Opportunities Exist To Strengthen Compliance With Health and Safety Requirements at the GSTR Laboratory

Based on a request from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), we evaluated compliance with health and safety requirements at the Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor (GSTR) laboratory, located at the Federal Center in Lakewood, CO, from fiscal years 2013 to 2016. Nonpower reactors such as the GSTR are designed for research experiments on geologic, plant, and animal specimens. We found that USGS did not manage the GSTR laboratory in accordance with established health and safety regulations. Specifically, we found— incomplete job hazard analyses; insufficient management of accident and incident reporting; use of an outdated chemical inventory; unremedied program evaluation findings; and inconsistent self-audit safety questions. These issues leave USGS in violation of policy and may lead to workplace injuries, workers’ compensation claims, and lost productivity. We made seven recommendations to address the noncompliance with USGS and DOI health and safety regulations.