Workplace safety conference in Bend offers opportunities to improve skills in fire safety, accident prevention, employee involvement, and more

Salem, OR - A two-day event in Bend will offer employers and workers a variety of opportunities to gain new knowledge and refresh their skills about everything from fire, chemical, and transportation safety to accident prevention, worker involvement in safety programs, and the elements of a strong safety culture.

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (Oregon OSHA) encourages employers and workers to attend the Central Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Conference, to be held Sept. 16-17 at the Riverhouse Lodge.

In addition to many workplace safety and health topics, the conference offers sessions focusing on safety and health challenges in fire and emergency services.

On Monday, Sept. 16, the conference will feature a keynote address by Jacy Good and Steve Johnson, the co-founders of "Hang up and Drive." As public speakers and advocates of phone-free roads, they have spoken at more than 1,600 events in 44 states and three countries. They will share their story of how a distracted driver changed Jacy's life forever, offering perspectives of both survivor and caregiver. Their presentation will blend powerful scientific and statistical evidence. And they will show what people can do, personally and while on the job, to make things better.

The Central Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Conference is a joint effort of Oregon OSHA and the Central Oregon Safety & Health Association.

The Oregon Fire Chiefs Association's Safety and Health Section helped create the conference's fire service track. The track's topics include hierarchy of contamination controls in the fire service and lessons of setting up a peer support team for a fire department.

The American Society of Safety Professionals' Broken Top Chapter provided support in creating the worker safety and health topics for safety professionals.

Other conference topics include:

• "How to Build a Forklift Training Program"
• "I'm on the Safety Committee, Now What?"
• "Hazard Identification"
• "Nutrition and Wellness in the Workplace"
• "Oregon OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting"
• "Preventing Serious Injuries and Fatalities in the Workplace"
• "Workers' Compensation Claims 101"
• "Bloodborne Pathogens"
• "The Job Hazard Analysis"

Registration for the two-day event is $230. Monday-only attendance is $105. Tuesday-only attendance is $125. For more information or to register, go to https://safetyseries.cventevents.com/central24.

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About Oregon OSHA:

Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, go to osha.oregon.gov.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon's largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to www.oregon.gov/dcbs/.