Oregon OSHA has recently begun enrolling fire districts in the Challenge program, a voluntary program that offers an opportunity to work closely with Oregon OSHA Consultation Services for one year to make their workplaces safer and healthier.
Challenge is open to all Oregon employers, but fire districts can be particularly well-suited for the multiple safety and health consultations available in the Challenge program. Oregon OSHA has several consultants with background and experience in fire service. These consultants understand fire district work and culture, and will provide recommendations that best suit those districts.
Challenge is a one-year program that includes multiple safety and health consultations with three key benefits:
- Identify and eliminate hazards that cause workplace injuries and illnesses.
- Learn how to become self-reliant in managing your safety and health program.
- Receive a one-year deferral from most Oregon OSHA enforcement inspections. (No exemptions from inspections for cause or from inspections that result from imminent danger situations, fatalities and catastrophes, serious accidents, complaints, or referrals.)
The challenge program is free, and, as with all Oregon OSHA consultations, the program’s evaluations are confidential and held apart from Oregon OSHA’s enforcement section.
Fire districts save lives and preserve property in their regular work duties. District officials train their entire career for this service. But tending to their own employees’ safety and health in non-emergency situations is also important. Based on their work with many fire districts, Oregon OSHA consultants have identified some common areas for improvement. Addressing these areas, consultants note, is not always costly.
Examples include:
- Hazards with cleaning products in the station house, including secondary container labeling
- Unprotected storage areas, such as mezzanines
- Tire management – tread depth and expiration dates
- Annual maintenance on fire apparatus
- Evaluations of physical capabilities
- Eyewash locations, both in the bays and living areas
- Smoke and gas detectors
- Exit signs and routes
- Alignment of the district’s organization statement with the actual work being performed.
Consultants can assist fire districts in program development, addressing concerns such as hazard communication, respiratory protection, and bloodborne pathogens. Consultants also have access to resources to help districts on the requirements and expectations for live fire training simulations.
Districts don’t need to feel helpless in the face of limited resources, according to Oregon OSHA consultants. Consultations are free, and consultants can help districts connect with neighboring districts to partner up on safety and health efforts, and strengthen their resources.
Contact your local Oregon OSHA office to learn more about Oregon OSHA’s Challenge program and to participate.