Employers beware: Oregon OSHA scams on the rise

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division has alerted employers to two active scams targeting businesses, with fraudulent callers attempting to steal money through misrepresentation. These scams involve individuals falsely claiming to represent Oregon OSHA or an affiliated consultation firm to extract payments from employers.

Scammers are reportedly utilizing publicly searchable federal OSHA enforcement databases to identify potential targets for their schemes. Oregon OSHA has confirmed that there has been no data or security breach and these fraudulent activities do not reflect how the division conducts its programs, services or processes under the Oregon Safe Employment Act.

One type of scam involves callers contacting employers who have recently had an Oregon OSHA inspection opened. These individuals, posing as representatives of a consultation firm, falsely assure employers that they can guarantee an inspection will result in no violations in exchange for payment.

The second scam entails callers falsely claiming to be from Oregon OSHA. These scammers tell employers they can settle an enforcement penalty for a reduced amount if a lower payment is sent to them.

Oregon OSHA issues citations only following inspections that identify violations of workplace safety or health requirements. If an inspection finds no violations, OSHA considers the business to be in compliance. Employers have a due process right to file an appeal of a citation.

The division also provides a full range of free services to employers. These include safety and health consultations, answers to questions about safety and health requirements, public education and training, publications and streaming videos.

Employers can find more details about the citation process, penalty payments by mail and online and general enforcement and appeals information on the Oregon OSHA website.

Most interactions with Oregon OSHA can be conducted on its website at https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx. Information about Oregon OSHA enforcement and appeals is available at https://osha.oregon.gov/rules/enf/Pages/default.aspx. Field office contact details are listed at https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/maps.aspx.

Employers who receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to represent Oregon OSHA or making assertions about its programs, services or processes should call 800-922-2689 to verify the information. They can also directly contact a field office if they are suspicious about a caller.