Southern Oregon Event Focuses on Workplace Safety, Sept. 9

Salem) – A three-day event in southern Oregon will feature a variety of workshops and presentations designed to help employers and workers improve on-the-job safety and health. Topics include electrical safety, hazard identification, fall protection, and safety committees. In addition to tackling many standard safety topics, the Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference – to be held Oct. 15-17 at the Ashland Hills Hotel and Suites in Ashland – offers special sessions for professionals in the construction, health care, and human resources industries. Those sessions include pre-task planning on construction sites, prevention of violence in health care, and understanding medical leave and workers’ compensation rules. Meanwhile, the conference’s keynote speaker will illustrate how stress clouds your judgment and how to shift your state of mind to one of awareness and accuracy. On Wednesday, Oct. 16, Robin Rose, of Robin Rose Training and Consulting Inc. in Salem, will present “Safety on the Brain.” Rose holds a master’s degree in counseling and psychology, and has been teaching, training, and consulting for more than 20 years. “When you are hurried, worried or distracted, your perception is not accurate,” she said. “That’s when accidents, poor judgment, and reactive communication occur.” But people are capable of managing stress and making better decisions when they’re aware of when they need to and have the tools to do so, Rose said. “At this conference, we will look at four essential components to maintain a brain state that supports our health, as well as our rational thinking,” she said. Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) encourages employers, workers, and safety professionals to mark their calendars for the Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference. Oregon OSHA and the Southern Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Safety. Professionals are co-presenting the conference.Other conference topics include:  Occupational ultraviolet radiation recognition of chemical exposures; Exploring risk assessment; Excavation safety: 50,000-foot view; Total Worker Health solutions for chronic pain; Tips for more effective safety training; Safety behind the wheel: How to avoid distraction, fatigue, and other hazards of the roadways. Registration for the full conference, on Wednesday and Thursday, is $175. The cost is $100 to attend either Wednesday or Thursday. On Tuesday, optional pre-conference workshops – which include first aid/CPR/AED certification, flagger certification for traffic control in work zones, and professional development in leadership, teamwork, and communication – range from $50 to $130. For more information or to register go to http://safetyseries.cvent.com/southern19