Salem, OR — Improving worker safety in Oregon's pulp, paper, and forest products industries will take center stage during a conference held Nov. 28 through Dec. 1 in Portland that will highlight key safety and health topics. Those topics include everything from addressing chemical hazards and potential equipment failures to starting and expanding safety programs.
Although the 31st annual Western Pulp, Paper & Forest Products Safety & Health Conference delves into safety and health issues in those industries, the event also offers learning opportunities that apply to many other workplaces. Those sessions include nutrition and wellness in the workplace; tools for creating effective safety committees; root cause analysis; and communicating in a non-defensive manner.
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) is one of several partners presenting the four-day conference at the Holiday Inn Portland – Columbia Riverfront in Portland.
The conference will feature three keynote and general session speakers:
- On Tuesday, Nov. 28, Ron Heagy, a quadriplegic painter, author, and motivational speaker, will deliver the keynote presentation “Life is an Attitude!"
- On Thursday, Nov. 30, Rachel Walla-Housman, a certified safety professional, certified industrial hygienist, and founder of Ally Safety, will give the general session presentation “The Undeniable Appeal of Risk."
- On Friday, Dec. 1, Jesus Villahermosa Jr., president of Crisis Reality Training Inc., will give the general session presentation “Situational Awareness: Personal Safety is Thinking at the Speed of Life!"
The conference will include exhibits, company safety meetings, roundtable discussions, and numerous workshops.
Sessions include:
- Secure Employees are Safe Employees: Adding Psychological Safety to Improve Results
- Hot Work Awareness, Dangers, and Safety Protocols
- Introduction to Rigging: Rigging Basics
- Mental Illness and Drug Addiction: Impacts in the Workplace
- Energized Equipment Beyond Zero: How to Follow Lockout/Tagout Rules All the Time
- Managing Our Driving Behaviors
- Human and Organizational Performance: Working Together Can Change the Future of Safety in Manufacturing
- Moving Forward With Learning Teams: People Make Mistakes and Blame Fixes Nothing
The registration fee is $450 to attend the full conference. The fee to attend one day – Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday – is $150. It is $50 for Friday. To register, go to
safetyseries.cventevents.com/wppfp23.
If you have questions or need help registering, call the Oregon OSHA Conference Section at 503-947-7411, or email
oregon.conferences@dcbs.oregon.gov.