In 2023, Senate Bill 592 required Oregon OSHA to adjust its civil penalties annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers, West Region (West Region CPI) from October to October, which are provided by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). Due to the federal government shutdown, the West Region CPI for October is not anticipated to be released.
In order to satisfy our annual statutory requirements, we are undergoing temporary rulemaking to adjust the methodology identified in OAR 437-001-0142, Annual Adjustment to Civil Penalties, which is necessary to calculate the 2026 Penalty Bulletin.
The temporary rulemaking will use the West Region CPI to calculate the change between October 2024 and September 2025. The effects of using the October 2024 to September 2025 West Region CPI, rather than October-to-October, which will not be available, are anticipated to be minimal.
We invite you to attend an informational meeting as a Zoom Webinar on November 20 at 1:00 pm to hear additional information. Please register at
https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_CiNnwsLcSWaTbiMaSHoM-A to attend.
Once you have registered, available options to participate will be sent to you. If you have any questions, please contact our Technical Specialist, Tom Bozicevic, at
tom.bozicevic@dcbs.oregon.gov.