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Open Recommendations

Mine Safety: Commission That Reviews Legal Disputes Needs Improved Management Oversight
GAO-25-107171
Sep 25, 2025
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9 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission The Chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission should ensure that the Commission establishes a process for managing the agency's performance—including defining goals, reliably measuring performance, and using performance information—that follows federal performance management guidance. The process should promote the participation of all senior leaders at the Commission and establish the Commission's goals and objectives in consultation with Congress and relevant stakeholders. The process should also provide the Commission the opportunity to identify the resources it needs to achieve its goals. (Recommendation 1)
Open
The Commission agreed with this recommendation. The Commission acknowledged the deficiencies of its past strategic planning efforts and performance goals and measures and said it will develop near-term performance goals and measures to facilitate progress toward its strategic goals, in line with federal law and following federal performance management guidance. It will also improve its case-related data, and - after developing a plan to address this recommendation - incorporate stakeholder feedback into the plan (including consultations with Congress, the Department of Labor, mine operators, and worker advocates). We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission The Chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission should ensure that the Commission develops written policies for reviewing and monitoring how the Commission spends its appropriated funds to promote their effective use. (Recommendation 2)
Open
The Commission agreed with this recommendation. The Commission said it has engaged shared service providers to ensure compliance with federal regulations, adjusted processes to ensure spending oversight, and plans to hire a financial manager with the requisite skills to create our recommended policies. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission The Chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission should ensure that the Commission develops a strategic workforce plan that identifies the critical areas of expertise—such as human capital, finance, and legal compliance—needed to achieve the Commission's goals and creates a strategy to address identified resource gaps. (Recommendation 3)
Open
The Commission agreed with this recommendation. The Chair plans to work with senior leadership to develop a plan that will address skill gaps related to human capital, finance, and legal compliance areas. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission The Chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission should ensure that the Commission creates comprehensive hiring and promotion policies that are consistent with leading practices and legal requirements. (Recommendation 4)
Open
The Commission agreed with this recommendation. It plans to create comprehensive hiring and promotion policies consistent with best practices and legal requirements. In addition, the Commission said that it will ensure supervisors receive required training on employment standards and best practices, including proper consideration of veterans' preference and equal employment opportunity guidelines. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission The Chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission should ensure that the Commission establishes a comprehensive enterprise risk management process to help the agency determine the most significant risks to achieving its goals and prioritize how to use its resources to address these risks. (Recommendation 5)
Open
The Commission agreed with this recommendation. The Commission said it would take corrective action by developing an enterprise risk management framework consistent with relevant federal guidance, and that the Chair will work to ensure the COO has access to the resources required to implement the framework in compliance with federal requirements. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission The Chair of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission should assign roles and responsibilities to ensure the Commission complies with relevant laws and regulations. (Recommendation 6)
Open
The Commission agreed with this recommendation. The Chair plans to work with senior leadership to ensure that roles and responsibilities are assigned, communicated, and understood to ensure legal compliance with relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.

Defense Workforce: Efforts to Address Challenges in Recruiting and Retaining Federal Wage System Employees
GAO-25-107152
Sep 03, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Commander of Edwards Air Force Base develops measurable staffing targets for Edwards's FWS workforce and documents these targets in a civilian workforce plan or other documents used to help manage Edwards's FWS AF workforce. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Foreign Government Employment: Actions Needed to Clarify and Improve Processes for Military Retirees
GAO-25-107145
Jul 23, 2025
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, working in coordination with Coast Guard, develops department-wide FGE guidance that includes a definition of the employment types that require approval, baseline application procedures, and systems to communicate these requirements to military retirees. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Homeland Security The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Commandant of the Coast Guard, working in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, defines employment types requiring FGE approval, outlines baseline FGE application procedures, and develops a system for communicating these requirements to Coast Guard retirees. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, working in coordination with Coast Guard, develops and documents shared minimum evaluation factors to consider when reviewing FGE applications, including for effect on U.S. national interests. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Homeland Security The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Commandant of the Coast Guard, working in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, develops and documents shared minimum evaluation factors to consider when reviewing FGE applications, including for effect on U.S. national interests. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of State The Secretary of State should ensure the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs develops and documents factors for evaluating FGE requests from military retirees for adverse effects on U.S. foreign relations and for effect on U.S. national interests. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Workplace Safety and Health: OSHA Should Take Steps to Better Identify and Address Ergonomic Hazards at Warehouses and Delivery Companies
GAO-24-106413
Oct 08, 2024
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5 Open Recommendations
2 Priority
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Labor
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health ensures that OSHA compliance officers can easily obtain data during inspections on when musculoskeletal disorders occurred. This could include adding a column for musculoskeletal injuries to OSHA recordkeeping forms. (Recommendation 1)
Open
OSHA stated that inserting this column remains on its long-term regulatory agenda. However, OSHA also stated that completing the regulatory actions necessary to add such a column would divert resources from other current regulatory priorities. The agency also commented that it expects to receive more information on musculoskeletal and other injuries from certain employers who have been required to report case-level injury data electronically to OSHA headquarters since March 2024. In February 2025, DOL confirmed this status continues. We will await further updates on the use of additional information during inspections.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health increases training on identifying and assessing ergonomic hazards for compliance officers who inspect worksites under OSHA's National Warehouse and Distribution Center Emphasis Program. This may include making elective ergonomic courses required courses for some officers; adding new courses or ergonomic components to existing courses; or making existing courses more accessible, for example, by increasing their frequency or offering them online. (Recommendation 2)
Open
OSHA said that some of the recommendations in our report may help better protect warehouse and delivery workers from ergonomic hazards; while other parts of the recommendations may not be practical to implement due to resource constraints. OSHA did not provide specific comments on this recommendation: we await further information from the agency.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health review and make needed changes to OSHA's internal and publicly available guidance that compliance officers and employers use to identify, assess, and address ergonomic hazards. This may include clarifying existing guidance and providing more current, industry-specific guidance. (Recommendation 3)
Open
OSHA stated that it plans to review its publicly available ergonomic guidance in fiscal year 2025, updating it when warranted and when resources are available to do so. However, OSHA disagreed that there is a need for industry-specific ergonomic guidance for warehousing and delivery work, stating that it prioritizes industry-specific ergonomic guidance for industries with unique hazards. Our recommendation included issuing industry-specific guidance as one potential approach OSHA could pursue. As OSHA reviews its publicly available ergonomic guidance, it may wish to consider other approaches to ensure that compliance officers and employers have access to improved, updated guidance that allows them to identify, assess, and address ergonomic hazards.
Department of Labor The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health conducts timely follow-up with establishments that were issued an ergonomic hazard alert letter, as required by OSHA policy, to determine if establishments have taken corrective actions. This may include regional offices developing formal procedures for tracking ergonomic hazard alert letters. (Recommendation 4)
Open
OSHA said that some of the recommendations in our report may help better protect warehouse and delivery workers from ergonomic hazards; while other parts of the recommendations may not be practical to implement due to resource constraints. OSHA did not provide specific comments on this recommendation: we await further information from the agency.
Department of Labor
Priority Rec.
The Secretary of Labor should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health: (1) formally evaluates how well OSHA's national emphasis program for warehouses and distribution centers helps compliance officers identify, assess, and address ergonomic hazards; and (2) determines and documents next steps to correct any deficiencies detected. (Recommendation 5)
Open
OSHA said that some of the recommendations in our report may help better protect warehouse and delivery workers from ergonomic hazards; while other parts of the recommendations may not be practical to implement due to resource constraints. In February 2025, DOL reported no further action for now.
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