Workers in Washington County were among those filing a record number of workplace safety complaints as wildfire smoke blanketed Oregon between June 1 and Aug. 18.

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division received at least 44 complaints during that stretch, an all-time high since the agency adopted heat and wildfire smoke rules in 2022, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported after obtaining records through a public records request. That is about 10 more than the previous high, set in 2023.

The surge tracks with a wildfire season that has burned 2.5 million acres statewide. Thirty-two of the 44 complaints arrived during the first week of August alone, after massive lightning-caused fires in July, including the Grasshopper Fire near Mount Hood.

Washington County listed among complaint origins

Half of the complaint records did not list an employer or address. Of those that did, six came from Clackamas County. The rest came from Crook, Deschutes, Harney, Linn, Union, Washington and Yamhill counties.

The specific employers or industries tied to Washington County complaints were not identified in the records.

Workers across the state alleged employers required them to work outside in unhealthy air without masks, inside buildings without proper ventilation, or both. Others said they never received training on heat-illness prevention or wildfire smoke safety.

Local conditions crossed safety thresholds

Hillsboro and Beaverton saw Air Quality Index readings as high as 138 in early August, within the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range, according to Hillsboro News-Times reporting. Washington County opened two emergency shelters on Aug. 4 as temperatures hit 97 degrees.

That matters for workplaces. Oregon OSHA's smoke rules require employers to offer respirators such as N95 masks when the AQI tops 101. Heat rules require free drinking water and shade above 80 degrees and rest breaks above 90.

Kathleen Johnson, senior program coordinator for environmental health at Washington County Public Health, told the Hillsboro News-Times in an Aug. 6 report that heat "tends to overlap with wildfire smoke season," compounding the danger for outdoor workers.

Most complaints led to employer contact, not citations

Oregon OSHA spokesperson Aaron Corvin told the Capital Chronicle that the agency can order inspections, contact employers or take no action after evaluating a complaint. Nine complaints triggered inspections, all still in progress. At least 10 employers received no action.

No citations have been issued. "Citations are only issued if a compliance officer identifies a violation under the Oregon Safe Employment Act," Corvin said.

Workers who believe their employer is not meeting heat or smoke safety requirements can file a complaint at osha.oregon.gov.