OSHA

Harvard Law School professor Cass Sunstein, a leading constitutional law scholar, has been appointed by President-elect Barak Obama to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget. The person appointed to this powerful position is often referred to as “the regulatory czar,” as OIRA is the White House office that reviews all government regulations, including those issued by OSHA and EPA.

OSHA has published changes to its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) requirements that will allow companies with mobile workforces to receive recognition for excellence in occupational safety and health.  These changes will become effective on May 9, 2009.

During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama made a number of pledges to "strengthen occupational safety and health" by increasing funding for OSHA inspections and training....

Rep. Hilda Solis, President-elect Barak Obama’s pick to head the Department of Labor, laid out her vision for the department and received a warm welcome from Democratic members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee at a Jan. 9 confirmation hearing. Republican senators questioned her positions on range of labor issues, including a bill that could make it easier for workers to join labor unions.

Rep. Solis said that, if confirmed as the new Secretary of Labor, she would be a voice for working families and would emphasize the following four areas:

The Department of Labor (DOL) released its semiannual regulatory agenda on Nov. 24.

Specific Recommendations Include:

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Edwin G. Foulke, has announced that Friday, November 7 will be his last day at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Mr. Foulke is taking a position with Atlanta-based law firm. Fisher and Philips.

 The prominent roles of the nation's courts has been a central theme, for better or worse., in the evolution of occupational safety and health in the United States

 The panel, which included Frank White, senior vice president of ORC Worldwide, Jordan Barab, senior labor policy advisor to the House Committee on Education and Labor and Marc Freedman, director of labor law policy at the U.S Chamber of Commerce, considered not only how the upcoming presidential administration change might impact OSHA, but exactly how much capacity the agency has for change in the first place.