(Artwork | Courtesy of Department of Consumer and Business Services)
A two-day event in Bend will offer employers and workers a variety of opportunities to boost their skills at building and maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. Topics include providing fall protection, identifying the root causes of accidents, controlling hazardous energy and defining the key elements of respiratory protection programs.
In addition to covering an array of on-the-job safety and health issues, the Central Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference — to be held September 16-17 at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes — will offer multiple sessions tackling safety and health challenges in two specific industries: fire and emergency services and cannabis.
Meanwhile, the conference’s keynote speaker will delve into what she sees as the number one health epidemic gripping North America: stress. On Monday, September 16, Sylvia Marusyk, founder and owner of MindBody Works — a Canadian company focused on health and wellness in the workplace — will present Stressed to Kill.
“Safety is so much more than machine-guarding and safe technique,” Marusyk said. “When people are stressed with conflict at home, financial worries, or health worries, they show up to work preoccupied, and this dramatically impacts not just their safety but the safety of everyone they work with.”
During her presentation, Marusyk will take an in-depth look at the effects of stress and share powerful tools to reduce it.
“Effective stress management skills can not only increase a person’s health and well-being but also their ability to show up to work every day with their mind on the job, enjoying their work and working safe,” said Marusyk.
Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA), part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, encourages employers, managers and workers to attend the conference in Bend. The event is a joint effort of Oregon OSHA and the Central Oregon Safety and Health Association.
The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association Safety and Health Section helped create the conference’s fire service track. The track’s topics include drone technology, strategies to eliminate repetitive strain injuries and chemical exposure and cardiovascular risks.
The Deschutes County Farm Bureau provided support in developing the conference’s worker health and safety topics in the cannabis industry. Those topics include cannabis process safety, general safety and health in the cannabis industry and requirements for agricultural employers.
Other conference topics include:
- Building a world-class safety committee
- Tips for more effective safety training
- Introduction to the incident command system and emergency preparedness
- Essentials for mastering the new silica rules
- Carbon dioxide and asphyxiating gas safety
- How to avoid distraction, fatigue and other hazards of the roadways
Registration for the two-day event is $155, with an optional pre-conference workshop for $55. Attend any one day for $105.
safetyseries.cvent.com/central19 • osha.oregon.gov • dcbs.oregon.gov
