The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights. The DOL mission is carried out by a variety of sub-agencies and offices (DOL agencies) covering policy, workforce development, enforcement, statistics, and benefits. DOL has a responsibility to protect the integrity of scientific information that is produced, communicated, and used across DOL agencies to better carry out its mission.
DOL adopts the following Official Definition of Scientific Integrity:
Scientific integrity is the adherence to professional practices, ethical behavior, and the principles of honesty and objectivity when conducting, managing, using the results of, and communicating about science and scientific activities. Inclusivity, transparency, and protection from inappropriate influence are hallmarks of scientific integrity.
According to A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice published by the National Science and Technology Council’s Scientific Integrity Framework Interagency Working Group:
“The Scientific Integrity Official, with input from the Scientific Integrity Council, is responsible for generating and making prominently available on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) public facing website an annual report to DOL leadership on the status of scientific integrity within DOL, per the January 27, 2021, Presidential Memorandum...The report will also include the number of formal administrative investigations, informal requests for assistance, inquiries and appeals involving alleged or actual deviations from the scientific integrity policy and the number of investigations and pending appeals...”
Reports on the status of scientific integrity within DOL are listed below.
Numbers of:
- Formal Administrative Investigations: 0
- Informal Requests for Assistance: 0
- Inquiries and Appeals Involving Alleged or Actual Deviations from the Scientific Integrity Policy: 0
- Investigations and Pending Appeals: 0