The U.S. Senate voted 50-41 to confirm Douglas Parker as assistant secretary of labor to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The position has not been filled since 2017.
Parker most recently served as chief of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. He previously was deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration under the Obama administration, and he served on President Biden’s worker health and safety transition team.
He joins the agency at a time when OSHA has been in the national spotlight pending the release of an emergency rule to require workers in companies with 100 or more employees to get vaccinated or submit to frequent COVID-19 testing. Employment law attorneys said Parker is expected to support robust enforcement efforts, including more site inspections, COVID-19 related protections, the proposed development of a heat exposure standard, and enhanced whistleblower and anti-retaliation policies.