Oregon — Workplace Safety

Oregon enforces workplace safety and health requirements through Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. The agency operates under the Oregon Safe Employment Act (ORS Chapter 654) and administers a federally approved State Plan that covers most private-sector employers and all state and local government employers. Federal OSHA retains jurisdiction over federal government employees (including USPS), maritime employers (shipyards, longshoring, marine terminals), and certain employers on navigable waters. Oregon OSHA's standards must be at least as effective as federal OSHA standards but may include additional or stricter state-specific requirements.

Source: ORS Chapter 654; Oregon State Plan Overview, OSHA

Oregon employers must comply with two distinct workplace safety obligations: recordkeeping (maintaining logs of work-related injuries and illnesses) and incident reporting (immediate notification to Oregon OSHA of serious incidents). These requirements are codified in OAR 437-001-0700 (recordkeeping) and OAR 437-001-0704 (reporting).

## Recordkeeping — OSHA 300 Log and 300A Summary

Employers with more than 10 employees at any time during the last calendar year must maintain injury and illness records using three forms: the OSHA 300 Log (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses), the OSHA 300A Summary (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses), and DCBS Form 801 (or equivalent) for each recordable injury or illness. The 10-employee threshold applies to the entire Oregon company, not per establishment. Employers in specific low-hazard retail, service, finance, insurance, or real estate industries listed in Table 1 of OAR 437-001-0700 are exempt regardless of size. Even exempt employers must maintain DCBS Form 801 for any occupational injury or illness that may result in a compensable workers' compensation claim.

Employers must record a work-related injury or illness if it results in: (1) death; (2) days away from work; (3) restricted work or job transfer; (4) medical treatment beyond first aid; (5) loss of consciousness; or (6) a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or licensed health care professional (e.g., cancer, chronic irreversible disease, fractured or cracked bone, punctured eardrum). The OSHA 300 Log must be maintained on a calendar-year basis. For recordable injuries, employers must enter the case within 7 calendar days after receiving information that a recordable injury or illness has occurred.

Each February 1, employers must post the OSHA 300A Summary (not the full 300 Log) in a common area where notices to employees are usually posted, and keep it posted through April 30. A company official (owner, officer, or highest-ranking manager at the establishment) must certify and sign the summary. Certain employers in designated industries must also electronically submit their Form 300A information to Oregon OSHA through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) by March 2 of the year following the calendar year covered by the form.

## Incident Reporting — 8-Hour and 24-Hour Deadlines

Oregon employers must immediately report certain serious incidents directly to Oregon OSHA by telephone or in person, regardless of whether they are otherwise exempt from recordkeeping.

Within 8 hours of the incident or employer knowledge (reported to the employer or any agent), employers must report:

• Fatalities: All work-related fatalities, including those caused by heart attacks at work. The fatality must be reported only if death occurs within 30 days of the incident.
• Catastrophes: An incident in which two or more employees are fatally injured, OR three or more employees are admitted to a hospital or equivalent medical facility (clinic) as a result of the same incident.

Within 24 hours of the incident or employer knowledge, employers must report:

• In-patient hospitalizations: Any work-related incident resulting in an employee's admission to a hospital (overnight stay for medical treatment).
• Loss of an eye.
• Amputations or avulsions that result in bone loss. (An avulsion is the tearing away of body tissue; only those involving bone or cartilage loss are reportable.)

The 8-hour and 24-hour clocks start running either when the incident occurs or when the incident is reported to the employer or any of the employer's agents, whichever is later. Reports must be made by calling 800-922-2689 or contacting the nearest Oregon OSHA office in person.

Failure to report a fatality, catastrophe, or accident as required by OAR 437-001-0704 subjects the employer to a civil penalty of not less than $250 nor more than $12,675 per OAR 437-001-0170.

## Retention and Access

Employers must retain the OSHA 300 Log, 300A Summary, and supporting documentation for 5 years following the year to which the records pertain. Current and former employees, and authorized employee representatives, have the right to access the OSHA 300 Log for their workplace upon request.

Source: OAR 437-001-0700, Recording Workplace Injuries and Illnesses; OAR 437-001-0704, Reporting Fatalities, Catastrophes, Injuries and Illnesses to Oregon OSHA; OAR 437-001-0170, Determination of Penalty — Failure to Report; Oregon OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting

Oregon employers must follow both federal OSHA and Oregon OSHA rules on electronic submission of injury and illness records via the Injury Tracking Application (ITA). The thresholds and industry lists align closely, but with Oregon-specific nuances in form naming and covered industries.

Federal submission requirements (29 C.F.R. § 1904.41):

• Any establishment (single physical location) with 250 or more employees at any time during the previous calendar year, required to keep OSHA injury and illness records, must electronically submit Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) to OSHA by March 2 of the following year. (This count includes all employees at any time during the year: full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal.)
• Establishments with 20–249 employees during the previous calendar year must submit Form 300A electronically _if_ they operate in certain designated industries listed in Appendix A to Subpart E of Part 1904 (these are typically higher-risk industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing—full list in Appendix A). Submission is due by March 2 as well.
• As of 2024 amendments, covered establishments with 100 or more employees in industries named in Appendix B to Subpart E must also submit detailed information from Form 300 (Log) and Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report), in addition to Form 300A, by March 2. Appendix B enumerates NAICS codes for these higher-hazard industries.

Oregon-specific requirements (OAR 437-001-0700(24)):

• Oregon mirrors the federal framework but requires submission of DCBS Form 801 (Oregon’s version of the first-report form) in place of Form 301.
• Establishments with 250+ employees must submit OSHA Form 300A electronically.
• Establishments with 20–249 employees in industries listed in Table 7 of OAR 437-001-0700 (mirroring federal Appendix A) must submit Form 300A electronically.
• Establishments with 100 or more employees in industries listed in Table 8 of OAR 437-001-0700 (analogous to federal Appendix B) must submit Form 300, Form 300A, and Form 801 electronically by March 2.
• Both Table 7 and Table 8 are published as part of the official Oregon rule; NAICS codes correspond to the designated industry lists under federal law.

Summary table:

• 250+ employees at an establishment (any industry): submit Form 300A
• 20–249 employees in designated industries: submit Form 300A
• 100+ employees in designated higher-hazard industries: submit Form 300, Form 300A, and DCBS Form 801

All required data must be submitted annually by March 2 for the prior calendar year.

For industry codes and current lists, see Appendix A/B to Subpart E of 29 C.F.R. 1904 for federal rules, and Table 7/8 in OAR 437-001-0700 for Oregon.

Source: 29 C.F.R. § 1904.41; OAR 437-001-0700(24)

Oregon employers required to electronically submit their OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) data must do so by March 2 of the year following the calendar year covered. This requirement mirrors federal OSHA’s rule at 29 C.F.R. § 1904.41(a), and covers establishments meeting the employee and industry thresholds detailed earlier in this guide.

If an employer fails to submit Form 300A data electronically by the March 2 deadline, OSHA may issue an "other-than-serious" citation for the omitted submission. This penalty is distinct from penalties for failing to maintain, post, or provide injury and illness records. The maximum penalty for such a violation is set by OSHA's penalties table and is subject to annual inflation adjustments. As updated January 15, 2025, the maximum penalty for an "other-than-serious" violation is $16,550 per violation. Actual penalties, especially for first-time or minor violations, may be less than the statutory maximum—for example, in 2022, OSHA cited Continental Tire The Americas, LLC $2,072 under 29 C.F.R. § 1904.41(a)(1) for failing to submit their 2021 Form 300A electronically by the deadline.

OSHA’s enforcement memo (April 16, 2024) confirms citations for late or missing Form 300A submissions are enforceable up to six months from the deadline date (i.e., until September 2 for a March 2 deadline), per OSHA’s general statute of limitations for violations.

Key distinctions:

• Failing to electronically submit Form 300A by March 2 may result in a citation and civil penalty, even if all recordkeeping and physical posting obligations are otherwise met.
• The six-month window for citation is confirmed by OSHA enforcement guidance as well as general OSHA limitations rules.
• Penalties are assessed at OSHA’s discretion, up to the maximum penalty set for “other-than-serious” violations in the year of citation issuance.

Source: 29 C.F.R. § 1904.41, OSHA enforcement memorandum, April 16, 2024, OSHA violation detail for Continental Tire The Americas, LLC, OSHA penalties page updated Jan. 15, 2025

Oregon OSHA enforces its own penalty and citation system under the Oregon Safe Employment Act (ORS Chapter 654), which diverges from federal OSHA in both penalty amounts and administration. Oregon’s penalty structure is set by ORS 654.086 and detailed in Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) Chapter 437, Division 1, and must be at least as effective as the federal system, but some ranges and adjustment metrics are state-specific.

Penalty Categories under Oregon Law

• Serious violations: Oregon prescribes a civil penalty from $1,116 up to $15,625 per violation. If a serious violation caused or contributed to an employee death, the civil penalty must be between $20,000 and $50,000 (ORS 654.086(2), (3)(a)).
• Willful or repeated violations: These draw a penalty between $11,162 and $156,259 per violation; if resulting in a fatality, the penalty is $50,000–$250,000 (ORS 654.086(3)(b), (7)).
• Failures to correct: Up to $15,625 per day (ORS 654.086(6)). Additional lower penalties apply for posting violations and false statements.

Indexing and Adjustments Unlike federal OSHA, which uses the national CPI-U for penalty inflation, Oregon OSHA utilizes the West Region CPI-U, resulting in slightly different penalty adjustment rates. See OAR 437-001-0175.

Citation and Abatement Procedures

• Citations must be posted for three days or until abated, whichever is longer—even if contested. (OAR 437-001-0220)
• Employers can appeal citations, but penalties become final and enforceable as a civil judgment if unpaid 20 days after the citation is final (ORS 654.086(5)).
• Oregon-specific rules govern the process and timeline for appeals, abatement, and penalty payment.

Federal OSHA Comparison Federal OSHA’s maximum penalties, as of 2025, are comparable but not always identical (e.g., willful/repeat max federal: $165,514; Oregon max: $156,259 or $250,000 if death). Oregon’s statutory minimums, separate abatement posting period, and use of the regional CPI-U set it apart.

Summary Oregon OSHA’s enforcement—while required to be as effective as federal OSHA—includes numerical penalty amounts, penalty adjustment metrics, and enforcement procedures that are distinctly Oregon-specific.

Source: ORS 654.086, OAR 437-001-0175, OAR 437-001-0220

Oregon OSHA requires employers to post the OSHA 300A Summary (the Annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) between February 1 and April 30 each year in a conspicuous location where employees will see it. This posting requirement is outlined in the agency’s official fact sheet (FS-24a) and OAR 437-001-0700. Oregon OSHA’s guidance does not specify any requirement to provide the summary in a language other than English—even when some or all of the workforce has limited English proficiency. The rule is silent on translation of the OSHA 300A Summary.

By contrast, Oregon OSHA’s flagship worker rights poster (“Safety and Health Protection on the Job”) is published in both English and Spanish, and the agency explicitly instructs employers to post both versions if they have a mixed-language workforce. This language requirement, however, applies only to the Oregon-specific rights poster, not to the OSHA 300A Summary.

Federal OSHA also does not require translations of the 300A Summary. While employers may choose to post voluntary translations to promote awareness, no state or federal authority mandates posting the workplace injury summary in languages other than English. Failing to post the English 300A, regardless of workforce language, is a citable violation; failing to post a translation is not.

Employers with multilingual workforces may wish to post voluntary translations to help workers understand the summary, but under Oregon and federal law, posting the English summary meets all legal requirements as of June 2026.

Source: Oregon OSHA FS-24a; Oregon OSHA — displaying required posters; OAR 437-001-0700