[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 22, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RETIREMENT OF JORDAN BARAB FROM THE EDUCATION AND LABOR COMMITTEE

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 22, 2021

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the service 
of Jordan Barab who served as the senior health and safety advisor to 
the Education & Labor Committee after serving in senior positions in 
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in two 
different Administrations. When Jordan announced his retirement from 
the Committee, Members of the Committee expressed deep appreciation for 
the expertise he imparted to the U.S. House of Representatives, 
especially when we were confronted with the spread of COVID-19.
  Jordan's experience working to enhance protections for healthcare 
workers during the H1N1 flu epidemic--when he led the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration as the Acting Assistant Secretary of 
Labor for Occupational Safety and Health during the Obama 
Administration--informed his counsel to the Committee and Congress to 
have OSHA develop an Emergency Temporary Standard to protect workers 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. That expertise was also helpful to the 
Commonwealth of Virginia which became the first state to develop its 
own emergency temporary standard to protect workers from COVID-19. As a 
result, other states had a model with which to follow suit.
  Jordan also worked with Representative Joe Courtney (CT) to advance 
legislation requiring health care and social service employers to 
implement plans to prevent workplace violence in the House-passed 
bipartisan Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social 
Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195). He made sure that public employees in 
states without OSHA protections received workplace violence protections 
through Medicare. He also worked with Representative Judy Chu (CA) on 
legislation to provide OSHA protections for workers from heat stress.
  Over the decades, Jordan has been at the forefront of our nation's 
efforts to make sure workers come home safely from their job every day. 
He was a key leader in efforts to seek stronger worker protections 
regarding bloodborne pathogens, tuberculosis, and ergonomic hazards. 
Jordan also worked for five years to develop safety recommendations to 
prevent catastrophic chemical accidents at the Chemical Safety and 
Hazard Investigations Board (CSB), as well as nearly two decades as 
Assistant Director of Research for Health and Safety with the American 
Federation of State Municipal and County Employees (AFSCME).
  In his earlier work with the Committee, under the leadership of 
Chairman George Miller (CA), Jordan focused on legislation to prevent 
combustible dust fires and explosions--an issue brought into sharp 
focus following the 2008 dust explosion which killed 14 and left over 
40 injured at a sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia. Jordan was 
the lead staffer into the investigations and legislation to prevent the 
obliteration of workers' lungs from the inhalation of a flavoring 
chemical used in popcorn called diacetyl. Jordan also examined the 
underreporting of injuries and illnesses, a practice that undermines 
effective workplace safety.
  Jordan's dedication to the safety of workers has spanned across the 
Committee, OSHA, CSB, AFSCME and the labor movement. There is no 
question that there are many workers who avoided injury or illness 
because of workplace safety improvements that came about because of 
Jordan's work. He remains a trusted advisor--and may not easily escape 
our inquiries when we have questions.
  On behalf of workers, their families, and the people of the country, 
I thank Jordan Barab for his service to the public and lasting 
contribution to workplace safety.

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