The Case of the Missing Homeland Security Director

April 18, 2002
Dr. Jack Longmire may be tapped for OSHA post, according to the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

OSHA has sent conflicting signals about who, if anyone, is in charge of its Homeland Security program.

Aaron Trippler, director of government affairs for the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), said it could be Dr. Jack Longmire, an OSHA occupational physician based in Washington.

According to Trippler, "Longmire called our office and said, ''I''m the new Homeland Security director for OSHA, and John [Henshaw] told me to get in touch with the professional associations.''"

Trippler said, among other things, that Longmire wanted the names of people who would be speaking on bioterrorism at AIHA''s June conference in San Diego. As of mid-April, however, an OSHA spokesperson had no comment on the Trippler report and said no formal announcement about the new position had been made. Longmire also declined to comment on the matter.

The apparent mix-up deepened the skepticism about the agency''s commitment to homeland security for Peg Seminario, safety and health director for the AFL-CIO. "To quote Gertrude Stein about Oakland, ''There''s no ''there'' there on homeland security,''" Seminario said. "They have no budget and apparently no director either."

by James Nash ([email protected])

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