American Society of Safety Professionals Southern Oregon Chapter
  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • Training
  • Employment
  • Community
  • Exec Committee
  • Conference
  • Awards
  • Gallery
  • Link Page

New Wildfire Smoke & Heat Rules

7/25/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
As high temperatures continue throughout the summer, OSH professionals should be prepared to protect employees who will be exposed to heat and wildfire smoke. Oregon OSHA adopted new permanent rules designed to protect workers from the dangers of exposure to wildfire smoke and heat.
 
The permanent heat rule went into effect June 15th, 2022 and the wildfire smoke rule on July 1st, 2022. These rules are designed to prevent heat-related illnesses and exposure to wildfire smoke, both of which have the capacity to be relentless during Southern Oregon summers.
At 80°F, the heat rule calls for employers to provide water, shade, the ability to communicate, and training. Once the heat index reaches 90°F or higher, there are further requirements, which include frequent cooling breaks and an acclimatization plan. A written plan is required for the heat rule, which is also required to be located at each work site.
 
When implementing the wildfire smoke rule, it is important to understand the basics, such as learning about AQI (Air Quality Index) and what the various numbers mean. With the wildfire smoke rule, the rule takes effect when the AQI reaches 101 and filtering face piece respirators need to be made available for voluntary use.
 
When the AQI reaches 251, employees exposed to wildfire smoke are required to wear a filtering face piece respirator in accordance with Appendix A in the rule. When the AQI reaches 501, Appendix A is no longer applicable, and you will need to implement a Respiratory Protection Program (i.e. medical evaluation and fit testing).
 
You can read more about the new requirements of the heat and wildfire smoke rules here:
https://osha.oregon.gov/OSHARules/adopted/2022/heat-wildfire-smoke-rule-summary-2022.pdf.
 
In safety, the first and best line of defense is to remove the hazard whenever possible. When possible, rescheduling work for the coolest part of the day is a great idea. For many professions, such as public works, law enforcement, etc., this is not always feasible. Setting up misting tents, providing cooling packs or vests, and my personal favorite for law enforcement: Cool Cop Body Armor Air Conditioning. As temperatures increase, this is must for police officers who are running call to call.
 
There are so many great ideas out there that Southern Oregon employers are putting together on how to keep folks cool at work. Please join us for the August meeting and get to know what other employers are doing to keep employees cool. See you then!
 
Heather Ashwill

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Executive Committee

    Your ASSP Executive Committee sharing safety and health news from around our region.

    Archives

    June 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    December 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Sign Up for Email Updates

    Print Newsletter Archives

    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    Archives
Picture

Become an ASSP Member Today!

You are vital to the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) profession. Our goal is to provide you with invaluable resources to do your job and help your organization succeed. Our network of 35,000 members is literally at your fingertips online.  Join the thousands of others who believe in the strength and knowledge that only comes from being a member of ASSP.

(Formerly ASSE Southern Oregon Chapter)

Become a Member

Chapter Meetings

Chapter meetings are on the first Tuesday of each month unless otherwise specified.
Membership is not required to attend the meetings.


    Contact  Us

Submit
American Society of Safety Professionals Southern Oregon Chapter © All Rights Reserved.
Proudly powered by Weebly