Health and Safety:

Protecting Workers and the Public Continues to Challenge DOE

T-RCED-94-283, Sep 22, 1994

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GAO discussed the Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to protect the health and safety of its workers and the people living in communities near its facilities. GAO noted that: (1) DOE has taken steps to correct its data collection problems, made plans to establish a data coordinator, and established deadlines for submitting data on work-related health problems; (2) DOE cannot project when all workers will be included in its Health Surveillance Program because it is reconfiguring its overall approach to workers' health surveillance; (3) DOE has formulated a reorganization plan aimed at maintaining the independence of its oversight functions and has started implementing plans to greatly increase the number of its oversight staff; (4) DOE has begun consultations with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) aimed at establishing OSHA regulation of DOE facilities; and (5) specific milestones to guide the transition to OSHA regulation and to define roles for OSHA and DOE have not been established.