Oregon OSHA proposes workplace rules for COVID-19

Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services is proposing a temporary rule that would combat the spread of coronavirus in all workplaces by requiring employers to implement risk-reducing measures.

Those measures include social distancing, barriers, face coverings, cleanings and information sharing, with nuances for those working in health care or other close-contact professions, such as in salons or tattoo and massage parlors, according to a statement released Monday by Oregon OSHA.

The proposal states that employers would have to ensure six-foot distancing between all people in the workplace. That would include designing work activities and the workplace to eliminate the need for any worker to be within six feet of another person. If such separation is not practical, the employer would have to ensure that face coverings are worn and that as much distance as practical is maintained.

The proposal also states that the distancing requirement could be met with an impermeable barrier that creates a “droplet buffer” of at least six feet in distance as measured between the mouths of the affected people. The proposal would also require that all high-contact surfaces used by multiple employees, such as door handles and cash registers, are thoroughly cleaned at the beginning of each shift.

Oregon OSHA is seeking public comments by Aug. 31 on the temporary rule, which could take effect no later than Sept. 14 and would remain in effect for 180 days, according to the statement. 

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.