United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Program Evaluation and Methodology Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-06-27 monographic deposited born digital 52 p. GA 1.13:PEMD-96-3 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3 P0b002ee1803a1a15 f:pe96003 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3 PEMD-96-3 Accident prevention Hazardous substances Information gathering operations Federal/state relations Public relations Information dissemination operations Interagency relations Data bases Emergency preparedness Environmental policies Bhopal (India) EPA National Response Team EPA Accidental Release Information Program DOT Hazardous Materials Information System EPA Emergency Response Notification System EPA Chemical Safety Audit Program EPA Acute Hazardous Events Data Base Internet Ohio Pennsylvania California Connecticut Texas EPA National Contingency Plan Letter Report PEMD GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) role in implementing a national chemical accident safety policy, focusing on: (1) trends in chemical accident occurrence and impact; (2) EPA chemical accident preparedness activities; (3) the effectiveness of EPA response to chemical accidents; and (4) EPA actions to help prevent chemical accidents.<p/>GAO found that: (1) although chemical accidents may be increasing, there is no clear evidence on accident trends; (2) accident data is incomplete and sometimes inaccurate; (3) EPA has vigorous programs for accident preparedness and response, but legislation has caused EPA to shift its primary focus to chemical accident prevention; (4) EPA assists in developing industry, state, and local accident preparedness programs, but those programs often fail to inform the public of potential accident risks; (5) EPA is using several sources, including the Internet, to disseminate accident data; (6) EPA is required to assess the nature and seriousness of chemical accidents and take charge of response operations if the responsible party or state and local officials cannot handle the incident and coordinate other agencies' direct response efforts; (7) local authorities rely heavily on EPA for accident assessments, since they often do not have the training or resources to perform initial assessments; (8) EPA has collaborated with industry and professional associations to further understand safety management issues; (9) EPA has issued regulations requiring facilities to develop and implement risk management plans, including emergency response programs; (10) EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board have delineated their responsibilities to investigate chemical accidents; and (11) although EPA has developed a large repository of information on accident prevention issues, the information is not being utilized at the community and industry level. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3/html/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3/pdf/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3.pdf GAO/PEMD-96-3 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-3 Letter Report GAO/PEMD-96-3; Chemical Accident Safety: EPA's Responsibilities for Preparedness, Response, and Prevention; Accident prevention Hazardous substances Information gathering operations Federal/state relations Public relations Information dissemination operations Interagency relations Data bases Emergency preparedness Environmental policies Bhopal (India) EPA National Response Team EPA Accidental Release Information Program DOT Hazardous Materials Information System EPA Emergency Response Notification System EPA Chemical Safety Audit Program EPA Acute Hazardous Events Data Base Internet Ohio Pennsylvania California Connecticut Texas EPA National Contingency Plan Public Law 96-510 Public Law 101-380 Public Law 101-615