On November 10, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Cynthia Attwood as a Member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC). OSHRC is a quasi-judicial agency responsible for adjudicating occupational safety and health cases.

Attwood has served as an Administrative Appeals Judge for the Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board, as well as an Attorney Advisor for the Board.  She also has served in the Senior Executive Service at the Department of Labor, both as the Associate Solicitor for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Associate Solicitor for Mine Safety and Health.