DOL Names New Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA
The Department of Labor (DOL) has selected Amanda Edens as its new deputy assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Edens formerly served as the director of OSHA’s Directorate of Technical Support & Emergency Management (DTSEM) since 2012.
Edens joined OSHA in 1985 as an industrial hygienist. In 2002, she served as the director for the Office of Chemical Hazards-Metals in OSHA’s Directorate of Standards and Guidance, and in 2007 became deputy director of the Directorate of Standards and Guidance. Edens has also served on details as acting director for the agency’s Directorate of Evaluation and Analysis and Directorate of Enforcement Programs.
Edens holds a Master of Science in Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has contributed to the development of significant health standards, including asbestos, bloodborne pathogens and hexavalent chromium; led emergency management efforts for protecting the safety and health of response and clean-up workers following Superstorm Sandy and Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria; and led emergency technical support efforts during the Ebola events and Zika epidemic.
“Amanda Edens is a dedicated public servant focused on the agency’s mission of improving the safety and health of workers,” said Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. “I am confident that in her new role she will continue the mission of assuring safe and healthful workplaces for America’s workers.”
