Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels has appointed Bill Perry as the new director of the agency's Directorate of Standards and Guidance, effective Aug. 24, 2014. Perry most recently served as deputy director in the Directorate of Standards and Guidance. In his new role, Perry is responsible for directing technical analysis and scientific research to develop standards and guidance materials, and overseeing regulatory development on a range of occupational safety and health topics.

"Bill has been a tremendous asset to this agency for many years and I am confident that he will be an effective leader in developing occupational safety and health standards that accomplish the agency's mission of protecting America's workers," said Assistant Secretary Michaels.

Perry began his federal career at OSHA in 1994 as a health scientist in the Directorate of Health Standards. In that capacity, he served on several project teams to develop standards for crystalline silica, hexavalent chromium, butadiene, respiratory protection programs, updated permissible exposure limits for hazardous chemicals, ergonomics and a number of safety standards.

Prior to joining OSHA, Perry was vice president of a consulting firm that assisted OSHA in conducting health risk assessments, control technology evaluations and economic impact studies for several agency standards.

Perry graduated from the University of Maryland with bachelor and master degrees in microbiology, and is certified in the Comprehensive Practice of Industrial Hygiene.