OIG report raises concerns about OSHA enforcement, MSHA staffing

Washington – OSHA may not be effectively targeting employers, while the Mine Safety and Health Administration struggles with maintaining experienced enforcement staff, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General claims in its semiannual report to Congress, released Dec. 1.

Specifically, OIG is concerned about OSHA’s ability to measure the success of both federal and State Plan policies and programs, and how MSHA will develop senior leadership in the face of top managers’ impending retirements.

The report includes an overview of a previously released OIG audit that examined the timeliness of MSHA laboratories in completing air sampling testing. That audit found that most of MSHA’s turnaround time goals were met, although the labs did not always receive samples or report the analyses in a timely manner.

For fiscal year 2015, OIG is working on audits of the Federal Black Lung Benefits Program and the Whistleblower Protection Programs.