As Temperatures Rise, Oregon OSHA Reminds Employers To Safeguard Workers Against The Dangers Of Heat Illness (Photo) -07/10/25

As temperatures rise and the risk of heat illness in the workplace increases, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) reminds employers to follow requirements designed to help protect workers from the hazards of extreme heat. The division offers free resources to help employers comply with requirements.
 

Under Oregon’s heat illness prevention rule, employers must implement protective measures, including  adequate water, rest, shade, acclimatization (gradual adaptation to working in the heat), communication and training, and emergency plans. The rule applies to workplaces whenever an employee is working and the heat index equals or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. More provisions apply when the heat index exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
 

“Employers need to take the dangers of high heat seriously by planning ahead, engaging their employees about the hazards, and following the heat rule’s provisions,” said Renée Stapleton, administrator for Oregon OSHA.
 

The heat illness prevention requirements apply across industries and where employers provide housing as a condition of employment. Under the Oregon Safe Employment Act, workers have a right to a safe and healthy workplace and the right to raise concerns free of retaliation. Under the law, employers must maintain safe and healthy working conditions.
 

Oregon OSHA urges employers to refresh their knowledge of the requirements:

• Key requirements for general workplaces – English/Spanish 
• Key requirements for employer-provided housing – English/Spanish

All heat illness prevention resources are available on Oregon OSHA's A-to-Z topic index page. They include a video training in English and Spanish that satisfies certain training elements of the heat rule.
 

Oregon OSHA also offers:
 

Consultation services – provides free and confidential help with safety and health programs, including how to control and eliminate hazards, and hands-on training. The services involve no fault, no citations, and no penalties.

• Phone (toll-free in Oregon): 800-922-2689
• Field offices
• Online
• Email: consult.web@dcbs.oregon.gov

Technical staff – helps employers understand requirements and how to apply them to their worksites

• Phone (toll-free in Oregon): 800-922-2689
• Online
• Email: tech.web@dcbs.oregon.gov

 

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, which includes Oregon OSHA as a division, maintains the Multicultural Communications Program that provides outreach to communities with limited English proficiency. That outreach encompasses information about on-the-job safety and health.
 

The Ombuds Office for Oregon Workers provides help with understanding workplace safety and health rights, and workers’ compensation rights.

 

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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.

AARP To Host Interim Insurance Commissioner Keen On Teletown Hall Event July 10 (Photo) -07/09/25

 

 

Apply Now For Oregon OSHA Grant Program Focused On Expanding Worker Safety Training, Education Opportunities (Photo) -07/07/25

Salem – Training and educating Oregon workers is essential to creating and maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. To help expand training and education opportunities, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) offers a grant program that funds ideas to improve the safety and health of Oregon workers in high-hazard industries. And we are ready to help you transform your ideas into results.

 

The division is accepting grant applications to create innovative workplace safety or health training or education projects. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3. Oregon OSHA prioritizes  projects that engage workers on essential workplace safety or health topics. Projects may include an immersive training video or a well-designed safety publication or a multi-media package of best practices for a specific job task.

 

Go online to learn about how to apply or contact Theodore (Ted) Bunch at 971-375-8001 or email theodore.bunch@dcbs.oregon.gov.  

 

The grant program focuses on high-hazard industries in Oregon, including forestry, construction, and agriculture. A grant application may concentrate on a specific work process, targeting a reduction or elimination of related hazards. Any labor or employer group, educational institution that is affiliated with a labor or employer group, or other nonprofit entity may apply.

 

Grants may not be used to pay for projects that are purely for research, ongoing activities, or for activities required by law. Only new or substantially expanded projects will be considered for funding. Oregon OSHA is seeking project ideas that advance workplace safety and health training or education. We are not looking for ideas that handle concerns that have already been addressed. Materials produced by grant recipients cannot be sold for profit. All grant materials become available to the public. Depending on the type of project, some materials will be housed in the Oregon OSHA Resource Center while some will be available online.

 

Some examples of past grant projects include:

• Translation into Spanish of pesticide labels used in reforestation in Oregon and Washington
• Development of a series of toolbox talks addressing suicide prevention in the construction industry
• A virtual reality training for health care providers to help identify hazards related to infection control and prevention in hospitals
• Creation of safe-design guidelines for anchoring systems used as part of logging operations
• An educational program for nurses to prevent ergonomic-related injuries
• Videos and related training aids describing the most prevalent health hazards in construction: silica, lead, noise, and asbestos
• Spanish-language flip charts designed to help prevent heat illness among forest workers

The Oregon Legislature launched the Occupational Safety and Health Education and Training Grant Program in 1990. Award recommendations are made by Oregon OSHA’s Safe Employment Education and Training Advisory Committee, a group with members from business, labor, and government.

 

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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.

Oregon Releases Biennial Workers’ Compensation Study (Photo) -06/17/25

Salem – Oregon’s workers’ compensation rates remain among the lowest in the nation, according to an analysis released today by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). This reflects the state’s ongoing success in making workplaces safer and keeping costs under control.

 

The biennial study ranks all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on premium rates that were in effect Jan. 1, 2024.

 

Oregon had the 14th least expensive rates in 2024. Oregon fell in the rankings by four spots from the 2022 study, despite having a lower premium index rate, because rates in other states dropped further. Oregon’s index rate is 89 cents per $100 of payroll, down from 93 cents from 2022 and its lowest rate in the history of the study.

 

Oregon workers’ compensation rates have declined another 3.2 percent since the 2024 effective date used in the study. Workers’ compensation pays injured workers for lost wages and medical care for job-related injuries.

 

“What makes Oregon’s workers’ compensation system truly effective is that our low premium rates are not achieved by cutting corners on worker benefits,” said Matt West, Workers’ Compensation Division administrator. “We have shown that it’s possible to maintain strong protections for workers while keeping rates affordable for employers.”

 

In recent years, rates have dropped all over the country, which has led to a compression of the scores in the survey. The premium index rates are bunched up at the low end, so that small changes in the index rates can lead to big jumps in the ranking.

 

The study shows Hawaii had the most expensive rates, followed by New Jersey, New York, and California. Meanwhile, North Dakota had the least expensive rates. In the Northwest, Washington’s rates were the 12th most expensive and Idaho was the 25th most expensive.

 

Oregon researchers also compared each state’s rates to the national median (the 26th ranked state) rate of $1.09 per $100 of payroll. Oregon’s rate of 89 cents is 82 percent of the median.

 

To produce a valid comparison of states, which have various mixes of industries, the study calculates rates for each state using the same mix of the 50 industries with the highest workers’ compensation claims costs in Oregon.

 

Oregon has conducted these studies in even-numbered years since 1986, when Oregon’s rates were among the highest in the nation. The department reports the results to the Oregon Legislature as a performance measure. Oregon’s relatively low rate today underscores the success of the state’s workers’ compensation system reforms and its improvements in workplace safety and health.

 

Oregon has long taken a comprehensive approach to making workplaces safer, keeping business costs low, and providing strong worker benefits. This approach includes enforcing requirements that employers carry insurance for their workers, keeping medical costs under control, and helping injured workers return to work sooner and minimize the impact on their wages.

 

It also includes efforts to prevent on-the-job injuries by enforcing workplace safety and health rules, and advising employers about how to improve worker safety and health.

 

The study can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/DCBSPubs/reports/general/prem-rpt/24-2083.pdf.

 

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About Oregon DCBS: The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest consumer protection and business regulatory agency. The department administers state laws and rules to protect consumers and workers in the areas of workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, financial services, insurance, and building codes. Visit dcbs.oregon.gov.

DFR Urges Oregonians To Prepare Early For Active 2025 Wildfire Season (Photo) -06/16/25

Salem – With hotter, drier conditions arriving early this year, Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) is urging residents to prepare now for an active 2025 wildfire season. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, fire activity has increased gradually since May, droughts have intensified in the Northwest already, and several significant fires have broken out recently.

 

“We are anticipating an active fire season,” said DFR Administrator TK Keen. “Many people may not realize this, but more acres burned in Oregon last year than in the 2020 wildfires. Fortunately, there was not the same loss of life or structures. But it is extremely important for Oregonians do what they can to prepare their properties for this summer and fall. The weather is getting much warmer, and drier, which means the risk of wildfires is high.”

 

In the 2020s alone, Oregon wildfires have caused nearly $3 billion in estimated losses, which is more than the previous four decades combined.

 

The National Interagency Fire Center anticipates that in July, August, and September, most of Oregon will be above normal in its fire activity.

 

What can you do to prepare? DFR has created a disaster toolkit on its website, which includes how to financially prepare for wildfire season, wildfire preparation for your home, and evacuation tips. The Oregon Department of Forestry also has good information on active wildfires in the state.

 

To save time, money, and stress, consider these steps before disaster strikes:

• Review your insurance policies with your agent or company to ensure you are adequately protected. Many homeowners are unknowingly underinsured.
• Build a home inventory. Take a video of the personal property in each room of your home and describe the items as you record. You can also use a home inventory app or a home inventory tool provided by your insurance company.
• Gather copies of important documents such as titles, insurance policies, tax records, birth and marriage certificates, and Social Security cards. Store them in a password-protected cloud or with your emergency kit.
• Make a list of account numbers and customer service contact information for insurance companies, banks, lenders, utilities, and landlords.
• Set aside enough cash to get you and your family through the first several days after an emergency.

For more information, go to dfr.oregon.gov/preparenow.

 

“The more you can do before a wildfire hits your home, the better the recovery process can be,” Keen said. “When a fire strikes, there’s a lot of emotions involved, including fear, anger, and confusion and having the right insurance policy, an inventory list, and an overall plan can alleviate a lot of those fears.”

 

DFR also has a webpage dedicated to wildfire insurance resources. One area that often gets overlooked is how to make your home as fireproof as possible by creating defensible space by removing dry leaves, dead brush, debris, and pine needles from yards and gutters. Trim trees away from your home, barns, and sheds, and place screens over open vents on homes. These tasks reduce the fuels that enable wildfires to spread and give firefighters more time to slow the blaze. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s website has more information about defensible space.

 

If damaged by wildfires, our consumer advocates are available to help with any insurance questions. You can reach them at 888-877-4894 (toll-free) or dfr.insurancehelp@dcbs.oregon.gov.

 

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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.