At the direction of President Obama, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis traveled to Louisiana yesterday to inspect efforts to ensure the health, safety and well-being of workers affected by the BP oil spill. During a two-day tour, she will meet with beach cleanup workers in Port Fourchon, La.; discuss worker safety efforts with OSHA staff; and visit the Terrebonne Career Solutions Center, where she will meet with Vietnamese workers affected by the spill.

Secretary Solis' actions on scene are being coordinated by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the administration-wide response and directing all interagency activities.

In the Gulf region, Secretary Solis will join OSHA chief honcho Dr. David Michaels to meet with OSHA staff about safety efforts underway for workers during clean-up activities. She also will conduct an aerial tour of the affected area and meet with beach clean-up workers to discuss the administration's efforts to ensure their safety.

Today Solis will visit the Zion Travelers Cooperative Center in Phoenix, La., to assess the programs that are being offered for workers in the area. She also will meet with African-American fishermen, and tour the Jefferson Business and Career Solutions Center in Gretna, La., where she will meet with representatives from shrimp and oyster associations in Louisiana. She will conclude her meetings with nonprofit organizations that have been assisting various affected workers.