The Washington Post reported Thursday that John Barr, former head of the Virginia state occupational safety program, will be named OSHA administrator.
While it was confirmed that Barr applied as a potential candidate for the head of the agency, it was not confirmed that he has been chosen.
Currently, Barr is a lawyer at the Washington, D.C., law firm Morgan Lewis.
Barr returned to the firm after serving as the labor commissioner in Virginia from 1998 to 2000.
As labor commissioner, Barr was responsible for enforcing the state''s OSHA statute, as well as the state''s Payment of Wage, Right to Work and child labor statutes.
Barr graduated from Wabash College in 1984 and received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1987.
Peter Eide, manager of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that Barr was on the chamber''s list of recommended candidates.
"John Barr is a good, capable and qualified person and we would be pleased if the Secretary of Labor chose him to be OSHA administrator," said Eide.
An OSHA spokesperson''s only comment about the Post report was that "an announcement regarding the position will be made by the White House when the time is appropriate."
by Virginia Sutcliffe