• 55 hours per work week in 2023 and 2024
• 48 hours per work week in 2025 and 2026
• 40 hours per work week in 2027 and beyond.

Smoke Rules

• EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2022
• Application: Public & Private employers whose employees are OR will be exposed to wildfire smoke where the AQI is at or above 101 for PM2.5
• Exemptions:
  • Enclosed building with mechanical ventilation system AND employer ensures windows/doors kept closed except when necessary to briefly enter/exit
  • Enclosed vehicle with air filter system and closed doors/windows
  • Employer predetermines a shuts down of operations at AQI 101 or higher
  • Employees working from home
  • Partial Exemptions – subject only to (4)(a)-(4)(g) Training and (7)(b) Voluntary use of filtering facepiece respirators:
    • Wildland firefighting and support activities
    • All emergency operations directly involved in the protection of life/property/power shut off
    • Intermittent employee exposure of less than 15 minutes in an hour to AQI of 101 for a TOTAL exposure of less than one hour in a single 24-hour period
• Requirements:
  • Exposure Assessment – Section (3): Required at start of each shift AND as needed
  • Training – Section (4)
    • Annually before employees exposed to all employees who “may be exposed to” PM 2.5 or AQI 101 or above.
    • OSHA will provide a Wildfire Smoke Online Course in English and Spanish and materials to assist with training
    • Training documentation required – name, date of training and Trainor. See Section (5).
  • Two-way Communication before AQI 101 – Section (6)
  • Exposure Controls – Section (7)
    • Engineering – temporarily relocating to indoors
    • Administrative – temporarily relocating to another outdoor operation; changing work schedules
    • Voluntary use of respirators when AQI at 101 – employer provided. Distribute directly or maintain sufficient supply for all exposed employees
    • Required use of NIOSH-approved respirators when AQI 251: Employers must follow the Respiratory Protection Standard, including medical evaluations and fit testing for NIOSH-approved respirators OR implement a Wildfire Smoke Respiratory Protection Program as described in Appendix A. Employer provided housing is exempt while employees are inside the housing
    • Required use of NIOSH-approved respirators when AQI 501 AND complete Respiratory Protection Program: Employer provided housing is exempt while employees are inside the housing.

As temperatures rise to record levels across the state, OR-OSHA has released an announcement educating employers on the dangers heat illness poses to employees whenever they are unprepared for hot weather. Knowing that farmers work alongside their employees, OFB encourages everyone on the farm to take precautions in the coming days, as over exposure to heat can have serious consequences.

In the following voluntary measures, OR-OSHA encourages employers to focus on prevention. Prevention includes providing water, rest, and shade, gradually adapting workers to hot environments, and training employees to recognize the signs of heat illness and to raise concerns immediately. Depending on the situation, they may consider certain steps. Those include adjusting work practices, including performing work during the coolest part of the day, or making sure workers get regular breaks, shade, and water.

Here are some tips that employers can use for preventing heat-related illness:

• Perform the heaviest, most labor-intensive work during the coolest part of the day.
• Use the buddy system (work in pairs) to monitor the heat.
• Drink plenty of cool water (one small cup every 15 to 20 minutes).
• Wear light, loose-fitting, and breathable clothing (such as cotton).
• Take frequent short breaks in cool, shaded areas – allow your body to cool down.
• Avoid eating large meals before working in hot environments.
• Avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages (these make the body lose water and increase the risk of heat illnesses).

To help those suffering from heat exhaustion:

• Move them to a cool, shaded area (the inside of a hot vehicle is not appropriate). Do not leave them alone.
• Loosen and remove heavy clothing.
• Provide cool water to drink (a small cup every 15 minutes) if they are not feeling sick to their stomach.
• Try to cool them by fanning them. Cool the skin with a spray mist of cold water or a wet cloth.
• If they do not feel better in a few minutes, call 911 for emergency help.

As a reminder, the call to address the hazards of working in high heat is part of an OR-OSHA’s emphasis program. This means that the division’s enforcement and consultation activities include a review of employers’ plans to address heat exposure, especially from June 15 through Oct. 1 of each year. Oregon OSHA urges employers to create a heat illness prevention plan. Employers can get a sample heat illness prevention plan in English and Spanish.

Employers may also consider using the following resources to help protect their workers from heat stress:

• Oregon OSHA’s consultation services offers free assistance with health and safety programs. No fault, no citations, and no penalties are involved.
• The division’s technical experts can help you understand health and safety requirements.
• The federal OSHA heat stress app is useful for planning outdoor work activities based on how hot it feels during the day.
• Oregon OSHA provides heat stress prevention videos in English and Spanish.

Forms for Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax are now available on the Department of Revenue website.

Go to the Revenue forms page and scroll down to Corporate Activity Tax or type “corporate” in the search box.

Taxpayers with general questions about the CAT can email cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.

All employers are required by law to have a clear policy to reduce and prevent harassment, discrimination, and sexual assault, as a result of legislative action in 2019. The Oregon Workplace Fairness Act requires all Oregon employers to adopt a written policy containing procedures and practices to reduce and prevent specific types of unlawful discrimination and sexual assault.

At a minimum, the policy must:

(a) Provide a process for employees to report prohibited conduct;

(b) Identify the individual or position (for example the Store Manager or HR Director) as well as an alternate individual or position to whom an employee can report of prohibited conduct;

(c) Include a statement that an employee who pursues legal action on alleged conduct prohibited by ORS 659A.030, 659A.082 or 659A.112 must do so no later than five years after the occurrence of the violation;

(d) Include a statement that an employer may not require or coerce an employee to enter into a nondisclosure or non-disparagement agreement, including a description of the meaning of those terms;

(e) Include an explanation that an employee claiming to be aggrieved by unlawful discrimination or sexual assault may voluntarily request to enter into a settlement, separation or severance agreement which contains a nondisclosure, non-disparagement, or no-rehire provision only if the employee has at least seven days to revoke the agreement after signing; and

(f) Include a statement that advises employers and employees to document any incidents involving unlawful discrimination and sexual assault.

All employers must:

(a) Make the policy available to employees within the workplace;

(b) Provide a copy of the policy to each employee at the time of hire; and

(c) Require any individual who is designated by the employer to receive complaints to provide a copy of the policy to an employee at the time that the employee discloses information regarding prohibited discrimination or harassment.

OSU Extension Cereal Newsletters – online reports by count.y

Grain Bin Safety Flyer.

Web-Based Training for Trainers of Agricultural Workers and Pesticide Handlers under the National Worker Protection Standard (WPS) – Train the Trainer course – online, 24/7 training

WPS Compliance Assistance Library – A comprehensive guide with links to FAQ and more.

WPS: A Manual for Trainers of Ag Workers & Pesticide Handlers

PERC website – Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative

“How to Comply” Manual