Now that wildfire season has started and Governor Kotek has declared a state of emergency for wildfires, it’s time for Oregon businesses to prepare. Even if your business isn’t close to the flames, hazardous smoke travels well beyond the fire lines, putting people and businesses at risk.

SAIF, Oregon’s not-for-profit workers’ compensation insurance company, offers seven things you can do now to prepare for potential wildfires and smoke in the months ahead:

• Make sure you have filtering facepiece respirators, such as N-95 or N-100, on hand for every employee. Oregon OSHA’s wildfire smoke rule requires most employers to provide NIOSH-approved respirators, depending on the air quality index (AQI). 
• Include wildfire smoke events in your emergency response plans.
• Train all employees on wildfire smoke exposure, as required by Oregon OSHA.
• Know your best resources to monitor fire and smoke risk in your area. One resource is Oregon DEQ's Air Quality Index.
• Plan how to get employees to safer locations, or when to release them before situations worsen.
• For workers that primarily work outside, know your options for reassigning or relocating work activities away from wildfire smoke.
• If you have field employees, make sure you have a process in place to know their location and communicate in event of an emergency. 

Remember, people who work outdoors, have respiratory conditions or cardiovascular disease, smoke, or are pregnant have a higher risk of health impacts.   

Find more tips for preparing your business—before, during, and after wildfire season—at saif.com/prepare. 

About SAIF

SAIF is Oregon's not-for-profit workers' compensation insurance company. Since 1914, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping people get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. For more information, visit the About SAIF page on saif.com.