President Joe Biden announced last week that his nominee for assistant secretary for occupational safety and health for the Department of Labor is Douglas L. Parker, the current head of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). In a press release, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health praised Parker’s nomination, with co-executive director Jessica Martinez adding that the group is “optimistic that [Parker] will restore faith in an agency tasked with implementing and enforcing safety standards during this critical time for U.S. workers and families.” In his role at Cal/OSHA, Parker oversaw the development and issuance of an emergency temporary COVID-19 standard for the state. California is one of a handful of states that has its own coronavirus-related standard, and Biden has ordered federal OSHA to evaluate the need for one at a national level.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/biden-nominates-california-safety-chief-as-head-of-osha/598352/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202021-04-14%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:33604%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive