The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing permanent rules to protect workers in extreme heat and wildfire smoke. The proposals follow emergency rules adopted during last summer’s heat wave; they include protective measures like exposure assessments, adjusted work/rest schedules, access to shade, NP5 masks, and cool water, and particular protections for workers who live in employee-provided housing.
Aaron Corvin of OSHA says the proposed protections represent the strongest worker protections in the country. For example, the proposals would require employers to provide N95 masks at an AQI of 251 or higher. In California, worker protections require masks above an AQI of 500.
OSHA developed the rules in consultation with Pinero y Campesino Unidos del Noroeste, the largest Latine union in Oregon. OSHA hopes to adopt the rules in April after a period of public feedback, which ends in mid-March.
For information about “Rules to Address Employee and Labor Housing Occupant Exposure to High Ambient Temperatures,” visit here. For information about “Rules to Address Employee Exposure to Wildfire Smoke,” visit here.
By Grace Miller
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