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B-163375 1 (1973-01-31)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaexu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 GENERAL GOVERNMENT DIVISION JAN3 1 1973 B-163375 Dear Mr. Secretary: The General Accounting Office is reviewing the occupational safety and health activijes of Federal civilian agencies under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and Executive Order 11612, dated July 26, 1971. The review is being conducted pursuant to a request by the Chair- man, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Senate. A sum- mary report to the Committee will be prepared when our work is completed. The act requires the head of each Federal agency to establish and maintain an effective and comprehensive occupational safety and health program consistent with the standards promulgated under the act by the Secretary of Labor. As part of the program, each agency is required to provide safe and healthful workplaces for its Federal employees. Executive Order 11612 sets forth the criteria Federal agencies must follow in establishing a safety and health program. The criteria include a requirement for periodic inspections of workplaces to insure compliance with the standards. The Secretary of Labor sent copies of the act, Exec- utive Order 11612, and the occupational safety and health standards which were published in the Federal Register on May 29, 1971, to heads of Federal departments and agencies on August 24, 1971. To determine the extent of Federal agencies' compliance with the ap- plicable standards, we employed an experienced safety engineer from private industry and acquired the services of an industrial hygienist from the Oc- cupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor, to inspect workplaces in Washington,' D.C., at selected Federal agencies. These individuals are recognized experts in their respective fields. Among the workplaces inspected were those of the Department of Com- merce at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. The Department's work- places were selected because they included industrial operations, such as printing, and general office areas. These facilities were inspected on August 25, 1972. A representative from the Department's safety council accompanied our representatives. Except that the inspections were limited to selected areas and activities, the inspections were conducted in a manner similar to an OSHA inspection in private business workplaces. Observations noted during our inspection are presented in the en- closure to this report. We found many instances of noncompliance with OSHA standards, relating to mechanical, electrical, fire, housekeeping,

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