Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood will leave his post at the end of this month to take a job with the State of Washington, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) announced today.
The department expects soon to name an interim administrator of the workplace health and safety division, with a national recruitment for the position planned.
“Michael has dedicated his career to public service, has skillfully steered Oregon OSHA through many challenges, and is leaving behind a strong team of highly skilled professionals who are ready to address new challenges,” said Andrew Stolfi, DCBS director. “We will miss him and wish him well as he moves into a new phase of his impressive career in public service.”
Wood’s last day with Oregon OSHA is Oct. 22. He has accepted a position as deputy director of operations for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Wood has served as administrator of Oregon OSHA for 16 years. Before joining the State of Oregon in his current position, he worked for the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries for more than two decades.
Wood, a Certified Safety Professional and a graduate of Gonzaga University, said Oregon has made its workplace health and safety system a success for decades.
“We have demonstrated a resilience and flexibility in the face of these extraordinary times,” he said. “I also know that I leave behind a team that is truly capable of extraordinary work.”
Even as it has quickly responded to the COVID-19 emergency – including adopting requirements to protect workers – Oregon OSHA has continued to advance its long-running work addressing high-hazard industries and various emphasis safety programs. For decades, the division’s efforts – part of a larger system in Oregon focused on safe and healthy workplaces – have helped drive down injury, illness, and fatality rates in Oregon workplaces.