Bloomberg BNA Quotes Mark Konkel on Agency Direction with OSHA’s Head’s Retiring

Five months into Trump’s presidency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will see a change when Dorothy Dougherty, OSHA’s current head, retires on June 30. Even without an appointed head, OSHA has made a bid to limit the effect of the Volks rule, adjusting worker’s exposure to the chemical beryllium. Bloomberg BNA turned to Partner Mark Konkel to discuss.

“A lot of press has focused on the idea that federal agencies will be directionless without heads, and that’s true in the most general sense,” said Mark. ​“But day to day, a giant administrative bureaucracy with thousands of employees is running, meaning that policy momentum will guide what they do in the absence of new top-down direction under the Trump administration.”

In addition to the delay of rules requiring workers to electronically submit all injury and illness data to OSHA, the administration also signed off on a Congressional vote to eliminate the Volks rule through the Congressional Review Act.

“This may have the effect of extending Obama-era policy direction, because there’s nothing new to interrupt the old direction,” Mark added.

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