Worker safety

Assault a bus driver, commit a felony

ATU Local 757 tells Oregon lawmakers assaults on bus drivers are increasing, and asks to tighten a law classifying such assaults as felonies. 

Judge tosses lawsuit against heat/smoke rules

A federal judge has dismissed a business group lawsuit that challenged new rules protecting Oregon workers from heat and smoke. 

To stop harassment, make it inconvenient

Portland-area construction leaders take stock of progress toward more welcoming workplaces over the past two years.

Unions protect workers. OSHA protects … contractors?

What is a life worth? According to Oregon OSHA, it seems, $5,400. That's how much it recently fined a company after a worker was killed on the job.

Union member killed in Bend grocery shooting

UFCW Local 555 president Dan Clay says retail workers shouldn't have to fear gun violence but it's becoming increasingly common.

School employees union says workers are leaving jobs in droves

Student behavior – including assaults – are a factor in record-high classroom aide and support staff turnover.

Bus drivers, flight attendants say they’re feeling less safe

Incidents of disruptive airline passengers and abusive mass transit users have increased sharply in the past few years.

Driver targets paramedics in intentional crash

The crash is the latest evidence for what union-represented paramedics have described as growing public hostility toward ambulance workers.

For paramedics, assaults become part of the job

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

Oregon OSHA heat and smoke rules official as of July 1

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

Workers at tiny house villages want a union for safety

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

Pandemic showed flaws in Oregon’s workers comp

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

KILLED ON THE JOB IN OREGON IN 2021

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

Top on-the-job killers

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

America’s most dangerous jobs

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

Oregon OSHA takes action on heat and smoke

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

Unsafe streets: Deteriorating public safety is impacting workers on the job

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

Unions contend with vaccine mandates

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

Construction industry confronts suicide in the ranks

Construction workers commit suicide at three times the national average. More die by suicide than job site injuries or accidents.

Oregon OSHA issues emergency heat rule 

It took a frightening three-day heat wave to get action, but on July 8, Oregon OSHA said employers must protect workers during extreme heat.