Pulp, Paper Industry Safety Conference, Nov. 27

Workers, contractors, and employers in Oregon’s pulp, paper, and forest products industries are invited to attend a Nov. 27-30 conference designed to highlight best safety and health practices in their respective fields. Topics covered include hazard recognition, fall protection, chain saw training, chemical safety, and personal protective equipment. The Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) is one of several partners presenting the 28th annual Western Pulp, Paper & Forest Products Safety & Health Conference at the Red Lion Hotel on the River – Jantzen Beach in Portland. John Martin, who runs Martin Safety Solutions of Charleston, S.C., will deliver the keynote presentation on Tuesday, Nov. 27. A 35-year veteran of the construction and manufacturing industries, Martin will discuss his experience with an industry safety failure that left him in a hospital burn unit for more than five months. Martin said people are responsible for their own safety, and the safety of their fellow workers. “The importance of my presentation is to share my life-changing consequences from my accident – which was preventable – that continue to affect my family and fellow workers to this day,” he said. The four-day conference also will feature exhibits, company safety meetings, roundtable discussions, and workshops. Sessions include: Foundations of safety leadership; Fatigue at work: Causes, impacts, and solutions; You are too strict, you are too lazy: Different generations in the workplace; Basic rigging training; Innovations in the timber industry; Body mechanics: a leading cause for muscle stress. The registration fee is $285 to attend the full conference. The fee for one day – Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday – is $95. It is $40 for Friday. To register, go to safetyseries.cvent.com/wppf18. If you have questions or need help registering, call the Oregon OSHA Conference Section, 503-947-7411.