PBS data shows that there are nearly 36,000 actionable, open risk conditions at almost 2,000 GSA-managed assets nationwide. Image: Hunter Bliss Images/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffFollowing are the key sections of a report by the GSA inspector general’s office on pending fire, safety and health risks in GSA-managed federal buildings.
Open risk conditions can pose health, safety, and fire risks to GSA building occupants and federal property. However, PBS data shows a significant backlog of open fire, safety, and health risk conditions throughout GSA-managed assets, including thousands of risk conditions that have not been addressed within the time frames prescribed by OSHA. Taken together, the volume of open risk conditions indicates that PBS management attention is needed to protect building occupants and federal property.
PBS Faces a Significant Backlog of Open Fire, Safety, and Health Risk Conditions
An open risk condition is a situation that has been identified as a potential danger to persons in or around GSA-managed assets. These risk conditions can include a lack of required signage, obstructions in the way of fire exits, or the presence of hazardous materials. As of November 22, 2023, PBS data shows 35,955 open risk conditions throughout 1,981 GSA managed assets nationwide.
As demonstrated in the two examples below, some of the open risk conditions constitute significant safety hazards.
• Charles E. Chamberlain Federal Building and U.S. Post Office, Lansing, Michigan – A fire protection survey completed on March 20, 2017, found that the building had a high fire risk and recommended the installation of a complete sprinkler system. PBS noted that it would work with an asset manager to budget for a minor repairs and alterations project to design and install a complete sprinkler system. However, as of November 22, 2023— almost 7 years after the risk was first identified—no abatement plan or corrective actions had been entered into IRIS.
• One White Flint North, Bethesda, Maryland – A safety survey completed on May 2, 2019, found falling stone from the façade of the building. The surveyor noted that the falling stone posed an “immediate and potentially imminent danger to employees and the public.” However, as of November 22, 2023—more than 4.5 years later—no abatement plan or corrective actions had been entered into IRIS.
PBS’s Facilities Risk Management Division Director told us that each PBS region reviews the status of: (1) its open risk conditions and (2) abatement plan development throughout the year. In addition, they stated that these statuses are also analyzed yearly by the Facilities Risk Management Division. However, as described above, PBS’s own data shows that tens of thousands of open risk conditions exist across GSA-managed assets nationwide.
GSA Is Not Consistently Addressing Open Risk Conditions within Required Time Frames
Federal regulations require GSA, within 30 calendar days, to either: (1) abate unsafe or unhealthful conditions or (2) submit an abatement plan to address the conditions.5 However, of the 35,955 open risk conditions, PBS’s data shows that 5,131 (14 percent) were not corrected, nor was an abatement plan put in place, within the required 30-day period. On average, PBS’s data shows that it took almost 3 years to put an abatement plan in place to correct these open risk conditions.
The examples below include three long-standing, open risk conditions that were not addressed within the 30-day requirement.
• 1200 1st Street NE, Washington, D.C. – A fire protection survey completed on October 20, 2016, found that fire dampers were not tested within the required time frame. PBS developed an abatement plan to obtain an updated test certification from the lessor almost 7 years later, on October 2, 2023.
• Tucson Federal Building, Tucson, Arizona – A safety survey completed on March 3, 2017, recommended signage to warn of fall hazards on the roof from vertical shafts and an access ladder to the rooftop penthouses that had no guard rail or fall protection. PBS developed an abatement plan to order and place signage more than 6 years later, on April 13, 2023.
• U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse, Fort Lauderdale, Florida – A safety survey completed on November 2, 2021, found that screws were missing from a panel in the electrical room, which created an opening that exposed workers to live electrical parts. The surveyor recommended installing screws and securing the front cover plate. PBS developed an abatement plan for the recommended actions more than 1.5 years later, on June 7, 2023.
PBS officials told us that the requirement to address unsafe and unhealthy conditions in a timely manner is very important to them. The Facilities Risk Management Division Director told us that, starting in 2021, PBS added a performance measure designed to track compliance with this requirement into the annual performance plans of more than 1,300 employees. The Facilities Risk Management Division Director also told us that they conduct an end-of-year analysis of risk conditions that is presented to various stakeholder groups within GSA. However, PBS’s own data shows that a significant number of unsafe and hazardous conditions in GSA managed assets have not been addressed in a timely manner.
Conclusion
PBS data shows that there are nearly 36,000 actionable, open risk conditions at almost 2,000 GSA-managed assets nationwide. The same data shows that there are more than 5,000 open risk conditions that were not corrected or did not have an abatement plan in place within the 30-day period required by OSHA regulations. To protect building occupants and federal property, unsafe or hazardous risk conditions in GSA managed assets should be addressed in a timely manner. Additionally, PBS’s policies and procedures for managing, correcting, mitigating, and closing out open risk conditions should promote the effective and timely resolution of health, safety, and fire risks.
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