Thank you to OSCC members for your advocacy on the OR-OSHA Temporary COVID-19 Standard. We saw unprecedented grassroots engagement—over 1,500 messages were sent to OR-OSHA and local legislators, which resulted in many positive changes to the rules! These included improvements to cleaning and sanitation standards, employee transportation, and the elimination of the 14-day paid time off mandate. Your engagement on this issue proved that grassroots is a POWERFUL TOOL in the regulatory arena! Thank you for your work to respond to these rules!

OR-OSHA’s Temporary COVID-19 Standard was released publicly Friday evening, November 6th. Note that these new rules will be in place for ALL workplaces, public and private, through May 4, 2021. Many of the provisions are effective on November 16, 2020, but please review the chart provided by OR-OSHA below to understand when different provisions go into effect and what your responsibilities are as an Oregon employer.

Below are a couple of resources to get you started (CLICK HERE for the rulemaking webpage):

1.  OR-OSHA Poster in English or Spanish – posting requirements go into effect on November 16.

2.  Exposure Risk Assessment form (Microsoft Word document) – ALL workplaces must complete a risk assessment and infection control plan by December 7.

3.  OR-OSHA Chart depicting the implementation timeline and applicability of standards.

OR-OSHA plans to release an online educational video later this month to assist employers with implementation of the Temporary COVID-19 Standard. For those that have questions now, please email OR-OSHA at tech.web@oregon.gov for technical assistance. OR-OSHA will create an FAQ based on questions received through this email.