Summary: GAO discussed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) efforts to: (1) monitor and evaluate state-operated safety and health programs; and (2) resume enforcement within the private sector in California. GAO found that OSHA: (1) lacked effective monitoring and evaluation procedures; (2) relied primarily on its computerized management information system to assess state program quality; (3) did not provide for the collection and analysis of information that directly related to state program quality; and (4) did not establish performance levels or incentives for states to use in attaining occupational and health safety. GAO also found that: (1) diversion of its staff resources to provide enforcement in California hampered OSHA inspection efforts nationwide; (2) OSHA occupational safety and health standards were limited in scope compared with California standards; (3) the number of safety and health inspections OSHA performed in California decreased because it was unable to fill staff positions; and (4) in 1988, total funding for worker protection activities in California decreased from $33 million to $16 million.
