PENDLETON, Ore. — A two-day event in eastern Oregon will bring together employers, workers, and safety professionals to highlight the importance of workplace health and safety across a range of industries.
The 18th annual Blue Mountain Occupational Safety and Health Conference is scheduled for June 16–17 at the Pendleton Convention Center. The event will cover topics ranging from farm machinery safety and heat illness prevention to emergency preparedness and the proper selection of personal protective equipment.
Organizers say the conference aims to provide practical tools and training opportunities that employers can take back to their workplaces. The event is a collaborative effort led by Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division — a division of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services — along with the SHARP Alliance and regional employers and employees.
Preconference workshops on June 16 will focus on topics such as root cause analysis and strategies to improve safety and health performance. Spanish-language sessions will also be offered that day, covering hazard identification in agriculture, machine guarding, incident investigation, and safety committees. Organizers are encouraging employers to send Spanish-speaking staff to ensure broader access to safety training.
The main conference on June 17 will feature a keynote address by Luke Betts, a senior safety management consultant with SAIF Corporation. His presentation, titled “You Get More Flies With Honey: The Importance of Recognition,” will focus on building workplace cultures that reinforce positive safety behaviors.
Additional sessions throughout the conference will address topics including effective safety inspections, safety committee roles, workplace wellness, PPE hazard assessments, incident command system training, and strategies to prevent slips, trips, and falls. Sessions will also examine equipment safety involving tractors and all-terrain vehicles, as well as the value of voluntary compliance with safety standards.
Registration fees are $60 for the June 16 workshops and Spanish-language sessions, and $130 for the full conference on June 17, which includes meals.
More information and registration details are available through the conference website. For questions, attendees can contact the Oregon OSHA Conference Section by phone at 503-947-7411 or by email at Oregon.Conferences@dcbs.oregon.gov.
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