Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO investigated the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) personnel practices to identify any: (1) alleged official actions that could adversely affect OSHA operations; and (2) weakening in the promulgation and enforcement of OSHA health and safety standards.
GAO found that: (1) 97 of the 124 allegations it reviewed did not have merit, because OSHA could explain them adequately or the complainants could not substantiate them; (2) the remaining allegations did not indicate that widespread violations of civil service and ethics law occurred within OSHA; and (3) few of the allegations would be statutory violations even if they were corroborated. GAO noted that the allegations involved: (1) professional differences between OSHA management and staff in the formulation and revision of OSHA standards; (2) disagreements between OSHA management and staff concerning the qualifications of OSHA employees; (3) disagreements between OSHA management and staff concerning staff management; (4) OSHA actions that lessened the enforcement of its standards; and (5) miscellaneous personnel-related actions that could adversely affect agency operations. GAO determined that OSHA improperly handled: (1) Region IX workers' complaints concerning discrimination; and (2) allegations concerning an assistant regional administrator's improper promotion procedures.
