Former Amazon executive Heather MacDougall is among those under consideration to run the federal agency tasked with enforcing workplace health and safety laws, according to two people familiar with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition planning and a third person in touch with Republican planners, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
There is no indication that Trump’s team has begun to seriously consider candidates for the role. And MacDougall is just one candidate who has been floated to run the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the people said.
“President-Elect Trump has made brilliant decisions on who will serve in his second Administration at lightning pace,” Karoline Leavitt, a Trump-Vance campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made.”
MacDougall oversaw workplace health and safety at Amazon, the country’s second-largest private employer, from 2019 to 2022. During that period, Amazon faced criticism from workers, labor advocates and some lawmakers for high injury rates and its coronavirus response in warehouses. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Amazon has previously said of its workplace safety record that “the safety and health of our employees is and always will be our top priority.”
The company also said in July that the company’s recordable injury rate has improved significantly since 2019.
While MacDougall would probably be a welcome pick for the business lobby, her selection could encounter fierce opposition from labor unions, including the Teamsters, which has a nationwide campaign to organize workers at Amazon and has forged a relationship with Trump this year.
After lobbying from the Teamsters, Trump selected last month a moderate Republican who has supported pro-union legislation to lead the Labor Department.
MacDougall previously chaired the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, an independent federal agency that handles appeals of OSHA penalties issued to employers, after being appointed by President Barack Obama.
Amazon also faces ongoing investigations into workplace safety by a Senate committee and the Justice Department.
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(c) Washington Post
