Recommendation: The Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics should, upon completion of the pilot Household Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, evaluate the feasibility of measuring injuries and illnesses to certain worker populations--specifically, children aged 17 and under, child household workers, and those employed on farms with 10 or fewer workers--in any final survey scope, or determine a way to gather information on these populations. (Recommendation 1)
Agency: Department of Labor
Status: Open
Comments: BLS noted that it had completed the pilot Household Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (HSOII) in December of 2018 and stated that BLS will be analyzing the quality of the data in the second and third quarters of 2019 and publishing a report at the end of 2019. To evaluate the feasibility of measuring injuries and illnesses to workers under 18, BLS stated it will conduct a literature review on questionnaire design for respondents under age 18, and reviewing the evidence on the quality of data collected through proxy reporting, e.g. adults reporting on injuries/illnesses for their children. The agency also reported that it will issue an assessment of the suitability of the existing HSOII instrument to gather data on working children at the end of fiscal year 2019. We will consider closing this recommendation after receipt and review of this final assessment report.
Recommendation: The Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division should establish specific metrics and associated targets for child labor-related outreach in agriculture. (Recommendation 2)
Agency: Department of Labor
Status: Open
Comments: The agency agreed with this recommendation. The agency noted that it has existing performance measures that separately track the number of employer outreach events and the number of events involving child labor. The agency stated that, in response to GAO's recommendation, it will introduce a new measure in FY2020 that is specific to child labor-related outreach in the agricultural industry. The agency said that for the remainder of FY2019, the agency will develop the new measure, establish a baseline, and set an appropriate target for child labor-related outreach in the agricultural industry. The agency also said staff would be trained on the new measure in early 2020. We will close this recommendation once the agency institutes this new metric.
Recommendation: The Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division should develop performance metrics or other measures specific to its child labor enforcement approach, such as whether WHD investigations are conducted at establishments where children are likely to be working. (Recommendation 3)
Agency: Department of Labor
Status: Open
Comments: WHD agreed that it could develop either an internal performance metric or new planning guidance and reporting requirements to ensure that WHD's child labor enforcement efforts focus on industries, establishments, and time periods in which children are likely to be working or injured. Although planning guidance and reporting requirements can encourage field office staff to focus more on child labor, we believe it is important to include a measurement of WHD's overall child labor enforcement approach as part of any new planning guidance and reporting requirements. We will consider closing this recommendation when WHD develops such performance metrics.
Recommendation: The Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division and the Assistant Secretary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration should update and routinely monitor the 1990 WHD and Occupational Safety and Health Administration memorandum of understanding and establish documented procedures for monitoring the exchange of and actions taken on referrals. (Recommendation 4)
Agency: Department of Labor
Status: Open
Comments: To implement this recommendation, WHD and OSHA have agreed to establish a working group by the second quarter of FY2019, which will aim to maximize efficient information sharing between the two agencies. Specifically, this working group will update the existing WHD-OSHA Memorandum of Understanding, assess the results of referrals between WHD and OSHA, and make recommendations regarding the need for data collection and review. We will close this recommendation when these efforts are complete and supporting documentation has been provided.
