7:19 am

Dear Colleagues,

This morning’s air quality index is extremely high, and is labeled “hazardous” by the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency. Area wildfires and weather continue to create severe smoke, and under the current conditions, any employee with outdoor work assignments should have those duties modified to indoor activities until air quality improves significantly.

As shared yesterday afternoon, here is important information for supervisors related to air quality at the University of Oregon:

• Contact UO Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) to report an indoor air quality concern at: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b3d1835da52f401ea0d47e4fc9d441ee
• If you have critical concerns about the indoor air quality in the work space you oversee, please contact EH&S at 541-346-3192 before taking any department-wide actions. Supervisors should be as flexible as possible with individual staff having issues related to air quality. Be prepared to respond to employees who have discomfort in the workplace, either in crafting acceptable alternative locations or assignments, or directing employees to use appropriate leave (see https://hr.uoregon.edu/hr-programs-services/benefits/time).
• For UO employees whose work includes outdoors tasks, safety precautions should be used, including:

1. Where possible, move outdoor workers to jobs inside (taking inventory, inspecting equipment, repairing tools, etc.)
2. Adjust outdoor tasks to require less strenuous physical activity
3. Those who must work outdoors should take frequent breaks to indoor spaces
4. Drink lots of water
5. Employees should continuously monitor their health, and at signs like light-headedness, shortness of breath, or nausea, go indoors and ask for help.

Thanks for helping the university and all our colleagues during these difficult conditions.