The Lund Report is offering this coverage for free to better inform the public at this difficult time. But we need your support to help us stretch our resources. Please sign up for a tax-deductible premium subscription or consider making a donation. That is also tax deductible because we're a 501(c)(3) organization.
Oregon OSHA will delay until June 1 enforcement of a temporary rule to increase protections against the spread of coronavirus in employer-provided housing and in labor-intensive farm operations.
The decision is in response to requests from employers for more time to comply with the rule’s requirements. Those requirements – most of which were originally slated to take effect May 11 – strengthen requirements in three areas: field sanitation, labor housing, and transportation.
Meanwhile, the delay will also allow more time for Oregon OSHA to fully complete educational efforts to help employers understand and meet the rule’s requirements.
The rule, which will remain in effect until no later than Oct. 24, 2020, encompasses multiple provisions.
In field sanitation, for example, it requires employers to appoint one or more social distancing officers to ensure at least six feet of separation during work activities, breaks, and meal periods. The same applies for housing operations to ensure at least six feet of distance between unrelated people.
In transportation, for example, the rule requires at least three feet of social distancing during travel in employer-provided vehicles, as well as facial coverings worn by passengers and by the driver in employer-provided vehicles.
For more information about the rule, visit the Oregon OSHA web page about COVID-19.
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, go to 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.oregon.gov/dcbs/.
