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OSHA Administrator Could Be Named Soon

March 19, 2001

The Washington Post reported Thursday that John Barr, former head of the Virginia state occupational safety program, will\r\nbe named OSHA administrator.

EHS Today Staff

The Washington Post reported Thursday that John Barr, former head of the Virginia state occupational safety program, will be named OSHA administrator.

While it was confirmed that Barr applied as a potential candidate for the head of the agency, it was not confirmed that he has been chosen.

Currently, Barr is a lawyer at the Washington, D.C., law firm Morgan Lewis.

Barr returned to the firm after serving as the labor commissioner in Virginia from 1998 to 2000.

As labor commissioner, Barr was responsible for enforcing the state''s OSHA statute, as well as the state''s Payment of Wage, Right to Work and child labor statutes.

Barr graduated from Wabash College in 1984 and received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1987.

Peter Eide, manager of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that Barr was on the chamber''s list of recommended candidates.

"John Barr is a good, capable and qualified person and we would be pleased if the Secretary of Labor chose him to be OSHA administrator," said Eide.

An OSHA spokesperson''s only comment about the Post report was that "an announcement regarding the position will be made by the White House when the time is appropriate."

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.