ORS 654.003
Purpose

The purpose of the Oregon Safe Employment Act is to ensure as far as possible safe and healthful working conditions for every working person in Oregon, to preserve our human resources and to reduce the substantial burden, in terms of lost production, wage loss, medical expenses, disability compensation payments and human suffering, that is created by occupational injury and disease. To accomplish this purpose the Legislative Assembly intends to provide a procedure that will:

(1)

Encourage employers and employees to reduce the number of occupational safety and health hazards and to institute new programs and improve existing programs for providing safe and healthful working conditions.

(2)

Establish a coordinated program of worker and employer education, health and safety consultative services, demonstration projects and research to assist workers and their employers in preventing occupational injury and disease, whatever the cause.

(3)

Authorize the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services and the designees of the director to set reasonable, mandatory, occupational safety and health standards for all employments and places of employment.

(4)

Provide an effective program, under the director, to enforce all laws, regulations, rules and standards adopted for the protection of the life, safety and health of employees, and in so doing, predominantly prioritize inspections of places of employment to first focus enforcement activities upon places of employment that the director reasonably believes to be the most unsafe.

(5)

Establish appropriate reporting and research procedures that will help achieve the objectives of the Oregon Safe Employment Act, identify occupational hazards and unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, and describe the nature of the occupational safety and health problem.

(6)

Assure that Oregon assumes fullest responsibility, in accord with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.), for the development, administration and enforcement of safety and health laws and standards. [1973 c.833 §3; 1987 c.884 §55; 1999 c.1017 §1; 2017 c.238 §1]

Source: Section 654.003 — Purpose, https://www.­oregonlegislature.­gov/bills_laws/ors/ors654.­html.

Notes of Decisions

Legislature did not direct Workers’ Compensation Department, in setting standards for workers for purposes of this section, to take account of cost of consequential civil liability toward other parties, and statute implies that safeguards for workers are not to be compromised by such considerations. Shahtout v. Emco Garbage Co., 298 Or 598, 695 P2d 897 (1985)

Where there was no substantial evidence that compliance with regulation adopted by Accident Prevention Division was economically infeasible, Workers’ Compensation Board’s order could reduce protection of workers contrary to purpose of Oregon Safe Employment Act. Accident Prevention Division v. Bliss, 97 Or App 508, 776 P2d 1302 (1989)

654.001
Short title 654.003
Purpose 654.005
Definitions 654.010
Employers to furnish safe place of employment 654.015
Unsafe or unhealthy place of employment prohibited 654.020
Interference with safety devices or methods prohibited 654.022
Duty to comply with safety and health orders, decisions and rules 654.025
Jurisdiction and supervision of Workers’ Compensation Board, director and other state agencies over employment and places of employment 654.031
Citation and order to correct unsafe or unhealthy conditions 654.035
Scope of rules and orders 654.056
Variance from safety or health standards 654.062
Notice of violation to employer by worker 654.067
Inspection of places of employment 654.071
Citation for safety or health standard violations 654.078
Contesting violations 654.082
Prohibiting use of equipment involved in violation 654.086
Civil penalty for violations 654.090
Occupational safety and health activities 654.097
Consultative services required 654.101
Voluntary safety and health consultation 654.120
Records of proceedings 654.130
Proceedings against unwilling witnesses 654.150
Sanitary facilities at construction projects 654.160
Applicability of ORS 654.150 to be included in construction contracts 654.165
Employees not required to work bare-handed or rubber-gloved on high voltage lines 654.170
Stairway railings and guards not required for certain public and historic buildings 654.172
Exemption from inspection or investigation for certain agricultural activities 654.174
Sanitation facilities for workers harvesting food crops 654.176
Safety committee or safety meeting required 654.182
Rules for ORS 654.176 654.189
Safe Employment Education and Training Advisory Committee 654.191
Occupational Safety and Health Grant program 654.192
Labor organization not liable for injury resulting from absence of safety or health provision 654.196
Rules on contents of piping systems 654.200
Scholarship account 654.202
Issuance of warrants for safety and health inspections 654.206
Grounds for issuance of inspection warrants 654.212
Procedure for issuance of inspection warrant by magistrate 654.216
Execution of inspection warrants 654.251
Assistance to director from other state agencies 654.285
Admissibility of rules and orders of department in evidence in proceedings under ORS 654.001 to 654.295, 654.412 to 654.423 and 654.750 to 654.780 654.290
Applicability of Administrative Procedures Act 654.293
Representation of employer by attorney permitted 654.295
Application of Oregon Safe Employment Act 654.305
Protection and safety of persons in hazardous employment generally 654.310
Places of employment 654.315
Persons in charge of work to see that ORS 654.305 to 654.336 are complied with 654.320
Who considered agent of owner 654.325
Who may prosecute damage action for death 654.330
Fellow servant negligence as defense 654.336
Comparative negligence 654.345
Safety standards for utility vehicle rentals 654.400
Use of title of industrial hygienist, occupational health and safety technologist, construction health and safety technician or safety professional 654.402
Activities permitted under other designation, certification or license 654.412
Definitions for ORS 654.412 to 654.423 654.413
Required policies regarding surgical smoke 654.414
Duties of health care employer 654.416
Required records of assaults against employees 654.418
Protection of employee of health care employer after assault by patient 654.421
Refusal to treat certain patients by home health care employee 654.423
Use of physical force by health care employee in self-defense against assault 654.715
Report of accidents to Public Utility Commission 654.720
Public inspection or use of reports as evidence prohibited 654.750
Definitions for ORS 654.750 to 654.780 654.760
Rules on hazardous chemicals, safety equipment and training 654.770
Basic information available to agricultural employers for employees 654.780
Providing basic information to employees 654.991
Penalties
Green check means up to date. Up to date

Current through early 2024

§ 654.003’s source at oregon​.gov