OSH Review Commission Back in Action

Amanda Wood Laihow and Cynthia Attwood were sworn in this week as members of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, completing the three-person panel as Trump administration appointees after an extended period of inactivity without a quorum. James J. Sullivan, Jr. was sworn in as chairman July 22, 2019, after serving as a commissioner for two years.

The commission provides administrative trial and appellate review of cases involving citations and/or penalties issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Laihow has acted as Chief Counsel to Sullivan, serving as his primary legal adviser on all agency matters. Before joining the commission, she was Director of Labor and Employment Policy for the National Association of Manufacturers. Other previous positions include Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Assistant General Counsel at the General Services Administration.

Attwood returns to the commission for a third term. She was originally appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010. Prior to joining the commission she was an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board.  She also served as the department’s Associate Solicitor for Occupational Safety and Health, and before that as Associate Solicitor for Mine Safety and Health.