6 results for tag: frontline workers

Update: OR OSHA publishes final rules governing the right to refuse dangerous work

Earlier this year, OEC and partners helped win a bill to give workers the right to refuse hazardous work (SB 907). We stayed at the table and provided information on how Oregon OSHA should carry out the intent of the law. While we are disappointed that the rules are missing some key points of clarity around extreme heat, smoke, and other environmental threats, OEC and our partners plan to ramp up education and outreach to ensure workers understand their rights.

Summer Heat, OR OSHA’s Heat and Smoke Rules, and the Right to Refuse Dangerous Work

OEC is advocating for the strong rollout of Oregon’s new Right to Refuse Dangerous Work law which was signed by the Governor in May of 2023.

Oregon adopts permanent worker protections for heat and smoke just in time for this summer’s extreme weather events

Victory! OEC and our coalition of environmental, health and science, small business, and labor partners have spent the last year and a half staunchly advocating for the most protective workplace regulations possible in Oregon. We’re happy to announce that the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) responded with new, permanent rules that will hopefully set the tone for a new national standard. The heat and smoke rulemakings are a response to Governor Brown’s Executive Order 20-04, which mandated Oregon OSHA to develop these standards in order to protect workers on the job from excessive heat and smoke.  It is no ...

Centering Frontline Voices: Oregon OSHA Enacts Heat & Smoke Rules

In a summer already marked by unprecedented temperatures and a devastating wildfire season, OEC and its partners pressed Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to adopt a health-first standard when it comes to protecting vulnerable workers from climate hazards. As part of EO-20-04 (OCAP), Governor Kate Brown directed Oregon OSHA to develop standards in order to protect frontline workers from excessive heat caused by climate change and wildfire smoke exposure. We know that not everyone is equally impacted by climate change. Frontline essential workers such as farmworkers, bus drivers, and warehouse workers are paid less ...

Oregon OSHA Enacts Emergency Heat Rules

A Joint Press Release - July 8, 2021 Contacts: Ira Cuello-Martinez, PCUN iracuello@pcun.org, (503) 851-5774 Kate Suisman, Northwest Justice Workers Project kate@nwjp.org, 503-765-7105 Jamie Pang, Oregon Environmental Council, jamiep@oeconline.org, (971) 353-7963 Oregon OSHA’s Emergency Heat Rules Are a Good Start to Protecting At-Risk Workers; Strong Enforcement Will be Necessary SALEM, Ore— Oregon OSHA today issued emergency rules protecting workers from climate-fueled excessive heat, following an extensive campaign by workers’ rights, environmental, and public health advocates. The emergency heat rules enacted today are the most ...

Oregon Climate Action Plan: 2021 Progress Report

One year after the signing of Executive Order 20-04, our coalition released a robust report assessing the state’s progress on implementation.