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Open Recommendations (3 total)

COVID-19: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Accountability and Program Effectiveness of Federal Response

GAO-22-105051
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1 Open Recommendations
1 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Priority Rec.
The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health should assess?as soon as feasible and, as appropriate, periodically thereafter?various challenges related to resources and to communication and guidance that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has faced in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and should take related actions as warranted. See the Worker Safety and Health enclosure. (Recommendation 14)
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The Department of Labor (DOL) partially agreed with our recommendation. In September 2021, DOL stated that it agreed that it is important to assess lessons learned and best practices for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) operational response to COVID-19. However, DOL officials said they believed that while the pandemic is ongoing, the agency's resources are best used to help employers and workers mitigate exposures to COVID-19. In December 2021, OSHA officials said they planned to conduct an assessment as soon as feasible, with a team of national office and field office staff, and would incorporate lessons learned, if applicable, into future emergency response efforts. In May 2022, OSHA officials said that the agency had taken a number of actions as a result of its ongoing assessment of successes and challenges during the pandemic, such as hiring new inspectors and implementing OSHA headquarters and field communication check-ins during periods of high COVID-19 transmission. In February 2023, OSHA officials said that, in fiscal year 2023, the agency would select and implement a task force to assess how OSHA could have improved its communications, provided clearer information, and sought feedback from the field in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 2024, OSHA officials said the agency formed an executive workgroup, which is determining the study's scope and collecting information from regional offices and headquarters. According to OSHA officials, in fiscal year 2024, the agency will organize an internal group to produce a final report that includes actions OSHA could have taken to improve its response and communication during the pandemic, improvements OSHA has made, and actions OSHA plans to take during any future pandemic or national emergency. We will close this recommendation when OSHA completes this assessment of the various challenges the agency faced in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has taken any related warranted actions.

Defense Contracting: Enhanced Information Needed on Contractor Workplace Safety

GAO-19-235
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health should explore the feasibility of requiring a corporate identification number in its inspection database and enabling its website to be searched by that number. This should include exploring the following issues: (1) which corporate identification number would be most appropriate to require; (2) options for obtaining this number from employers; and (3) options for entering this number in its database that would prevent or minimize delays in closing inspection records. (Recommendation 1)
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In May 2019, OSHA issued a memo directing staff to make every reasonable effort to collect Employer Identification Numbers or Tax Identification Numbers during inspections and enter them into the inspection database. OSHA also provided training to Department of Defense procurement officers on using OSHA's website to find violations and severe injury reports. As of June 2023, OSHA stated that it believes these actions are sufficient and will continue to stress the need for EIN numbers periodically as part of its ongoing communication between the national office and field staff. However, OSHA has not taken steps to explore the feasibility of requiring a corporate identification number in its inspection database and enabling its website to be searched by that number.

Workplace Safety and Health: Better Outreach, Collaboration, and Information Needed to Help Protect Workers at Meat and Poultry Plants

GAO-18-12
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health should take additional steps to encourage workers to disclose sensitive concerns during OSHA inspections of meat and poultry plants; for example, by considering additional off-site interviews or exploring other options to obtain information anonymously. (Recommendation 1)
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DOL agrees that workers should be able to report injuries, illnesses, and hazards free of intimidation. OSHA's Field Operations Manual prescribes procedures for facilitating the free and open exchange of information, such as conducting onsite worker interviews without management present. DOL further stated that when workers indicate interest in offsite interviews, OSHA will conduct those interviews as prescribed by the Field Operations Manual. In 2022, DOL told us that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA relied heavily on the use of remote virtual interviews for inspections, including those conducted with meatpacking facilities. To provide more opportunities for employee interviews going forward, and to aid in employee comfort with interviews, OSHA intends to continue using this avenue for reaching employees and other witnesses where appropriate, even when the inspection is conducted primarily onsite. DOL stated that OSHA plans to formally capture these practices as part of the next revision to the Field Operations Manual, which will take place in FY 2024. We anticipate closing this recommendation once these updates are made to the Field Operations Manual.
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