Senate Confirms Parker as OSHA Chief

The U.S. Senate has approved Douglas Parker, former California workplace safety chief, as assistant secretary of labor at the Labor Department and the new head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The Senate vote was 50-41 to confirm President Biden’s nominee.

Since 2019, Parker has been chief of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health since 2019. He previously served in the Obama administration in the Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.

How Biden Vaccine Mandate Will Test OSHA

The confirmation comes at a time when OSHA is about to release an emergency rule to require companies with 100 or more employees to have their employees get COVID-vaccinated or submit to frequent coronavirus testing. The rule is currently under review by the White House. President Biden called for the vaccine mandate in September. It would affect roughly 80 million workers nationwide.

Parker is the first nominee to receive confirmation as OSHA director since 2017. James Frederick, acting assistant secretary of labor, has been heading OSHA since Biden took office.