A new OSHA chief

Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

President Barack Obama recently nominated George Washington University professor David Michaels to head the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Michaels’ nomination demonstrates Obama’s commitment to worker safety.

Michaels, an epidemiologist, has the right mix of training and experience, having done extensive research on occupational injuries and illnesses and significant public policy work.

He also served as an assistant secretary in the Energy Department under the Clinton administration, overseeing environment, safety and health. He spearheaded the federal government’s program to compensate nuclear workers who developed cancer or lung disease as a result of their work.

Michaels understands the politics that have shaped workplace safety oversight in America and prevented OSHA and other regulatory agencies from taking appropriate steps to safeguard the public’s health. His 2008 book, “Doubt Is Their Product: How Industry’s Assault on Science Threatens Your Health,” is a primer on the way some corporations and special interests have used skewed studies to defeat sound policies.

Michaels has called for a new attitude about worker safety, which is desperately needed. More than 5,000 workers are killed every year and more than 4 million more are injured or sickened. In an interview with the Sun last year, he said there should be a national discussion on the issue focusing on the simple question: “How do you make sure workers get home safe very night?”

After all, he noted, workplace safety “isn’t purely a partisan issue.”

Indeed. A dangerous workplace is as much a hazard to Republicans as it is to Democrats.

Leading OSHA won’t be easy. The Bush administration gutted the agency, and powerful politicians and business interests have stood together over the years to block strong safety regulations and enforcement.

OSHA, as we have noted before, needs a major overhaul, and Obama has signaled his intent to overhaul it. When the Senate reconvenes next month, it should quickly confirm Michaels’ nomination.