Oregon Ag Work Housing Set for OSHA Reforms

Oregon employers that provide housing to workers will see rule changes that would substantially raise the protective standards for indoor and outdoor facilities that they must include when they provide housing.
Prevalent mostly in agricultural settings, the reforms will include the development of an annual self-certification requirement for employers that includes required statements and mandatory documentation.
Oregon OSHA would conduct a rulemaking for the agricultural labor housing (ALH) rule proposal to add the self-certification requirement to its registration process.
The changes would be implemented in January 2025.
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Some 77 U.S. House Democrats are calling on the Postal Service to “immediately implement” the standards in OSHA’s workplace heat rule proposed last month.
“Proactively implementing this rule would save lives by ensuring that your workforce is protected with the most up-to-date heat safety standards,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), along with Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX) and Judy Chu (D-CA), are leading the letter.
“While the standards in the proposed rule are currently optional, the final rule will have the effect of law when published by OSHA,” the members wrote. “In the interim, the Postal Service is still required to protect its workers from extreme heat and can guarantee that they are meeting this duty with these standards.”
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The Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA) is making available up to $1 million in funding in Brookwood-Sago grants to support the delivery of education and training to the mining community.
MSHA is seeking to help the industry identify, avoid and prevent unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.
The closing date to apply for a grant is Sept. 9. The agency says it will award grants on or before Sept. 30.
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