PART part II

The program assessment rating tool (PART) results of Labor Department programs by OMB are shown on the President’s Budget page.

The PART is a mechanism to withdraw funding from programs. It’s a No Child Left Behind [that is, No School Left Unpunished] approach to government service.

It’s a bad guy idea, for sure, like quantitative risk assessment. While we were right to fight QRA, smart people have since found that QRA actually supported very strict standards for chemicals for which there is an adequate data set, at least in the occupational environment. [The Bad Guys figured that out as well, and have since launched a campaign against QRA called Houdini Risk Assessment, which aims to make the hazard identification step disappear.]

BrooklynDodger fears that PART will survive beyond this administration. So we public health people have to address the PART and see if it can be turned in a positive direction.

The Dodger was defeated in abstracting the OSHA entry for PART. One extract is below. Read it and weep, but don’t mourn.

All DOL:


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Rating Page
Black Lung Benefits Program............................................................................. Moderately Effective.................. 3
Bureau of Labor Statistics.................................................................................. Effective...................................... 16
Community Service Employment for Older Americans.................................... Ineffective................................... 26
Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Program...................................................... Results Not Demonstrated......... 34
Dislocated Worker Assistance............................................................................. Adequate..................................... 49
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)........................................ Moderately Effective.................. 61
Employment Service............................................................................................ Adequate..................................... 73
Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA)..................................................Moderately Effective.................. 88
H-1BLabor Applications Program...................................................................... Moderately Effective................ 98
International Child Labor Program and Office of Foreign Relations............... Adequate..................................... 109
Job Corps.............................................................................................................. Moderately Effective.................. 120
Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers.................................................................. Ineffective................................... 134
Mine Safety and Health Administration............................................................ Adequate..................................... 146
Native American Programs - Workforce Investment Act................................. Adequate..................................... 158
Occupational Safety and Health Administration...............................................Adequate..................................... 174
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)............................. Adequate..................................... 184
Pensions Benefit Guaranty Corporation............................................................ Moderately Effective.................. 197
Permanent Labor Certificate Program............................................................... Adequate..................................... 210
Trade Adjustment Assistance............................................................................. Ineffective................................... 221
Unemployment Insurance Administration State Grants.................................. Moderately Effective.................. 231
Youth Activities................................................................................................... Ineffective................................... 243

One of OSHA's bad marks:

2.REG1 Are all regulations issued by the program/agency necessary to meet the stated goals of the
program, and do all regulations clearly indicate how the rules contribute to achievement
of the goals? NO
Many OSHA regulations (e.g., OSHA's permissible exposure limits, which were promulgated in the 1970s) are in need of updating/streamlining. OSHA's current Standards Improvement Project, which entails the review of rules to update and simplify requirements, is a step in the right direction but should go further. In April 2002 OSHA asked numerous consensus standard organizations for their priorities for updating OSHA standards based on their requirements. OSHA is reviewing the feedback it received to determine appropriate next steps. OSHA's regulations show a fairly clear relationship to OSHA's strategic goals.

OSHA Standards Improvement Project Phase I, 62 FR 40141; Longshoring Standard Improvement Project, 63 FR 33450; OSHA Standards Improvement Project Phase II is scheduled to be published in October 2002. 12%