causes can be addressed (e.g., action items and due dates); and (3) the probability of future success (e.g., outcomes). (Recommendation 25)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

COVID-19 Relief: SBA and DOL Should Improve Processes to Identify and Recover Overpayments

GAO-25-106199
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Employment and Training Administration expands its UI program guidance to require that future temporary programs establish state overpayment recovery baselines to support DOL's monitoring of states' progress in recovering identified overpayments. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

COVID-19 Relief: SBA and DOL Should Improve Processes to Identify and Recover Overpayments

GAO-25-106199
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Employment and Training Administration reports the total overpayment recovery rate in place of, or along with, the nonwaived overpayment recovery rate for UI programs, particularly pandemic-related UI programs (i.e., PUA, FPUC, PEUC, and MEUC). (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Workplace Safety and Health: OSHA Should Take Steps to Better Identify and Address Ergonomic Hazards at Warehouses and Delivery Companies

GAO-24-106413
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health: (1) formally evaluates how well OSHA's national emphasis program for warehouses and distribution centers helps compliance officers identify, assess, and address ergonomic hazards; and (2) determines and documents next steps to correct any deficiencies detected. (Recommendation 5)
Open
OSHA said that some of the recommendations in our report may help better protect warehouse and delivery workers from ergonomic hazards; while other parts of the recommendations may not be practical to implement due to resource constraints. OSHA did not provide specific comments on this recommendation: we await further information from the agency.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health review and make needed changes to OSHA's internal and publicly available guidance that compliance officers and employers use to identify, assess, and address ergonomic hazards. This may include clarifying existing guidance and providing more current, industry-specific guidance. (Recommendation 3)
Open
OSHA stated that it plans to review its publicly available ergonomic guidance in fiscal year 2025, updating it when warranted and when resources are available to do so. However, OSHA disagreed that there is a need for industry-specific ergonomic guidance for warehousing and delivery work, stating that it prioritizes industry-specific ergonomic guidance for industries with unique hazards. Our recommendation included issuing industry-specific guidance as one potential approach OSHA could pursue. As OSHA reviews its publicly available ergonomic guidance, it may wish to consider other approaches to ensure that compliance officers and employers have access to improved, updated guidance that allows them to identify, assess, and address ergonomic hazards.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health conducts timely follow-up with establishments that were issued an ergonomic hazard alert letter, as required by OSHA policy, to determine if establishments have taken corrective actions. This may include regional offices developing formal procedures for tracking ergonomic hazard alert letters. (Recommendation 4)
Open
OSHA said that some of the recommendations in our report may help better protect warehouse and delivery workers from ergonomic hazards; while other parts of the recommendations may not be practical to implement due to resource constraints. OSHA did not provide specific comments on this recommendation: we await further information from the agency.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health increases training on identifying and assessing ergonomic hazards for compliance officers who inspect worksites under OSHA's National Warehouse and Distribution Center Emphasis Program. This may include making elective ergonomic courses required courses for some officers; adding new courses or ergonomic components to existing courses; or making existing courses more accessible, for example, by increasing their frequency or offering them online. (Recommendation 2)
Open
OSHA said that some of the recommendations in our report may help better protect warehouse and delivery workers from ergonomic hazards; while other parts of the recommendations may not be practical to implement due to resource constraints. OSHA did not provide specific comments on this recommendation: we await further information from the agency.

Workplace Safety and Health: OSHA Should Take Steps to Better Identify and Address Ergonomic Hazards at Warehouses and Delivery Companies

GAO-24-106413
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health ensures that OSHA compliance officers can easily obtain data during inspections on when musculoskeletal disorders occurred. This could include adding a column for musculoskeletal injuries to OSHA recordkeeping forms. (Recommendation 1)
Open
OSHA stated that inserting this column remains on its long-term regulatory agenda. However, OSHA also stated that completing the regulatory actions necessary to add such a column would divert resources from other current regulatory priorities. The agency also commented that it expects to receive more information on musculoskeletal and other injuries from certain employers who have been required to report case-level injury data electronically to OSHA headquarters since March 2024. We will await further updates on if or how OSHA will use this additional information during inspections.
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