Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 18 hours ago
Gerard (Jerry) Scannell recalls his service in various leadership positions at OSHA during its first decade, from 1971 to 1979. He was Special Assistant to the first OSHA Assistant Secretary from 1971 – 1972, was the Director of the Office of Standards for OSHA from 1972 – 1974 and was the Director of OSHA’s Office of Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs from 1974 - 1979. After leaving OSHA in 1979, he became the head of safety at Johnson & Johnson and became a leader in the National Safety Council. He returned to OSHA in 1989, appointed by President George H.W. Bush to become OSHA’s eighth Assistant Secretary, heading the Agency. The AIDS epidemic drove the bloodborne pathogens standard to completion in 1991, and a series of chemical and oil facility leaks and explosions led to the process safety standard in 1992. Scannell’s aggressiveness was supported by his boss, Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole, mirroring the activism of Eula Bingham that was backed by then Labor Secretary Ray Marshall. Explained one OSHA veteran: “The OSHA chief is only as effective as the Labor Secretary allows.” His proposals to regulate motor vehicle safety and workplace smoking were sweeping measures that failed to move forward. He also had plans to address ergonomics, medical surveillance, and exposure monitoring. After the departure of Elizabeth Dole in 1991, he felt a lack of support by the new DOL head Lynn Martin and left OSHA in 1992. Before moving to OSHA in 1971, Scannell had been the safety director at Rohm and Haas Co. in Bristol, PA, 1965 - 1971; safety manager at the Thiokol Chemical Corp. in Bristol, PA, 1962 - 1965; and supervisor of the safety engineering department at Aetna Casualty and Surety Company in Worcester, MA, 1958 - 1962. This interview was conducted by the DOL History office and is available at the US National Archive Sound Collection in College Park, Maryland.
Gerard (Jerry) Scannell recalls his service in various leadership positions at OSHA during its first decade, from 1971 to 1979. He was Special Assistant to the first OSHA Assistant Secretary from 1971 – 1972, was the Director of the Office of Standards for OSHA from 1972 – 1974 and was the Director of OSHA’s Office of Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs from 1974 - 1979. After leaving OSHA in 1979, he became the head of safety at Johnson & Johnson and became a leader in the National Safety Council. He returned to OSHA in 1989, appointed by President George H.W. Bush to become OSHA’s eighth Assistant Secretary, heading the Agency. The AIDS epidemic drove the bloodborne pathogens standard to completion in 1991, and a series of chemical and oil facility leaks and explosions led to the process safety standard in 1992. Scannell’s aggressiveness was supported by his boss, Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole, mirroring the activism of Eula Bingham that was backed by then Labor Secretary Ray Marshall. Explained one OSHA veteran: “The OSHA chief is only as effective as the Labor Secretary allows.” His proposals to regulate motor vehicle safety and workplace smoking were sweeping measures that failed to move forward. He also had plans to address ergonomics, medical surveillance, and exposure monitoring. After the departure of Elizabeth Dole in 1991, he felt a lack of support by the new DOL head Lynn Martin and left OSHA in 1992. Before moving to OSHA in 1971, Scannell had been the safety director at Rohm and Haas Co. in Bristol, PA, 1965 - 1971; safety manager at the Thiokol Chemical Corp. in Bristol, PA, 1962 - 1965; and supervisor of the safety engineering department at Aetna Casualty and Surety Company in Worcester, MA, 1958 - 1962. This interview was conducted by the DOL History office and is available at the US National Archive Sound Collection in College Park, Maryland.
