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Oregon OSHA is charged with protecting the state鈥檚 roughly 2 million workers from workplace injuries and, with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, took on the role of enforcing rules about masking, sanitation and social distancing that were implemented to slow the virus鈥� spread in workplaces.

鈥淚n a sense, it鈥檚 simply another hazard that we need to address in the workplace to keep workers safe,鈥� Michael Wood, Oregon OSHA鈥檚 administrator, told the Salem Reporter in January. 鈥淲e think our job is addressing hazards in the workplace and COVID-19 is certainly a hazard in the workplace as well as elsewhere.鈥�

Oregon OSHA has a budget of $28.6 million and a staff of 206, including 49 safety compliance officers and 27 health compliance officers. Typically, Oregon OSHA focuses on manufacturers, construction sites and agricultural operations where workers are at the greatest risk of an accident.

The agency鈥檚 inspectors and staff have been overloaded with an unprecedented caseload, as the pandemic rules mean agency inspectors also must focus on retailers, restaurants, salons and other businesses. In an average year, the agency processes about 2,000 complaints alleging unsafe working conditions. Last year, the agency received 10 times that number.

The inspectors have faced their share of pushback during the pandemic, encountering protesters who do not support the shutdowns of businesses. Despite the challenges, Wood said he and his team are committed to carrying out their jobs because it means workers will end up going home healthier and because their work saves lives.

In early February, Oregon OSHA proposed a permanent rule that largely maintains, with some improvements, the risk-reducing measures required by the current emergency rule that protects workers from coronavirus. It would replace the temporary rule, which expires on May 4.