Oregon Grants Available

Applications for Oregon’s own stimulus funds are being accepted through November 20.

Aging Workers a Concern For Oregon OSHA

Salem - Aging Population An aging population, new and unknown hazards, and growing multicultural differences were some ofthe major themes and challenges identified at the “Workplace Health & Safety: Looking Forward to 2020” symposium, held in Portland recently.

John Howard, the newly appointed director of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), was the keynote speaker at the event. He talked about how employers will need to connect with and train the country’s growing immigrant population, many of whom are young students today, legally born in the U.S.

“You have to figure out a way to transcend that culture,” he said. “Many will want to retain their native language. That is a reality that will affect how we approach safety.”

Howard also discussed what he calls an “underground economy,” which includes day laborers, contract workers, and the growing number of self-employed. He said the nontraditional status of these workers presents interesting questions about their protections.

“Look at eBay,” Howard said. “You have independent sellers, who are not employees or contractors. EBay doesn’t pay them. In fact, they pay eBay.”

Exposure to unidentified, new technologies is another major concern for Howard.

“We have shirts that don’t require ironing and tennis balls that don’t lose their bounce,” he said, regarding the unknown nanoparticles that are used in the manufacturing process and whose hazards are not fully understood. “We need to figure out a way to protect these workers now.”

Pushing for the development of new structures to tackle these issues, Howard said, “I think if we are going to be in a better place in 2020, we have to do a lot of things.”

Connect Oregon Applications Due in November

Salem – Applications are available for the third round of ConnectOregon, a transportation program that provides funds for rail, public transit, air and marine/ports projects. ConnectOregon III was passed by the 2009 Legislature and signed by Governor Kulongoski as part of House Bill 2001, the Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009. Electronic applications and complete instructions are posted on the ConnectOregon Web page.

Like the first and second versions, ConnectOregon III is a lottery bond-based initiative providing $100 million to improve Oregon’s transportation system through multimodal investments, other than highway. ConnectOregon I and II projects, 68 total, are in various stages of completion and include investments such as expanding rail capacity to reduce congestion around the busy Port of Portland and building a new public transit center to house all transportation options in La Grande. Visit the Web site to see the lists of these projects and learn more about the status of each project.

ConnectOregon III has many similarities to its predecessors, including a requirement that at least 10 percent of the funds be provided to each of five regions, which mostly fall along county lines (Portland metropolitan area; Willamette Valley and North/Central Coast; Southern Oregon; Central Oregon; and Eastern Oregon). Projects will also be rated as in the past, taking into consideration economic benefit, readiness for construction, ability to reduce transportation costs, available matching funds or loans and value in linking transportation modes. New this year is a requirement to provide at least five percent of the funds to rural airports.

Portland Receives Solar Stimulus Funds

Portland - Portland is one of 16 U.S. cities to receive a grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Solar America Cities Special Projects. A total of $10 million was awarded to the 16 cities to address specific barriers to solar adoption in urban settings and support innovative approaches that can be widely replicated. Portland will receive $400,000 over the next two years to increase the number of residents in Portland that use solar energy to power their homes.

The two year grant will facilitate a continued partnership with U.S. DOE and the City of Portland to execute the Neighborhood Solar Initiative — a complementary suite of neighborhood-focused activities and programs designed to lower the barriers to solar installations for residents. The initiative builds on the wealth of social capital and civic infrastructure in Portland’s nationally recognized neighborhood system and couples it with powerful new tools for financing solar energy systems emerging in Oregon.