Workplace Safety Rules Focus on Wildfire Smoke, Heat

Workplace safety regulators in Oregon adopted emergency rules to protect workers from wildfire smoke and high heat in employer-provided housing. The wildfire smoke rules apply when ambient air concentration of fine particulate matter, known as PM 2.5, is at or above an air quality index, or AQI, of 101. Workers who may be exposed to an AQI of 101 or higher must be trained on the effects of exposure to wildfire smoke, symptoms of exposure and how to properly use respirators, Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Division, also known as Oregon OSHA, said in a statement. The emergency ...