For this end-of-the-year episode, Mark chats with Dr. David Michaels about implementing an OSHA emergency standard to help further protect workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. Michaels is an epidemiologist and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.

He served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health at the US Department of Labor from 2009 to 2017. He’s the longest-serving administrator in OSHA’s history. During the Clinton Administration,

Dr. Michaels served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety, and Health, charged with protecting the workers, community, and environment around the nation’s nuclear weapons facilities. Much of his research focuses on protecting the integrity of the science underpinning public health, safety, and environmental protections.

Dr. Michaels is a member of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board.

Two links to resources mentioned in the podcast:

• Halting Workplace COVID-19 Transmission: An Urgent Proposal to Protect American Workers
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration at 50: Protecting Workers in a Changing Economy

This episode was first published on Dec 25, 2020.