Oregon Relaxing Safety Committees Rule for Small Businesses
Oregon OSHA has scheduled an Aug. 28 public hearing in Salem to discuss several changes it plans to make next month in a regulation requiring all private and public employers in the state to create a safety committee or hold safety meetings. The changes follow enactment of a state law that says small businesses, agricultural employers, and employers with mobile work sites had to be given alternatives to meet their special needs.
The regulation currently sets at minimum penalty of $100 for failing to create a committee. OR-OSHA intends to eliminate the minimum and set penalties in each case based on whatever hazards the employer actually has. Another proposed change will let fire service agencies hold safety meetings rather than establish a separate safety committee if they have 10 or fewer employees.
The other proposed change will let small businesses, agricultural employers, and mobile-work site employers hold safety meetings with fewer paperwork requirements. For additional information, visit www.orosha.org.