OSHA administrator Doug Parker described his “whirlwind” first days at the agency, along with his first full year on the job and other topics, Monday afternoon during a live recording of the On the Safe Side podcast.
Parker joined podcast hosts and Safety+Health Associate Editors Barry Bottino, Kevin Druley, and Alan Ferguson at the National Safety Council booth (3635) during the 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo at the San Diego Convention Center.
“I was on the job for about three or four days before we signed the mandatory vaccine and testing rule,” Parker said. “And so that was a real trial going through that process, trying to get my bearings on all of the other issues that were pressing at the agency, and trying to get my own sea legs and learning how to operate within the organization while we had this major litigation going on. So that was certainly a challenge.”
Parker also addressed the agency’s work on the regulatory front, most immediately finalizing a permanent standard on COVID-19 for the health care industry. “We’re hoping to get that done very soon. We’re working very diligently on that.
“Our next priority is going to be heat.”
In July, the House Education and Labor Committee advanced legislation that would direct OSHA to develop a workplace heat standard within two years of its passage. The legislation calls for provisions concerning training and education on prevention and response to heat illness, along with whistleblower protections.
Produced monthly, “On the Safe Side” covers important safety topics and features interviews with leading voices in the profession. The podcast made its NSC Safety Congress & Expo debut last year in Orlando, FL.
Did you miss the live podcast recording? You can listen to it, along with all past episodes on the S+H website.
