Amanda Edems Named Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA

The U.S. Department of Labor 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.”

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.