Federal Position Descriptions
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Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health

Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, Department of Labor
Responsibility
Management Scope

Federal OSHA employs more than 2,000 employees in more than 120 offices across the country. In fiscal 2016, OSHA had an enacted budget of more than $552.8 million.

Primary Responsibilities

• Oversees OSHA, which:
• Covers most private-sector employers and workers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved state program
• Sets federal workplace safety and health standards, which state programs must meet or exceed
• Provides leadership and overall direction in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of programs and policies that advance the agency’s mission
• Holds overall responsibility for a complex range of activities, including workplace enforcement efforts with the strength to act as an effective deterrent; issuing standards and regulations that lead employers to provide safer workplaces; protecting the ability of workers to raise concerns about workplace safety or related issues without fear of retaliation; overseeing OSHA-approved state plans to ensure they are at least as effective as federal OSHA; and delivering compliance assistance efforts that promote the voluntary abatement of hazards
• Ensures that OSHA’s program focuses on the protection of workers in high-hazard occupations and industries, as well as on vulnerable and hard-to-reach worker populations
• Maintains a strong outreach and education program aimed at providing compliance assistance for small businesses

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Experience or demonstrated ability managing OSHA programs at the state level
• Experience working with or in state and local government
• Experience or demonstrated ability supporting and managing a staff of investigators
• Experience with government enforcement at the local, state or federal level
• Experience with formulation and implementation in a regulatory environment

Competencies

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent leadership skills
• Ability to work under high pressure
• Excellent negotiation skills

Past Appointments
  • David M. Michaels (2009 to 2010): Committee Decision Maker, Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor; Research Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University; Interim Chair, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health and Human Services, The George Washington University
  • Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. (2005 to 2006): Chair, Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor; Committee Decision Maker, Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor; Partner, Jackson Lewis LLP
  • John L. Henshaw (2001 to 2002): Senior Advisor, Department of Labor; Director, Environment, Safety, and Health, Astaris LLC; Director, Environment, Safety, and Health, Solutia Inc.
AGENCY

Department of Labor

Mission: To foster and promote the welfare of job seekers, wage earners and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment and protecting benefits

COMPENSATION

Level IV $155,500 (5 U.S.C. § 5315)1

REPORTS TO

Secretary of Labor

SENATE COMMITTEE

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

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Footnote
  1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels during calendar year 2017.
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