Salem, OR — Seven leaders in on-the-job safety and health were honored with awards at the 2025 Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) Conference, during a Wednesday, March 5, ceremony at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
A panel of industry professionals judges the awards, which honor extraordinary contributions to the field of workplace safety and health. The categories include rising safety star, business leader, safety committee/team, safety and health professional, and workplace safety program.
The recipients this year are as follows:
Rising Safety Star Award – recognizes a safety and health professional who, early in their career, is blazing a path in the profession.
- Heather Ashwill, safety and risk manager for the City of Central Point.
Business Leader Award – recognizes a business leader whose job is not safety and health but who demonstrates commitment to safety and health.
- Timothy Desper, director of Burnside Services for Portland Rescue Mission.
Safety Committee/Team Award – recognizes the work of safety committees or teams that made substantial efforts in preventing workplace injury and illness.
- Sherwin-Williams Purdy, manufacturer of paintbrushes and roller covers
- CRMG – Commercial and Residential Management Group, a property management company serving the Pacific Northwest.
- Leviat North America – Canby, a commercial concrete construction company supplying materials, components, and services supporting the installation of concrete structures.
Safety and Health Professional Award – recognizes a person whose primary job responsibilities are safety and health, and who goes above and beyond in their daily work.
- Joseph Henrich, health, safety, and environmental manager for LAIKA, an award-winning stop motion animation studio.
Workplace Safety Program Award – recognizes workplace activities or projects that resulted in an outstanding contribution to workplace safety and health
Learn about the award recipients and their accomplishments on the GOSH website:
https://oregongosh.com/honor/award-recipients/.
The GOSH Conference is a joint effort of the American Society of Safety Professionals Columbia-Willamette Chapter, Oregon OSHA – a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services – and labor and businesses in Oregon and southwest Washington.
More information about the conference is on the GOSH website: www.oregongosh.com.