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Health and Safety Resource

The Oregon OSHA Health and Safety Resource is a newsletter about occupational safety and health.

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March 2024 Newsletter

  • Oregon OSHA issues two new emphasis programs to protect workers
  • Understanding requirements for abrasive wheels and machines
  • Workers’ Memorial scholarships are open for applications
  • Oregon OSHA’s “Everyday Ergonomics” online course is available in Spanish
  • Administrator’s Message: With penalty changes comes a steadfast focus on putting all of our resources to work
  • Going the Distance: SHARP Alliance grows a network devoted to improving workplace health and safety

October 2023 Newsletter

  • Review the top 10 workplace safety and health rule violations so far in 2023
  • Overdoses, opioids, and fentanyl – emerging issues in the workplace
  • Oregon Farm Bureau Health and Safety Committee, Oregon OSHA to provide in-person pesticide training Dec. 5
  • Oregon OSHA proposes new rules affecting penalties, discrimination protection
  • Incident Alert! Working alone without emergency communication

July 2023 Newsletter

  • Oregon OSHA’s success story is built on meaningful results for workers, employers, communities
  • 50 years of protecting workers
  • Workplace safety in Oregon: A timeline of notable events
  • Voices of Oregon OSHA
  • Can you prevent a heat-related illness at your workplace?
  • Review the top 10 safety and health rule violations in 2022
  • Heat illness prevention
  • Employers join Safety Break for Oregon celebration
  • Oregon OSHA, federal OSHA, Region X-VPPPA team up for training to improve worker safety
  • Cardinal IG plant manager receives Blue Star Award

April 2023 Newsletter

  • No way to escape: Blocked and locked exits are hidden hazards in Oregon workplaces
  • Oregon employers, workers invited to take a ‘Safety Break’
  • Oregon OSHA Resource Center offers updates, new services
  • Oregon OSHA consultants promote safety at museums and cultural heritage sites
  • Linde Gas and Equipment Inc. achieves approval for ongoing status as a Star site
  • Incident Alert! Unstable road surface
  • Going the Distance: Coca-Cola North America – Portland Syrup Plant

December 2022 Newsletter

  • Everything you need to know about Oregon OSHA's lighting rules
  • Get tips on staying safe amid winter darkness
  • Learn to protect against the hazards of carbon monoxide
  • Review the top job safety and health violations of 2021
  • Contest promoting young worker safety in Oregon is open to high school students
  • Oregon OSHA's Micah Ashby: Forever a Hero Scholarship winner
  • Incident Alert! Recycled rubber products manufacturer pinch point

October 2022 Newsletter

  • Heads up: Oregon OSHA’s general industry welding rules have changed
  • Trigger requirements: What are they and what Oregon OSHA’s rules have them?
  • National Association of Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Programs (OSHCON) creates memorial “Roy Kroker Award of Excellence”
  • Oregon Farm Bureau Health and Safety Committee, Oregon OSHA to provide in-person pesticide training Dec. 6
  • Oregon OSHA announces Workers’ Memorial Scholarship awards to boost student achievement
  • Incident Alert! Energized overhead power lines
  • Going the Distance: Cardinal Glass Industries Inc.

July 2022 Newsletter

  • What you need to know about Oregon OSHA rules that have taken effect – or soon will
  • Ask Oregon OSHA: Is the “apparent temperature” the same as the temperature indicated on a thermometer?
  • Employers, workers across Oregon gather to celebrate Safety Break
  • Incident Alert! Unsecured underground piping connection
  • Going the Distance: City of Keizer

May 2022 Newsletter

  • Combustible dust: An accident waiting to happen
  • Oregon employers, workers invited to take a ‘Safety Break’
  • Ceremony honors fallen Oregon workers
  • Oregon OSHA has launched a free Spanish online course on silica safety
  • Incident Alert! The excavator operator did not turn off the excavator’s engine when he got out of the cab
  • Going the Distance: Adroit Construction Co. Inc.

February 2022 Newsletter

  • Addressing the hazards of a poisonous gas: carbon monoxide
  • How does Oregon OSHA determine penalties?
  • New updates included in “It’s the Law!” poster
  • Don’t forget: It’s time to post your OSHA 300A Summary and submit your 300A data to federal OSHA
  • Incident Alert! An employee was under a tow truck when it moved forward and he was caught under its rear wheels
  • Going the Distance: Owens Corning Foam Insulation – Gresham

October 2021 Newsletter

  • Confined spaces and permit spaces – not just empty places
  • Oregon OSHA proposes rule updates to maintain protections for workers against COVID-19
  • New rules adopted to protect workers from overexposure to manganese
  • Interim leaders selected as Oregon OSHA administrator leaves for Washington
  • Incident Alert! A worker was asphyxiated after entering a 30,000-gallon wine tank

July 2021 Newsletter

  • What you should know about trench cave-ins
  • Using fuel-powered tools in excavations and other enclosed spaces – tips for protecting your employees
  • Answers to questions about changes to Oregon OSHA’s COVID-19 rules
  • Oregon OSHA adopts temporary heat stress prevention rule
  • Smoke, face masks, and rhabdomylosis

February 2021 Newsletter

  • Reduce the workplace risks of COVID-19 by understanding Oregon OSHA’s temporary rule
  • Administrator’s message: Challenging times bring out the best … in many of us
  • Was it really an accident? You will need to investigate
  • Online safety guide for cannabis industry is now available
  • Winter brings an increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning at home and work
  • Oregon OSHA to receive Hard Hat Safety Award on March 11

October 2020 Newsletter

  • How does Oregon OSHA adopt a rule?
  • Administrator’s message: New problems bring new partners in search for balance
  • Learn how to prevent automotive repair shop hazards and avoid a citation
  • VPP insight: Best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • What you should know about work-related musculoskeletal disorders
  • Protecting construction workers from falling objects – key requirements

April 2020 Newsletter

  • Preventing fall hazards: What you should know about construction falls
  • Administrator’s message: On the value of workplace safety, health experts in the battle against COVID-19
  • Video version of Workers Memorial ceremony planned
  • Keeping your Distance: Resources in the time of coronavirus

February 2020 Newsletter

  • Workplace violence: Prevention is paramount
  • Updated violence prevention guide offers more help
  • Administrator’s Message: Oregon OSHA moves forward in addressing question of “reasonable diligence”
  • Incident Alert!: A foreman did not take an injured worker to the nearest medical facility as required by the employer’s safety plan
  • Going the Distance: Meet Patrick Cowan, sales manager, and Adam Wasniewski, quality and safety manager, for Timber Products Company – Spectrum Division

December 2019 Newsletter

  • FSOil grows a model safety culture
  • Removing snow from roofs - safely
  • Administrator’s Message: Planning our future: “Action 2025 Agenda”
  • Safety Notes: A 30-year-old farmhand was burned over 70 percent of his body when his drip torch exploded while he was creating a fire line
  • Going the Distance: Elizabeth Kokos, senior wind technician for PGE's Biglow Canyon wind farm, discusses the facility's journey through Oregon OSHA's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)

October 2019 Newsletter

  • Addressing the dangers of carbon monoxide
  • Protecting your hearing from loud noise
  • Administrator’s message: Reaching the most vulnerable workers
  • Safety Notes: A 23-year-old worker died after he became trapped in an unguarded machine
  • Going the Distance: Meet Ross Olson, health, safety, and environmental coordinator for Linde Gas North America LLC

August 2019 Newsletter

  • Finding the path to continuous improvement through an effective safety and health program
  • Use free resources to help develop a strong safety and health program
  • Administrator’s message: Continued success requires creativity and an understanding of the fundamentals
  • Safety Notes: Dairy farm wastewater operator suffers chemical burn
  • Going the Distance: Meet Woodfold Manufacturing, a custom-crafted accordion and roll-door manufacturer in Forest Grove

June 2019 Newsletter 

  • What you need to know about trench cave-ins
  • Heat stress prevention tips
  • Administrator’s message: Finding new approaches to protect our most vulnerable
  • Safety Notes: Farm laborer's hand amputated by machine
  • Going the Distance: Meet Taylor Northwest, a safety award-winning construction firm in Bend

April 2019 Newsletter 

  • Snap your safety committee to attention
  • Construction Corner: Seven ways to prevent falls at your site
  • Administrator’s message: We must do better – we owe it to those we’ve lost
  • Safety Notes: Mechanic crushed by heavy equipment
  • Going the Distance: Meet Scott Knutz, environmental, safety, and health supervisor for Les Schwab Tires Inc.

February 2019 Newsletter 

  • We’ve had an accident. Do I need to report it to Oregon OSHA?
  • Five recordkeeping requirements that you might have overlooked
  • Administrator’s message: Learning from the experience of others a key to boosting workplace safety
  • Safety Notes: Too-small glove leads to severe infection
  • Going the Distance: Meet Pete Kimbrel, safety, wellness, and environmental manager at Orenco Systems Inc.

December 2018 Newsletter 

  • Knowledge and understanding: Why hazard communication matters
  • Construction Corner: What you should know about safety monitoring for roofing work
  • Administrator’s message: 2019 will bring challenges, opportunities
  • Safety Notes: Food service worker suffers severe burns while cleaning exhaust hood
  • Going the Distance: Meet Julie Stout, environmental, health, and safety manager at Georgia-Pacific, Philomath

October 2018 Newsletter 

  • Train your employees to work safely: It’s important. It’s required.
  • Employers, workers encouraged to use online training courses
  • Administrator’s message: Training is important, but it is rarely the complete solution
  • Safety Notes: Failure to follow lockout/tagout procedures leads to finger amputation
  • Going the Distance: Meet Dennis Winn and Jay Schindler of Klamath Energy LLC

August 2018 Newsletter 

  • Protecting forklift operators: Seatbelts are a matter of life and death
  • Tracking workplace injuries in Oregon K-12 schools
  • Administrator's Message: Celebrating the “Best of the Best” with the Voluntary Protection Program
  • Safety Notes: One worker killed, another injured in construction zone vehicle accident
  • Going the Distance: Meet Jim Johnson, CEO and owner of D2000 Safety

June 2018 Newsletter 

  • Dealing with dust: A guide to Oregon OSHA's new silica rules
  • Heat stress prevention
  • Administrator's Message: Pesticide rulemaking highlights challenges, strengths of Oregon's approach to rulemaking
  • Safety Notes: Improper lockout/tagout procedures lead to partial amputation
  • Going the Distance: Meet Ray Illingsworth, safety coordinator at Marvin Wood Products

April 2018 Newsletter

  • Suterra grows its commitment to safety
  • Is it an accident or an incident?
  • Administrator's Message: Workers Memorial Day is about stories, not statistics
  • Safety Notes: Mechanic injures hand during maintenance
  • Going the Distance: Meet Lena Houston-Davisson, MPT, physical therapist at Cascade Health

February 2018 Newsletter

  • A new look at Oregon OSHA's top violations for 2017
  • New Oregon OSHA rules effective this year
  • Administrator's Message: In workplace health and safety, sure and steady wins the race
  • Safety Notes: Veterinary and behavioral care for pets
  • Going the Distance: Meet Cliff Butler of Sherwin-Williams, Purdy