Washington’s OSHA watchers were buzzing in late April over signals that the wait for the agency’s new chief might soon be over. John Henshaw, currently director of environment, health and safety for St. Louis-based Astaris LLC, a joint venture between Solutia, Inc., and FMC Corp., is said to be the front runner for the job, according to numerous sources. Henshaw, a certified industrial hygienist, managed health and safety programs for Monsanto for years, and was president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association in 1990-1991.
One source said a White House announcement could come within a week to ten days, though there were also reports that the administration was still interested in someone with small business experience.