Five Oregon High Schools Win Prizes In Media Contest To Promote Young Worker Safety (Photo) -05/07/25

 

 

Oregon Division Of Financial Regulation Consumer Advocates Return Over $2 Million To Oregonians In First Quarter Of 2025 (Photo) -04/29/25

Salem – In the first quarter of 2025, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) recovered over $2 million through the work of its consumer advocate and compliance teams.

 

DFR’s consumer advocates have extensive knowledge across many areas of regulation, including helping those experiencing difficulties with insurance, mortgages, banking products, securities, student loans, and a variety of other financial services regulated by the division.

 

“This $2 million returned to Oregonians is a testament to what we can do when state government works diligently to protect consumers and hold financial institutions accountable,” Gov. Tina Kotek said. “I applaud the continued commitment to ensuring fairness and justice in our financial system.”

 

In the first quarter of 2025, consumer advocates received 1,431 total complaints, which is up over the last quarter of 2024 when advocates saw 1,248 total complaints. Complaints in the insurance realm continue to lead the way, with 868 complaints filed so far this year. Mortgage service complaints is the next highest in areas DFR regulates with 55.

 

Here are a few examples of work DFR advocates have done this year:

• The consumer sold a vehicle and notified her agent’s office to remove that vehicle from the policy and add her new vehicle. The agent acknowledged receipt of the request and added the replacement vehicle but never completed removing the vehicle that was sold. The consumer noticed months later that the sold vehicle was never removed from the policy and requested a correction. The agent’s office was only able to backdate the vehicle’s removal 30 days, so a request was submitted to the corporate office for help. The insurer was unwilling to process the removal back to the requested date, saying that the information did not meet its guidelines for backdating. The consumer then filed a complaint with DFR. After reviewing the complaint, the insurer confirmed that the consumer’s request to remove the vehicle was in the agent’s notes and processed the backdated removal of the vehicle and refunded the consumer $3,354.89.

• The consumer called his dental insurer to make a plan change due to his primary dentist not being in-network with his new plan. The customer service representative told the consumer they would be allowed to complete this application change, even though it was outside of open enrollment. The application was processed, but the consumer received a letter a week later saying to change plans he would have to submit a special enrollment period (SEP) validation, which he did not qualify for. The consumer filed a complaint with DFR, and the division requested that based on the information provided, the insurer allow the plan change outside of open enrollment. The insurer agreed to this, allowing the consumer to continue to see his dentist.

• The consumer experienced a significant hail event and reported a claim for roof damage. The company hired an independent adjuster to inspect the roof, and the inspection revealed minimal damage to only roof vents and downspouts. A small payment of $94.89 was issued. The consumer contacted a roofer who completed an inspection, documented the damage, and provided an estimate for a roof replacement. The insurer did not agree with the roofer’s assessment, so the consumer filed a complaint. After receiving the complaint, the insurer conducted an additional review of the roofer’s photos, which documented roof damage. The insurer agreed to have the roof reinspected, which resulted in an approval to pay for a roof replacement.

“I continue to be impressed at the level of professionalism, customer service, and expertise our consumer advocates display on a daily basis,” said Andrew R. Stolfi, Oregon’s insurance commissioner and director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. “They continue to work at a high level through extremely complex issues, which often leads to money back to Oregonians.”

 

In 2024, DFR recovered nearly $9 million for consumers and handled nearly 5,500 complaints.

 

“Our team continues to put its expertise to work for the benefit of Oregonians,” said DFR Administrator TK Keen. “Their work gets money back into the pockets of hard-working consumers, and gives them peace of mind knowing there are people who go to bat for them every day.”

 

Anyone who may need a consumer advocate can call 1-888-877-4894 (toll-free) or email dfr.insurancehelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for insurance related issues and dfr.finanicialserviceshelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for financial-related issues.

 

Here is the list of complaints through the first quarter of 2025:

 

	Quarter 1 2025 (January to March)	Total
Banking	14	14
Check casher	1	1
Collection agency	8	8
Consumer finance	15	15
Credit union	48	48
Debt buyer	2	2
Debt management service provider	1	1
Insurance	868	868
Manufactured structure dealer	1	1
Money transmitter	18	18
Mortgage banker/broker	5	5
Mortgage servicer	55	55
Other	5	5
Pawn broker	2	2
Payday Loans	1	1
Pre need provider	1	1
Securities	23	23
Student loan	31	31
Virtual currency	0	0
Not regulated by DFR: All Other	57	57
Not regulated by DFR: Banking	16	16
Not regulated by DFR: Credit unions	4	4
Not regulated by DFR: Insurance	250	462
Total complaints:	1,431	1,431
Recoveries	$2,021,766	$2,021,766

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Oregon DFR: The Division of Financial Regulation protects consumers and regulates insurance, depository institutions, trust companies, securities, and consumer financial products and services. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit dfr.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.

Workers Memorial Day Ceremony Honors Oregon Workers Who Died On The Job In 2024 (Photo) -04/25/25

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) and Oregon AFL-CIO invite the public to attend the Workers Memorial Day observance on Monday, April 28, in Salem. The ceremony will recognize, remember, and honor those who died of work-related injuries and illnesses in 2024.

 

The event will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Fallen Worker Memorial outside the Labor and Industries Building, 350 Winter St. NE, on the Capitol Mall. The memorial service, coordinated by Oregon AFL-CIO, will feature remarks from union leaders, safety and health advocates, elected officials, and faith leaders.

 

“Every day, people across Oregon go to work to provide for themselves and their families, to help their fellow Oregonians and make the state a thriving place to live,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said. “Today, we honor the Oregonians whose lives were tragically lost doing their job and offer our deepest condolences to their families. Today, we recommit to our efforts to make working conditions safer and protect workers across the state.”

 

During the ceremony, the names of Oregon workers who died on the job in 2024 will be read aloud. The event will include a reading of Gov. Kotek’s proclamation, and remarks by Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton and Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor.  

 

Oregon workplaces are safer and healthier today than in previous decades. Yet, there are still far too many preventable on-the-job deaths each year.

 

“Job safety laws remain far too weak, allowing employers to endanger employees often without repercussion,” Trainor said. “Oregon’s unions will always stand up against any attack on the safety and health of working people. On this solemn day, we honor the workers who did not make it home and demand increased safety, more severe consequences for safety violators, and dignity at work.”

 

Through a partnership of government, labor, and business working together to improve workplace safety and health, Oregon’s fatality and injury and illness rates have steadily declined for decades.

 

Nevertheless, the annual Workers Memorial Day observance serves as a reminder to renew our call to protect workers from on-the-job hazards. Under the Oregon Safe Employment Act, employers must maintain safe and healthy workplaces, and workers have a right to safe and healthy working conditions.

 

“Workers Memorial Day is not just a day of remembrance,” Stapleton said. “It is a day to renew our call to action. It is a day to revitalize our commitment to our mission: to create safe and healthy workplaces, where the risk of death is eliminated and where every worker returns home at the end of their shift, safe and sound.”

The annual Workers Memorial Day serves as a nationwide day of remembrance. The observance is traditionally held on April 28 because the U.S. Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act on that date in 1970.

Oregon OSHA encourages employers and workers to use free workplace safety and health resources. Those resources include:

 

Oregon OSHA

 

• Rights and responsibilities
• Protect against retaliation
• Consultation services
• Technical services
• Keeping employees safe
• Education and training

 

DCBS Multicultural Communications Program

 

• Providing outreach to communities with limited English proficiency

 

Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers

 

• Independent advocate for Oregon workers, including guidance on workers’ rights and responsibilities in workers’ compensation and workplace safety and health

 

 

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About Oregon OSHA: Oregon OSHA enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit osha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.

About Oregon AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO is the statewide federation of affiliated unions, representing more than 300,000 working Oregonians. Visit https://www.oraflcio.org/.

Oregon Division Of Financial Regulation Issues Cease-and-desist Order Against Money Transmitter (Photo) -04/18/25

Salem – The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) has issued a cease-and-desist order against a money transmitter and its owner. With the holiday weekend upon us, DFR is making consumers aware of the need to work with a licensed money transmitter when sending money domestically or internationally.

 

Brenda Lili Barrera Orantes, the owner and operator of La Popular, was arraigned in federal court in Portland on Thursday after being charged for laundering drug proceeds. More information on the arraignment is available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website.

 

The division is ordering the business and Barrera Orantes to cease and desist all criminal and regulatory violations related to money transmission.

 

La Popular has several locations in Oregon, including Hillsboro, Canby, Odell, Woodburn, and Beaverton.

 

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About Oregon DFR: The Division of Financial Regulation protects consumers and regulates insurance, depository institutions, trust companies, securities, and consumer financial products and services. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit dfr.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.

City Of Keizer Graduates From Oregon OSHA Program, Exemplifying Excellence In Safety, Health (Photo) -04/18/25

Keizer, the 16th-largest city in Oregon, has achieved a milestone in its ongoing work to bolster workplace safety and health: graduation from Oregon OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

 

SHARP, primarily set up to help small- and mid-sized employers, coaches employers on how to effectively manage workplace safety and health. The program encourages Oregon employers to work with their employees to identify and correct hazards and to continuously improve. In turn, companies are recognized for their success in reaching specific benchmarks during the five-year program. An employer may graduate from SHARP after five years of participation.

 

Keizer has completed its SHARP journey, graduating in April 2025. During Keizer’s SHARP process, the city – with guidance and assessments provided by Oregon OSHA safety and health consultants – engaged in numerous project and process improvements designed to strengthen on-the-job protections for its workers. Examples include everything from installation of eyewash stations at key locations and the completion of training for all new safety committee members to updates of the city’s respiratory protection program and implementation of safety protocols addressing the use of ATVs.

 

The positive impact of the city’s participation in SHARP includes a days away, restricted, or transferred (DART) rate of 2.21 in 2023 for the city’s police department, public works field staff, and City Hall staff. The rate was well below the national average of 3.1 and Oregon’s average of 2.7.

 

In assessing the city’s efforts as a SHARP participant and approving it as a SHARP graduate, Oregon OSHA consultants recently concluded that the city “has consistently followed through with all evaluations, training, programs, and procedures for the safety and health for all employees.”

 

“Graduating from the SHARP program is a reflection of the city of Keizer’s commitment to creating a culture where safety is at the heart of everything we do,” said Jeff Heyen, chairperson of the city’s safety committee. “It’s been a true team effort – staff across every department have worked hard to build and sustain safer workplaces, and this recognition reinforces that those efforts matter.”

 

The benefits of the SHARP program, which is part of Oregon OSHA’s free consultation services, include lower injury and illness rates, decreased workers’ compensation costs, increased employee morale, lower product losses, and community recognition.

Learn more about SHARP and Oregon OSHA’s free consultation services, which include hazard assessments, recommendations to control and eliminate hazards, written program evaluation, and hands-on training. Consultations involve no fault, no citations, and no penalties. Oregon OSHA consultants in workplace safety, industrial hygiene, and ergonomics can help employers reduce accidents and related costs and develop comprehensive programs to manage safety and health.
 

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About Oregon OSHA: Oregon OSHA enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit osha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.

 

 

 

Safety And Health Event Coming To Pendleton, Offering Education And Training Opportunities Across Industries (Photo) -04/16/25

A two-day event in eastern Oregon will put a spotlight on the importance of workplace safety and health, addressing everything from farm and electrical safety to safety committees and personal protective equipment.

 

The 17th annual Blue Mountain Occupational Safety and Health Conference, which will be held June 2-3 at the Pendleton Convention Center in Pendleton, will also feature preconference workshops on key topics and learning sessions in Spanish. Employers are encouraged to take advantage of those Spanish-language sessions by sending staff members who would prefer to gain safety and health knowledge in Spanish.

 

The conference is a collaborative effort by Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (Oregon OSHA) – a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services – SHARP (Safety and Health Advocates Recommending Progress) Alliance, and employers and employees in northeast Oregon.

 

On Tuesday, June 3, Jennifer Serne will deliver the keynote presentation: “What Was I Thinking?! Cognitive Biases in Human Error and Decision-Making.” Serne is associate professor and program director of safety and health management programs at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. She will delve into common cognitive biases that contribute to poor decision-making and accidents, and how organizations can use proven mitigation methods to reduce human error and accidents.

 

The workshops on Monday, June 2, include such topics as traffic control and first aid certifications, implementation of Process Safety Management, and how to respond to serious injury or illness at work. Monday’s schedule also offers sessions in Spanish, including building an effective safety culture, identifying hazards, and conducting best practices for safety committees.

 

Conference topics include:

• Effective Accountability Systems
• Electrical Safety for the Non-Electrician
• PTSD Impacts on the Workforce
• Farm Safety Blueprint: Machine Guarding and Energy Control Essentials
• I Have My Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Now What?
• Effective Safety Committees
• Safety Leadership on the Front Lines
• Is That Confined Space Permit Required? Yes or No?
• Workplace Stress/Burnout: What Health and Safety Professionals Can Do
• The Worker Protection Standard and Chemical Safety and How it Relates to Your Vineyard and Winery

 

Registration for the preconference workshops on Monday, June 2, is $50. Registration for the conference on Tuesday, June 3, is $125, which includes lunch. To register, go to safetyseries.cventevents.com/blue25.

 

For more information, contact the Oregon OSHA Conference Section, 503-947-7411, or email Oregon.Conferences@dcbs.oregon.gov.

 

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About Oregon OSHA: Oregon OSHA enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. The division is part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. Visit osha.oregon.gov and dcbs.oregon.gov.