Oregon OSHA has adopted the COVID-19 rules for ALL workplaces.  The temporary rules go into effect next Monday, November 16 (and currently will be in effect through May 4, 2021).  CLICK HERE to view the full rules. 

Here is what employers will have to do:

Posters

• Employers must post the OSHA poster.  English Version and Spanish Version

Distancing

• Ensure work activities eliminate the need for employees to be within six feet of each other.

Cleaning

• Clean or sanitize high-touch surfaces and shared equipment at least every 24 hours for workplaces occupied less than 12 hours a day;
• If workplaces are occupied more than 12 hours a day, cleaning must be done every 8 hours;
• Employers must provide employees with sufficient hand washing supplies and facilities; and
• Employees must provide employees with supplies to clean work surfaces.

Face Coverings

• Employers must ensure employees wear face coverings in workplaces consistent with Oregon Health Authority Guidance;
• Employees must also wear face coverings in vehicles; and
• Employers must provide face coverings to employees.

Ventilation

• Businesses must repair and maintain heating and cooling systems to maximize air flow. This likely involves replacing filters as recommended by the manufacturer.

Exposure Risk Assessment

• Employers must conduct an Exposure Risk Assessment by December 7, 2020.
• OSHA has created an exposure risk assessment template for employers to use.
• Employers must give employees an opportunity to provide feedback.

Infection Control Plan

• Employers must establish an Infection Control Plan by December 7, 2020.
• NEW! OSHA has created a model Policy for Notification of Employees When COVID-19 Exposure Occurs and sample Infection Control Plan.  The new Oregon OSHA Temporary COVID-19 rules require that businesses establish a notification process that provides notice within 24-hours if an employee has been exposed to someone confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19. This requirement goes into effect on Monday, November 16th. The COVID-19 infection notification process includes: Employers must establish a process to notify exposed employees that they had a work-related contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, as well as to notify affected employees that an individual who was present in the facility has confirmed COVID-19.
• Exposed employees include: 
• Those who were within 6 feet of a confirmed COVID-19 individual for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more, regardless of whether one or both of them were wearing source control. 
• Those who worked in the same facility or in the same well-defined portion of the facility such as a particular floor. 

This excludes settings where patients are hospitalized on the basis that they are known or suspected to be infected with COVID-19.

The notification process must include the following elements:

• A mechanism for notifying both exposed and affected employees within 24 hours of the employer being made aware that an individual with COVID-19 was present in the workplace while infectious or otherwise may have had work-related contact with its employee(s) while infectious; and 
• This notification process must be established and implemented in accordance with all applicable federal and Oregon laws and regulations. Note: Employers can satisfy this requirement by adopting the model procedure to be published by Oregon OSHA before the effective date of the rule.

Note: OAR 333-018-0016 requires such cases to be reported by healthcare providers and laboratories within 24 hours of identification.

Employee Training

• Training must be completed by December 21, 2020.
• Training can be done through a safety meeting.

Exposure or Infection Response

• Employers must adopt policies about how to notify employees if they have been exposed to someone who is known to have been infected with COVID-19.  Model Policy for Notification of Employees when COVID-19 Exposure Occurs and in Spanish.
• Employers must remove individuals from the workplace if public health officials direct the employees to isolate or quarantine. Employees are entitled to return to their previous position after the isolation or quarantine time period.     

Overview Table/Timelines for Oregon OSHA COVID-19 Temporary Rule.  For more information about Oregon OSHA’s new COVID-19 rules.