Occupational Safety and Health: Changes Needed in the Combined
Federal-State Approach (Testimony, 10/20/93, GAO/T-HRD-94-3).

In the wake of a deadly 1991 fire at a North Carolina chicken-processing
plant that had never been inspected by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA), questions were raised about the need for
changes in the workplace safety and health programs run by OSHA and the
states.  GAO testified that federal oversight of state-run job safety
and health programs is still plagued by substantial weaknesses that GAO
pointed out five years ago, the most basic flaw being OSHA's lack of
information about the effectiveness of both its own program and state
programs.  In addition, (1) the program activity measures OSHA uses are
flawed by the lack of priorities and moving targets for comparison, (2)
OSHA still does not require states to do self-assessments, and (3) OSHA
has been unsuccessful in getting states to implement its recommended
corrective actions.  OSHA's special evaluations discovered that all
except one of the 21 state programs covering private sector and
government workers were unacceptable in one or more crucial areas.  GAO
found four unique program features adopted by states or supported by
empirical research that merit further consideration by OSHA and the
states as ways to strengthen safety and health programs.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-HRD-94-3
     TITLE:  Occupational Safety and Health: Changes Needed in the 
             Combined Federal-State Approach
      DATE:  10/20/93
   SUBJECT:  Occupational safety
             State-administered programs
             Working conditions
             Safety standards
             Reporting requirements
             Health hazards
             Safety regulation
             Occupational health/safety programs
             Occupational health standards
             Federal/state relations
IDENTIFIER:  Alaska
             California
             Hawaii
             Washington
             Minnesota
             Nevada
             North Carolina
             Oregon
             Tennessee
             
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