OIG Report Calls for More Consistent Standards in USCG Data Collection

A June 2011 report by the Office of the Inspector General calls for more consistent standards in data collection by the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety. According to CQ, Marine safety represents a significant portion of Coast Guard activities. The program takes up between 6 and 9 percent of the service’s budget — roughly $650 million per year in fiscal 2010 and 2011. But the Coast Guard lacks a consistent standards for gathering data on its program activities, preventing it from developing an accurate picture for how much money and resources it will need in the future. The inspector general said the Coast Guard needs to complete a better guide for marine inspector to input information into its marine safety data collection system.

The service also needs to develop standards for conducting investigations, the report found. For some activities, such as the inspection of vessels under construction, there is no consistent guidance for the qualifications an inspector must possess. The full report is available here.