Worker safety Archives - nwLaborPress

Assaults on paramedics and EMTs have changed the nature of a job for workers who didn’t historically face on-the-job violence.

It took a few years, but Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health agency has finalized rules protecting Oregon workers from heat and smoke.

So-called “safe rest villages” in Portland are highly unsafe for staffers, leading workers to seek union representation with AFSCME.

Privately-insured and self-insured employers are rejecting worker comp claims at a greater rate than the state-chartered non-profit SAIF.

Last year more than 69 Oregonians died from injuries sustained while working, not including the 169 who died after workplace COVID outbreaks.

Transportation-related accidents are the lead cause of workplace death— more fatalities than falls, violence and harmful substances combined.

Most on-the-job deaths occur in the trucking industry, but a handful of workplaces have a higher fatality rate.

Oregon’s proposed rules protecting workers exposed to extreme heat and wildfire smoke could be the strongest in the country.

Attacks on parks workers. Assaults on bus drivers. Safety concerns are driving some employees to leave their jobs altogether.

Unions are encouraging members to get vaccinated, but are also trying to protect the rights and jobs of workers who haven’t been vaccinated.