Safety and health event coming to Pendleton, offering education and training opportunities across industries

A two-day event in eastern Oregon will put a spotlight on the importance of workplace safety and health, addressing everything from farm and electrical safety to safety committees and personal protective equipment.

The 17th annual Blue Mountain Occupational Safety and Health Conference, which will be held June 2-3 at the Pendleton Convention Center in Pendleton, will also feature preconference workshops on key topics and learning sessions in Spanish. Employers are encouraged to take advantage of those Spanish-language sessions by sending staff members who would prefer to gain safety and health knowledge in Spanish.

The conference is a collaborative effort by Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (Oregon OSHA) – a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services – SHARP (Safety and Health Advocates Recommending Progress) Alliance, and employers and employees in northeast Oregon.

On Tuesday, June 3, Jennifer Serne will deliver the keynote presentation: “What Was I Thinking?! Cognitive Biases in Human Error and Decision-Making.” Serne is associate professor and program director of safety and health management programs at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. She will delve into common cognitive biases that contribute to poor decision-making and accidents, and how organizations can use proven mitigation methods to reduce human error and accidents.

The workshops on Monday, June 2, include such topics as traffic control and first aid certifications, implementation of Process Safety Management, and how to respond to serious injury or illness at work. Monday’s schedule also offers sessions in Spanish, including building an effective safety culture, identifying hazards, and conducting best practices for safety committees.

Conference topics include:

• Effective Accountability Systems
• Electrical Safety for the Non-Electrician
• PTSD Impacts on the Workforce
• Farm Safety Blueprint: Machine Guarding and Energy Control Essentials
• I Have My Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Now What?
• Effective Safety Committees
• Safety Leadership on the Front Lines
• Is That Confined Space Permit Required? Yes or No?
• Workplace Stress/Burnout: What Health and Safety Professionals Can Do
• The Worker Protection Standard and Chemical Safety and How it Relates to Your Vineyard and Winery

Registration for the preconference workshops on Monday, June 2, is $50. Registration for the conference on Tuesday, June 3, is $125, which includes lunch. To register, go to safetyseries.cventevents.com/blue25.

For more information, contact the Oregon OSHA Conference Section, 503-947-7411, or email Oregon.Conferences@dcbs.oregon.gov.

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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 oregon.gov/dcbs.

The Oregon AFL-CIO is the statewide federation of affiliated unions, representing more than 300,000 working Oregonians. For more information, visit Oregon AFL-CIO.

Contact information

Aaron Corvin,
public information officer
971-718-6973
Aaron.corvin@dcbs.oregon.gov