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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 202-219-6091
Charles N. Jeffress was sworn into office today as Assistant Secretary
of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. President Clinton announced his
intent to nominate Jeffress to the post August 27, and he was unanimously
confirmed by the Senate on Oct. 30, 1997.
Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman administered the oath of office to
Jeffress, who will now head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA). Herman praised Jeffress for the leadership he has demonstrated as
director of North Carolina's state OSHA program, saying his joining the
Department of Labor creates a "magnificent team."
"At the top of my list of priorities and goals is guaranteeing all
Americans a safe and healthful workplace. Bringing Charles Jeffress on board
clearly takes us one stop closer to making that goal a reality," Herman said.
U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D., Mass.), ranking minority member of
the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, termed Jeffress " the right
person at the right time for the right job. We are grateful to the President
for searching the entire country to bring us the very best." Congress, the
senator said, is looking forward to his success.
As head of OSHA, Jeffress will be responsible for administering a broad
program to reduce injuries and illnesses on the job that includes development
of workplace safety and health standards to abate hazards, enforcement of those
standards, and consultation and education for both employers and workers.
In remarks to well-wishers, family and OSHA staff, Jeffress pledged to
"continue the North Carolina tradition of cooperation and communication among
business, labor and OSHA."
He added, " To employers who want to work with us to achieve safer
workplaces, we will offer you cooperation, consultation, education and training
to help you reduce your risk of accidents. We will also use our enforcement
authority to motivate employers and to discourage unsafe behavior. We will
focus our enforcement where it is most needed and will concentrate on
workplaces with high accident rates."
An experienced planner, successful manager and innovative thinker,
Jeffress has spent the past 20 years working on labor and workplace issues.
Prior to his nomination by President Clinton, he was Deputy Commissioner and
Director of OSHA at the North Carolina Department of Labor. In that capacity,
he developed safety and health policy for the state and directed OSHA
enforcement, consultation, and education and training activities.
Jeffress served as Assistant Commissioner of the North Carolina
Department of Labor from 1977 to 1992, focusing on program management,
government affairs and policy development. His responsibilities included budget
preparation, developing personnel policy, overseeing development of new
programs, and acting as chief legislative lobbyist for the agency with the
state legislature. He also directed agency research and advised the
Commissioner on issues relating to occupational safety and health, employment
standards and job training, and personnel.
Jeffress holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1971.
He is a 1980 graduate of the Government Executives Institute at the UNC-Chapel
Hill School of Business Administration and a 1990 graduate of the Program for
Senior Executives in Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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