Key to Biden OSHA Transition, Virus Rule Is Naming Deputy First

The most important OSHA appointment the Biden administration could make in its first days is filling the agency’s No. 2 post, a job that doesn’t require Senate review, advocates and former agency officials say.

“Naming a deputy assistant secretary on day one is key,” said Katie Tracy, a senior policy analyst with the Center for Progressive Reform in Washington. Filling the deputy post would send a strong signal that the Biden administration considered worker safety a priority and wanted a quick start, Tracy added.

The Biden administration has committed itself to quickly enacting an emergency temporary standard to protect workers ...