The State of Oregon has seen an increase in the number of days per year with diminished air quality due to wildfire and expects to see more days like these in the future.
The University of Oregon has established guidelines for outdoor campus work and activities during times of diminished air quality due to wildfire smoke.
Requirements for Exposed Workers
The University of Oregon has developed plans and procedures to comply with Oregon OSHA requirements. Please see the Wildfire Smoke Page for a list of resources, including links to training, Safety Sheets and the Wildfire Smoke Exposure Control Plan. The table below summarizes the steps the UO takes at certain AQI levels.
| Indicator | Action |
|---|---|
| AQI >100: notify outdoor workers of AQI and offer voluntary use of N95 respirators. | SRS has procedures in place that notifies supervisors when this threshold is met and when AQI lowers back down. |
| AQI >250: notify outdoor workers of AQI, move work indoors to the extent possible, required N95 for essential outdoor work. | SRS notifies supervisors when this threshold is met and when it lowers back. |
| AQI> 500: notify outdoor workers of AQI, only essential outdoor work for those in the standard respiratory protection program. | SRS notifies supervisors when this threshold is met and when it lowers back. |
Guidance for UO Hosted Outdoor Events and Activities
The following is a summary of the guidance for UO hosted outdoor events and activities during times of diminished air quality due to wildfire smoke.
| AQI Levels | UO Action |
|---|---|
| AQI >100 | Recommend that outdoor youth programs be suspended or moved indoors. |
| AQI >200 | Recommend that departments and units suspend or move outdoor events and activities indoors.* |
| AQI>250 | UO hosted outdoor activities and events shall be suspended or moved indoors. If suspension or relocation is not possible, physically strenuous outdoor activity shall either be limited to 15 minutes per hour and 1 hour per day, or shall provide participants a N95 respirator and recommend its use. |
*Taking the following into account: - Events and activities that involve prolonged or heavy exertion are higher risk. The following populations are at higher risk during these periods: people with heart and lung disease, children, pregnant women and older adults. If the event or activity continues, consider the impact for these groups.
Flexibility during Wildfire Smoke Events
When the AQI exceeds 150, members of the campus community are expected to use their best judgment in assessing the risk of smoke exposure related to coming and going to campus and participation in outdoor activities on campus, based on individual circumstances. When the AQI in Eugene reaches this level, a message will be posted to the Alerts Blog.
Employees and supervisors should review air quality guidance and work together to discuss and address individual concerns.
Instruction Guidance:
Instructors are not to penalize a student for being absent from an in-person class when AQI PM2.5 is over 150 as measured on AirNow for zip code 97403. Absences on these days should not count in the course attendance policy. Note that, per the current Course Attendance and Engagement policy, instructors are not to ask students to cite their reason for missing class (i.e., they need not require a student to cite they missed class for air quality reasons or health impact of air quality as a reason).
An instructor may opt to move their class meeting to synchronous online (e.g., to Zoom) for the day(s) when AQI PM2.5 is 150 or greater or is forecasted to be 150 or greater. When making a change to remote, please notify your department head, then provide students with as much notice as possible using Canvas. Absences from synchronous online class sessions can count in the course attendance policy as they normally would. The Teaching Engagement Program and UO Online team provide Zoom assistance, as well as instructions and answers on the UO teaching site.
Official Sources of AQI Data
While there are a variety of sources available for AQI data, decisions reflected in this guidance shall be based on AirNow. This ensures that monitoring sites operated and validated by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, not low-cost sensors owned and maintained by individuals, guide critical business decisions.
AirNow has a free downloadable application so that individuals can track air quality individually.