George Taylor, Who Helped Write OSHA Law, Dies at 95

April 09, 2007

PASSING OF A LEGEND – George Taylor at the Supreme Court following oral arguments concerning OSHA cotton dust standards, which the court later upheld.

Photo Credit: Courtesy AFL-CIO

George H.R. Taylor, a former director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO, who helped draft landmark legislation in 1970 to protect America’s workers from various dangers on the job, died of pneumonia March 23 at the age of 95.

Taylor, a longtime resident of Bethesda, Md., worked for the AFL-CIO from 1959 until he retired in 1983. He “helped build the foundation for the workplace and environmental protections in place today,” says AFL-CIO Pres. John J. Sweeney. “He was an unreconstructed and unrepentant ‘New Dealer’ who spent his life’s work fighting for justice and fairness, and demanding that government serve the interest of ordinary citizens. Millions of workers have been protected from injury and illness because of his tireless work.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions, said in a statement that the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) “never would have passed without him.”

He is survived by son John G. Taylor, daughter Caroline V. Taylor, and two grandchildren.

Visit the AFL-CIO blog for more on Taylor.