Summary

The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board investigates the causes of accidental chemical releases and promotes preventive measures that can be taken by the government and the private sector. This testimony focuses on the Board's organization, operations, and efforts to update and develop plans, policies, and procedures for accomplishing its mission of enhancing the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment.

GAO noted that: (1) the Board is operating under a significantly different organizational structure than was in effect during most of its first 2 years of operation; (2) this new structure requires a majority vote of the Board members for substantive management decisions and delegates some specific responsibilities, such as personnel matters, to individual Board members; (3) in contrast, during the first 2 years of operation, the Chairman had individually made substantive management decisions; (4) the current structure represents an interim solution to address two governance issues: (a) the lack of an appointed chairperson since January 2000; and (b) disagreements concerning the roles of the chairperson and Board members; (5) in addition, the Board has implemented an organizational realignment that dedicates an increased proportion of the Board's staffing resources to its investigations and safety programs, rather than supporting activities; (6) however, only 7 of the 17 investigative and safety positions are filled because of, among other things, difficulties in recruiting qualified staff; (7) in terms of operations, the Board has made minimal progress in addressing the backlog of incomplete investigations that existed as of April 1999, when GAO last reported on the Board; (8) specifically, since then, only one of nine outstanding investigations has been completed, and no new investigations were initiated; (9) the Board has made progress in developing needed plans, policies, and procedures, such as those for awarding and managing contracts and selecting incidents to investigate; and (10) however, the agency's strategic plan, required by the Government Performance and Results Act, will not be completed until September 2000.