David Bates worked for OSHA for 35 years. From 2008 until his retirement he served as Area Director in Oklahoma where he was responsible for managing enforcement and cooperative outreach programs in all 77 counties of Oklahoma. He served as Assistant Area Director in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a compliance officer from 1983 to 1993 in the Little Rock, Dallas, and Fort Worth Area Offices. During his career with OSHA he has served details in OSHA’s National Office and in the Philadelphia and Dallas Regional Offices. He worked on OSHA’s emergency responses to the Deepwater Horizon and Hurricane Harvey incidents in a leadership role. Mr. Bates has served on numerous OSHA national task groups and taught at the OSHA training institute for OSHA compliance staff. He has a B.S. degree from the University of Central Arkansas, and currently performs safety and health consulting.