THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to present the Congressional Office of Compliance’s (OOC) Annual Report for FY2015. This past year marked the twentieth anniversary of the nearly unanimous passage of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA). The landmark legislation placed some 30,000 congressional workers and their offices under important workplace laws, and established the OOC as an independent agency to help ensure a fair and safe workplace, and barrier-free access to Capitol Hill and district offices.
For twenty years, the OOC has performed the work of multiple executive branch agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In FY2015, the OOC carried out its broad and important legislative mandate with a staff of 22 FTEs including a part-time Board of Directors. This Report highlights the OOC’s achievements and challenges in FY2015, as well as the significant changes on Capitol Hill since the passage of the CAA in 1995.
Prior to the CAA, most Capitol Hill buildings had not been subject to even the most basic building codes or occupational safety and health standards. The OOC’s first safety inspections led to the discovery of serious fire and other hazards in House and Senate buildings. Since those first inspections and at the urging of the OOC, Congress has abated thousands of serious workplace hazards, reduced numerous barriers to access for individuals with disabilities, and significantly improved the safety and accessibility of the Capitol Hill campus.
The OOC has continued to focus its safety efforts on high risk areas and on promoting safe emergency evacuation plans, ensuring adequate alarm and warning systems, and promoting staff training on safety issues. In FY2015, our small and dedicated inspection staff inspected a staggering number of buildings and millions of square feet of the Capitol Hill complex, both for OSH compliance and for review of accessibility barriers.
