The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA or OR-OSHA) is a state government agency that regulates workplace safety and health in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. Oregon OSHA is a division of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services and operates under a formal state-plan agreement with

Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agenc ...

(OSHA). Oregon OSHA's regulatory authority comes from the Oregon Safe Employment Act (OSEA); its jurisdiction covers most public and private sector workplaces in the state. Oregon OSHA's expressed mission is "to advance and improve workplace safety and health for all workers in Oregon."

History

From 1941 to 1989, the Accident Prevention Division (APD) – a division of the state Industrial Accident Commission – regulated workplace safety and health in Oregon. On October 2, 1989, APD became the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division. The name change was intended to "help workers and employers identify the division as the state's occupational safety and health enforcement agency and to more accurately reflect its diverse mission." Nevertheless, there is a strong continuity between APD and Oregon OSHA, linked by the OSEA. The OSEA, signed into law by Governor

Tom McCall Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew up t ...

on July 22, 1973, was landmark legislation with a purpose to "assure as far as possible safe and healthful working conditions for every workingman and woman in Oregon." Oregon OSHA's status as an independent state-run program became final in 2005 when acting Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor Jonathan Snare presented the final approval agreement to Governor

Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...

– 38 years after Tom McCall signed the initial state-plan agreement with the federal government. Final approval meant that Oregon OSHA could run its own program, for the most part, without federal enforcement authority.

Programs and services

Oregon OSHA's major program areas are enforcement, consultation services, standards and technical resources, education, and conferences. Oregon OSHA also has a nationally certified occupational health laboratory and a resource center that lends books and videos to the public.

References

External links

Oregon OSHA
(official website) {{authority control Occupational Safety Health Administration, Oregon Occupational safety and health organizations 1941 establishments in Oregon

History

Programs and services

See also

Further reading

References

External links