(Salem) – Oregon OSHA issued citations with penalties totaling $44,600 to four employers in May, with all of the cases involving willful violations of rules designed to protect workers from potential exposure to the coronavirus disease.
The citations were issued to two restaurants, a bakery, and a wood products company in Deschutes, Wasco, Linn, and Multnomah counties, respectively. Penalties ranged from $8,900 to $17,800. Violations included willfully failing to ensure workers and customers wore face coverings indoors, and willfully allowing indoor dining despite operating in a county that was designated as an “extreme risk” for transmission of COVID-19.
The following employers were cited:
Ongoing refusals to correct violations and come into compliance with workplace health and safety standards can lead to additional higher penalties. Meanwhile, if an Oregon OSHA inspection documents violations while a county is at extreme risk, but the county’s risk level drops before the citation is issued, the citation will still be issued. The change in risk levels may affect how the violation needs to be corrected, but not whether it is cited.
For an overview of the COVID-19-related citations the division has issued since the beginning of the pandemic, visit: Oregon OSHA Citations Identified as Related to COVID-19 .
In addition to its enforcement activities, Oregon OSHA offers employers and workers free resources that involve no fault, no citations, and no penalties. They include consultation services that provide assistance with safety and health programs, and technical experts who help employers understand requirements.
More workplace guidance and resources regarding COVID-19 are available.
###
Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state’s workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, visit osha.oregon.gov.
The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to www.dcbs.oregon.gov.