Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the thoroughness and completeness of hazardous waste handler inspections conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and authorized states under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
GAO found that: (1) EPA inspection experts identified 200 RCRA violations at 22 of 26 facilities inspected between December 1986 and May 1987; (2) initial inspections failed to detect an additional 181 violations at those facilities; (3) two-thirds of missed violations represented immediate and serious environmental threats; and (4) 15 inspection reports were incomplete. GAO also found that: (1) EPA inspection guidance was incomplete; (2) EPA has not established specific qualification standards for RCRA inspectors or continuing and mandatory inspector training programs; (3) lack of training significantly contributed to poor inspector performance; (4) RCRA inspections received limited oversight; and (5) EPA is reconsidering its elimination of an oversight target for regional offices and is also reevaluating how best to ensure the thoroughness and completeness of RCRA inspections.
