Washington — The number of safety hazards identified during inspections of congressional offices throughout the 117th Congress dropped 27% from the prior Congress, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights states in a biennial report.
OCWR, formerly known as the Office of Compliance, enforces the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 much the same way the secretary of labor enforces the act for the private sector.
Under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, OCWR must conduct inspections of covered offices at least once during each congressional session and “provide employing offices with technical assistance to comply with the OSH Act’s requirements.”
The biennial inspection during the 117th Congress resulted in 2,105 findings across 73 facilities, down from 2,884 during the previous Congress (a period with limited inspections because of the COVID-19 pandemic). As such, the report points out that when comparing the total number of findings for those assessments conducted during both the 116th Congress and the 117th, the result was 2,884 vs. 1,589, respectively – a decrease of 45%.
OCWR General Counsel John D. Uelmen says in the report that the findings signal an improved safety culture across Capitol Hill.
“Many factors may have contributed to this drop in the number of findings,” the report states, “but there is no question that this is a very positive trend, due in no small part to the efforts of the employing offices’ dedicated safety professionals, along with other staff who are committed to keeping their colleagues safe and healthy at work. These individuals are aware of the hazards identified and abated in previous inspections and are improving their processes for preventing recurrence of those issues.”
Of the 1,589 findings during the 117th Congress, fewer than 1% were rated at the highest level of hazard on OCWR’s Risk Assessment Code system, known as RAC 1. That level represents the potential for death or extremely serious injury and/or a very high likelihood of occurrence.
Nearly 900 (43%) of those findings were categorized as RAC 2 (hazards where the risk of injury is relatively high). More than half involved electrical issues (problems with panels, boxes, outlets or covers, as well as improper use of surge protectors, power strips or extension cords) and just over a quarter were related to exit routes and emergency planning.
Observations of low-risk hazards – RAC 3 and RAC 4 – also significantly decreased. RAC 3 findings dropped to 1,020 from 1,903, while RAC 4 hazards fell to 192 from 334.
OCWR reports that 69% of identified hazards had been abated by the employing offices by December 2024.
