OSHA appoints new director for its construction directorate

Construction industry veteran Dean McKenzie has been appointed as the new director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction.

McKenzie was director of OSHA’s Office of Construction Services from 2012-2013, then became the deputy director in 2013, and has been the acting director since January 2016. McKenzie began his career in the steel mills of Gary, Ind., as a journeyman millwright in the mid-1970s. He has worked in construction, particularly in the industrial market, in Indiana, Florida, Colorado, and the Caribbean.

He has been a licensed general contractor, business owner, and project and operations manager. While working for OSHA, he has addressed fatalities in the communication tower industry, built a strong relationship with the Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, and taken a lead role in the Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction campaign.