Obama nominates epidemiologist to head workplace safety agency in Labor Department

September 24th, 2009 Obama nominates envoy on North Korean human rightsWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is nominating a new special envoy on North Korean human rights issues. The White House announced on Thursday the nomination of Robert King, a one-time congressional aid on the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee.

September 10th, 2009 Obama nominates lawyer, professor for TVA boardNASHVILLE, Tenn. — President Barack Obama has named two nominees for the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors.

August 20th, 2009 Workplace suicides surge by 28 percentWASHINGTON — Workplace suicides surged 28 percent last year, the Labor Department said Thursday, as anxious workers dealt with a struggling economy and watched colleagues depart in a rash of layoffs. At the same time, the agency's Bureau of Labor Statistics said the total number of workers who died on the job from any cause fell by 10 percent.

July 14th, 2009 Obama nominates new Peace Corps directorWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he will nominate a career international development specialist to be director of the Peace Corps. Aaron Williams is the vice president for international business development with RTI International.

July 6th, 2009 Obama nominates heads of mining agenciesCHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Obama administration nominated officials Monday to head two key agencies that oversee the health and safety of the nation's 392,000 miners and environmental issues at thousands of surface mines across the country.

June 18th, 2009 GAO: Labor safety program is inadequateWASHINGTON — Congressional investigators say the Labor Department has poorly managed a program that allows companies with good safety records to skip routine inspections — and mistakenly allowed some businesses with serious violations to participate in it. In a report issued Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said the agency's Occupational Safety and Health Administration lacks controls to make sure the right businesses are participating in the program.

June 16th, 2009 Palin nominates Sullivan to key Alaska postSOLDOTNA, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has nominated former U.S.

June 3rd, 2009 Obama picks former GOP rep to head Nat'l EndowmentWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has nominated former Republican Rep. Jim Leach as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

May 6th, 2009 Obama nominates SC pol to head consumer commissionWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning to South Carolina's former school superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry. The president asked Congress Tuesday for $107 million to fund the agency charged with ensuring that products from toys and cribs to ATVs and toasters are safe for use.

May 5th, 2009 Obama seeks expanded consumer commissionWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning to South Carolina's former school superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry. The president asked Congress Tuesday for $107 million to fund the agency charged with ensuring that products from toys and cribs to ATVs and toasters are safe for use.

May 5th, 2009 Obama seeks larger, pricier consumer commissionWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning to South Carolina's former school superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry. The president asked Congress Tuesday for $107 million to fund the agency charged with ensuring that products from toys and cribs to ATVs and toasters are safe for use.

May 5th, 2009 Obama asks for larger consumer commissionWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is turning to South Carolina's former school superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry. The president asked Congress Tuesday for $107 million to fund the agency charged with ensuring that products from toys and cribs to ATVs and toasters are safe for use.

April 29th, 2009 Gov't to propose new rules on workplace safetyWASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Tuesday that the government would soon propose new safety rules to protect workers from industrial dust that can cause explosions and a popcorn flavoring chemical linked to lung disease. The announcement is part of her efforts to boost safety enforcement at the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

April 27th, 2009 New memorial honors workplace deathsWASHINGTON — Labor leaders are dedicating a national memorial to honor the more than 5,000 workers who lose their lives on the job each year. The National Workers Memorial will be located on the campus of the National Labor College, just outside the nation's capitol in Silver Spring, Md.

April 24th, 2009 Union activist appointed to Labor DepartmentWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has appointed a key union activist as senior adviser to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, another sign of the influence that organized labor wields in the Obama administration. Mary Beth Maxwell spent the past five years as executive director of American Rights at Work, a nonprofit group pushing for passage of a bill to make it easier to form unions.