Douglas L. Parker
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
Douglas Parker is originally from Bluefield, West Virginia, but he grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia. He earned an undergraduate degree from James Madison University and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. He entered private practice.
During President Obama’s administration, Parker served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration. From 2019 to 2021, he served as chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
He was nominated by President Joe Biden to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in November 2021.
Parker is married and has two daughters.
In the News…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has initiated a three-month inspection tour of hospitals and long-term care facilities that handle COVID-19 patients to ensure they have corrected and updated their procedures as a way to prepare for a future surge of the virus.
The agency began with the “short-term increase in highly focused inspections“ directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities, starting in the middle of last week and continuing through June 9. The action of the agency is a signal that the U.S. is entering a new phase of the pandemic in which COVID-19 is not a daily health crisis but rather a normal facet of life that must be tolerated like any other disease risk, like the seasonal flu.
OSHA stated, “As the nation moves to the next phase of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor recognizes the need to prepare for any new variants that may emerge and provide health care workers the protections they deserve.”
OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor Doug Parker said the new round of targeted inspections was a precursor to a permanent standard on protecting workers from infectious disease.
“We want to be ahead of any future events in healthcare,” Assistant Secretary Parker said.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Assistant Secretary Parker today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Douglas L. Parker
Assistant Secretary of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
200 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20210
