Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA will initiate rulemaking on two new state laws aimed at strengthening worker safety in some behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment settings.
H.B. 2024 requires every employee in those settings to notify their employer of any violation of law, regulation or standard pertaining to worker safety and health. Workers also can file complaints to the director of the state’s Department of Consumer and Business Services about violations, which would result in “reasonable and appropriate” inspections, inquiries and investigations of safety and health violations.
Employers of these facilities must provide general worker safety training that addresses:
- Risks that a worker can face in behavioral health settings
- Protocols for using safety equipment, emergency communication devices and alert systems in crisis situations
- De-escalation techniques for managing and mitigating potentially aggressive behaviors
- Options for reporting incidents to state and federal agencies
- Simulated situations and role-playing exercises for workers to put principles of training into real-world scenarios
Because of an emergency clause, the legislation went into effect this past July and has a July 1, 2026, implementation date for provisions related to the Oregon Safety Employment Act.
S.B. 537, which went into effect on Jan. 1, creates workplace violence prevention requirements for certain health care entities. The law applies to workers in hospitals, home health agencies and home health programs.
Employers must incorporate and implement a workplace violence prevention and response plan that includes procedures for reporting incidents; conducting internal investigations of workplace incidents; implementing post-incident response strategies; and providing first aid, medical care and trauma counseling for affected workers.
Oregon OSHA, which operates as a State Plan program under federal OSHA, says it will follow its formal and transparent rulemaking process – including stakeholder and public input and review – as it works to carry out the changes.
