Agricultural labor housing

Overview

Oregon OSHA’s agricultural labor housing rules apply to any place where there are living areas or other housing provided by someone who recruits workers to work on an agricultural establishment.

Agricultural labor housing for workers who produce or harvest farm crops must be registered with Oregon OSHA, except when the housing is occupied by members of the same family or by five or fewer unrelated people.

After housing is registered with Oregon OSHA, the operator will receive a certificate that must be displayed in a location frequented by employees. The operator of the agricultural labor housing must also provide and display a translation of the certificate in the language or languages used to communicate with the employees.

Publications

Brochures/Guides
- Application exclusion zone information sheet: an overview of the AEZ requirements
  Information employers need to provide to employees when enclosed structures are within the designated exclusion zone for an outdoor pesticide application.
  English Order printed copy 03/06/2020
- Application exclusion zone information sheet: steps to take for an AEZ
  Agricultural employer requirements for securing agricultural structures that fall within the Application Exclusion Zone for outdoor crop areas.
  English Order printed copy 12/14/2018
- Application exclusion zone: Oregon OSHA’s Worker Protection Standard
  Information to help employers navigate the Application Exclusion Zone with specific Oregon requirements under the Worker Protection Standard.
  English Order printed copy 02/12/2019
- Cultivate a safe agricultural workplace
  Offers general rule-related requirements and recommendations for agricultural employers to create a safer workplace.
  English 06/06/2012
- Hoja de información sobre la zona de exclusión de la aplicación de pesticidas: pasos a tomar para una AEZ
  Application exclusion zone information sheet
  Requisitos agrícolas para el empleador para asegurar estructuras o edificios agrícolas que están dentro de la zona de exclusión de la aplicación para áreas de cultivo al aire libre.
  Spanish Order printed copy 12/14/2018
- Hoja de información sobre la zona de exclusión de la aplicación de pesticidas: una visión general de los requisitos para la AEZ
  Application exclusion zone information sheet
  Información que los empleadores necesitan proporcionar a los empleados, cuando cualquier estructura o edificio agrícola que se puede cerrar cae dentro de la zona de exclusión de la aplicación de pesticidas al aire libre.
  Spanish Order printed copy 03/18/2020
- Zona de exclusión de aplicación: Estándar para la Protección del Trabajador de Oregon OSHA
  Application Exclusion Zone: Oregon OSHA’s Worker Protection Standard
  Información para ayudar a los empleadores a navegar por la zona de exclusión de aplicación con los requisitos específicos de Oregon bajo la norma de protección para el trabajador.
  Spanish Order printed copy 03/14/2019
Checklists
- Agricultural labor housing inspection checklist
  A convenient checklist of the requirements in Subdivision 4J, 437-004-1120, agricultural labor housing and related facilities.
  English Supplement (COVID-19) 02/18/2020
- Lista de verification para la inspección de vivienda de trabajo agrícola
  Agricultural labor housing inspection checklist
  Una lista de verificación conveniente de los requisitos en la Subdivisión 4J, 437-004-1120, viviendas de trabajo agrícola e instalaciones relacionadas.
  Spanish 11/09/2018
- Supplemental Labor Housing Inspection Checklist
  Due to the temporary rule addressing the COVID-19 emergency, new rules were created to address employer-provided housing in labor-intensive agricultural operations. This checklist is intended to be a supplement to the current Labor Housing Inspection checklist and to be an aid and not as a substitute for full compliance with 437-001-0749 or 437-004-1120.
  English 07/02/2021
Fact sheets
- Water temperatures referenced in Oregon OSHA's rules
  Defines the various water temperature terms and requirements that ensure employers provide workers with cold, cool, tepid, warm, or hot water for drinking, bathing, hand washing, laundering clothes, etc.
  English 11/20/2012
Forms
- Agricultural labor housing (ALH) application for registration
  Fill-in form for registering Agricultural Labor Housing
  English 10/02/2020
- Worker Protection Standard required pesticide information
  Worker Protection Standard required pesticide information
  English Word version 10/31/2014
- WPS Handler Training Record
  Agriculture employers are required to document each pesticide handler’s training and maintain that documentation for two years from the date of the training.
  English Word version 03/25/2019
- WPS Worker Training Record
  Agriculture employers are required to document each worker’s training and maintain that documentation for two years from the date of the training.
  English Word version 03/25/2019
Labels and stickers
- Agua no potable! No Tomar
  Bad Water! Do not drink.
  Spanish Order printed copy 05/28/2008
Other
- Does your agricultural labor housing have lead-based paint or asbestos-containing materials?
  English 10/01/2013
Posters
- Heat Risks in Housing
  Poster resource for Heat Illness Prevention in Agricultural Labor Housing
  English 08/02/2021
- Riesgos del Calor en la Viviendas
  Heat Risks in Housing
  Poster resource for Heat Illness Prevention in Agricultural Labor Housing
  Spanish 08/02/2021
References
- Rules with requirements
  We get many calls and emails from employers asking the same question. It begins: “Which of your rules have requirements for…” You can finish the sentence with words like “recordkeeping,” “employee training,” and “written documents.” To answer those questions, we’ve organized these rules requirements into a filterable, sortable, searchable table.
  English 05/10/2019
- Table of Agriculture Labor Housing Requirements
  Tables describing requirements such as: sinks, showers, sleeping rooms, cooking and living space, distances, windows, and more.
  English 07/21/2016

Education and training

No items are currently available

Rules and rule-related

Advisory Committee

Agriculture labor housing

Adopted Rules
Final Rules
Interpretations
- Agricultural labor housing interpretations (Q&A)
  07/20/2018
- Agriculture labor housing (ALH) heater memo
  08/06/2008
- Composting toilets in labor housing
  12/09/1999
- Hot water requirements
  12/12/2000
- Labor camp inspection meeting with U. S. Department of Labor
  08/02/1996
- Labor camps, emergency situations (revised April 11, 2003)
  04/11/2003
- Windows in agricultural housing units
  01/06/1999
Program Directives
- Guidelines for Scheduling and Conducting Inspections of Agriculture Labor Housing
  Purpose: To establish and implement procedures and guidelines for inspecting agricultural labor housing by Oregon OSHA personnel.
  A-222 12/12/2018
- Inspection Criteria: Scheduling Lists for Safety and Health Inspections
  Purpose: This Program Directive explains how the safety and health scheduling lists will be created and the criteria and ranking factors that will be used to identify the places of employment the Director believes to be the most unsafe in the state of Oregon.
  A-244 05/10/2012
- Workplace Water Quality Standards
  Purpose: This directive establishes field procedures for Oregon OSHA staff who will evaluate the adequacy of potable water from drinking water sources such as public or private water systems, wells or springs.
  A-237 04/15/2019
Summary of comments and decisions
- Summary of comments and agency decisions regarding proposed changes to agriculture labor housing in the Division 4 Agriculture Administrative Rules
  4-2008

Video Resources

Borrow from the Resource Center

No items are currently available

Watch Online

English
- Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) Explained
  This video explains Oregon OSHA's application exclusion zone in the worker protection standard
  English Length: 5 minutes
- COVID-19 Temporary Rule for Agriculture and Labor Housing
  This video explains the temporary rule as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. The three key sections of the temporary rule are transportation, labor housing, and field senitation.
  English Length: 12 minutes
Spanish
- COVID-19 Regla Temporal para la Agricultura y la Vivienda Laboral
  COVID-19 Temporary Rule for Agriculture and Labor Housing
  Este video explica la regla temporal en relación con la pandemia de COVID-19. Las tres secciones clave de la regla temporal son transporte, vivienda laboral y senitación de campo.
  Spanish Length: 12 minutes
- Zona de Exclusión de aplicación (AEZ) Explicado
  Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) Explained
  Este video explica la zona de exclusión de aplicación de Oregon OSHA en el estándar de protección del trabajador.
  Spanish Length: 5 minutos

Additional Resources

Agricultural Labor Housing Registry

Application for registering agricultural labor housing

Field Inspection Reference Manual (FIRM)

H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program
see the Oregon Employment Department website
or the U.S. Department of Labor website

COVID-19-Related Rule Updates

Infectious Disease Rulemaking

Infectious Disease Advisory Committee

Rule Addressing the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency in All Oregon Workplaces
Adopted June 30, 2021, Effective June 30, 2021

Summary of Key Issues Revision and Extension of Oregon COVID-19 Workplace Rules (May 4, 2021)
Explanation of rulemaking, summary of comments and agency decisions for the revision and extension of Oregon COVID-19 Workplace rule
Oregon OSHA has removed the facial coverings and distancing requirements from the COVID-19 for General Workplaces rules, except in transit and healthcare settings. Employer Provided Housing requirements for facial coverings and distancing have also been removed; the requirements for capacity, placement of beds, and air purifiers remain in place.
COVID-19 Hazards Poster
- English and Spanish
Model Policy for Notification of Employees when COVID-19 Exposure Occurs
- Word document or PDF
- Spanish Word document and PDF

Employers need NOT submit their exposure risk assessment, infection control plans, employee training information, etc. to the Agency in advance for review or approval.

Exposure Risk Assessment Form
- *Fill-in Word document and Print version
Infection Control Plan
- *Fill-in Word document, Spanish, and Print version
HVAC Certification
- Fillable Fill-in Word document, and PDF Print version
Training materials in English and Spanish
- Training verification form Not required by the rule, but we are providing one as a courtesy.

* The following Risk Assessments and Infectious Control Plans are provided as examples, and may not reflect every situation or all hazards in your workplace. These sample programs should only be used as reference sources and not as a replacement of conducting a Hazard Assessment or Infection Control Plan specific to your workers and workplace.

Example Risk Assessment
Sample Items to Consider for Risk Assessment
- Fill-in Word version and Spanish
Example Infection Control Plan
Sample Items to Consider for Infection Control Plan
- Fill-in word version and Spanish

Labor Housing Rulemaking

COVID-19 Workplace Requirements for Employer-Provided Labor Housing
Adopted June 30, 2021, Effective June 30, 2021

Supplemental Employer-Provided Labor Housing Inspection Checklist
July 2, 2021