2021 Oregon Revised Statutes
Chapter 654 - Occupational Safety and Health
Section 654.003 - Purpose.


(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]

Structure 2021 Oregon Revised Statutes

2021 Oregon Revised Statutes

Volume : 16 - Trade Practices, Labor and Employment

Chapter 654 - Occupational Safety and Health

Section 654.003 - Purpose.

Section 654.005 - Definitions.

Section 654.020 - Interference with safety devices or methods prohibited; civil penalty.

Section 654.025 - Jurisdiction and supervision of Workers’ Compensation Board, director and other state agencies over employment and places of employment; rules.

Section 654.035 - Scope of rules and orders.

Section 654.056 - Variance from safety or health standards; effect of variance on citations.

Section 654.062 - Notice of violation to employer by worker; complaint by worker to director; inspection; protection of complaining employees; rebuttable presumption.

Section 654.067 - Inspection of places of employment; denial of access; warrants; safety and health consultation with employees.

Section 654.071 - Citation for safety or health standard violations; effect of failure to correct violation; posting of citations and notices by employer.

Section 654.078 - Contesting violations; hearing; admissibility in criminal or civil proceedings of stipulations involving violations.

Section 654.082 - Prohibiting use of equipment involved in violation; red warning notice.

Section 654.086 - Civil penalty for violations; classification of violations; payment and disposition of penalty moneys.

Section 654.090 - Occupational safety and health activities; voluntary compliance; rules; consultative services.

Section 654.097 - Consultative services required; program standards; rules.

Section 654.101 - Voluntary safety and health consultation; refusal to disclose report.

Section 654.120 - Records of proceedings; confidentiality of certain information; federal reporting requirements; rules.

Section 654.130 - Proceedings against unwilling witnesses.

Section 654.150 - Sanitary facilities at construction projects; standards; exemptions.

Section 654.160 - Applicability of ORS 654.150 to be included in construction contracts; liability for cost of compliance.

Section 654.165 - Employees not required to work bare-handed or rubber-gloved on high voltage lines.

Section 654.172 - Exemption from inspection or investigation for certain agricultural activities.

Section 654.174 - Sanitation facilities for workers harvesting food crops; employer to post notice; rules.

Section 654.182 - Rules for ORS 654.176; contents.

Section 654.189 - Safe Employment Education and Training Advisory Committee; members; terms; expenses; duties; meetings.

Section 654.191 - Occupational Safety and Health Grant program; rules.

Section 654.196 - Rules on contents of piping systems; posting notice on right to be informed of hazardous substances; withholding of information under certain circumstances.

Section 654.200 - Scholarship account; use; standards for eligibility.

Section 654.206 - Grounds for issuance of inspection warrants; requirements of affidavit.

Section 654.212 - Procedure for issuance of inspection warrant by magistrate.

Section 654.216 - Execution of inspection warrants.

Section 654.251 - Assistance to director from other state agencies; inspection of farm labor camps and facilities.

Section 654.290 - Applicability of Administrative Procedures Act; Administrative Law Judge qualifications.

Section 654.295 - Application of Oregon Safe Employment Act.

Section 654.330 - Fellow servant negligence as defense.

Section 654.345 - Safety standards for utility vehicle rentals.

Section 654.400 - Use of title of industrial hygienist, occupational health and safety technologist, construction health and safety technician or safety professional; cause of action.

Section 654.402 - Activities permitted under other designation, certification or license.

Section 654.412 - Definitions for ORS 654.412 to 654.423.

Section 654.413 - Required policies regarding surgical smoke.

Section 654.414 - Duties of health care employer; security and safety assessment; assault prevention program; requirements.

Section 654.416 - Required records of assaults against employees; contents; summary report; rules.

Section 654.421 - Refusal to treat certain patients by home health care employee.

Section 654.423 - Use of physical force by health care employee in self-defense against assault.

Section 654.715 - Report of accidents to Public Utility Commission; investigation; supplemental reports; rules.

Section 654.750 - Definitions for ORS 654.750 to 654.780.

Section 654.760 - Rules on hazardous chemicals, safety equipment and training.

Section 654.991 - Penalties.