Committee hears bill to keep worker identities confidential in Oregon OSHA investigations

MADAM CHAIR GRABER — The House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards heard public testimony on House Bill 2,570 on Feb. 23, a measure that would require the director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services to keep personally identifiable information of employees confidential when those employees participate in Oregon OSHA inspections, investigations or consultations.

The bill would amend ORS 654.067 and require the director to adopt procedures and rules to implement the confidentiality requirement. "Oregon OSHA's mission is to improve workplace safety and health for all workers in Oregon," Renee Stapleton, administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Division at DCBS, told the committee. Stapleton said the change responds to federal OSHA monitoring that repeatedly flagged Oregon's practices for returning…