Informal Settlement of OSHA Citations: Comments on the Legal Basis and Other Selected Issues

In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) authority to enter into informal settlements and reduce or eliminate violations or penalties; (2) OSHA policies governing area directors' discretion to settle cases informally; (3) OSHA legal authority and policy regarding abatement; (4) employee rights to contest citations; (5) the number of violations and amount of penalties settled by informal settlements in fiscal years 1981 through 1983; and (6) how OSHA determines that unsafe working conditions are corrected.