The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Oregon OSHA), the state’s workplace safety and health agency, recently posted a hazard alert for employers and workers on its website about avian (H5N1) influenza.
The fact sheet describes the H5N1 virus, who may be exposed (poultry and livestock workers, veterinarians and their staff, and slaughterhouse workers performing tasks involving lactating dairy cattle), influenza symptoms, and personal protective equipment (PPE). The hazard alert also includes a list of Oregon OSHA requirements for hazard assessment, PPE, and respiratory protection.
Keizer graduates from Oregon OSHA’s SHARP
Keizer, Oregon’s 16th-largest city, graduated from Oregon OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), the state’s workplace safety and health agency announced April 18.
SHARP encourages Oregon employers to work with their employees to identify and correct hazards and continuously improve. After five years of participation, employers may graduate.
Keizer graduated from SHARP this month. The city, with guidance and assessments provided by Oregon OSHA safety and health consultants, engaged in project and process improvements designed to strengthen on-the-job protections for its workers. Examples included the installation of eyewash stations at key locations, completing training for all new safety committee members, updating the city’s respiratory protection program, and implementing safety protocols addressing the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
As a result of the city’s participation in SHARP, the days away, restricted, or transferred (DART) rate for the city’s police department, public works field staff, and City Hall staff was 2.21 in 2023, which was well below the national average of 3.1 and Oregon’s average of 2.7, according to Oregon OSHA.
“Graduating from the SHARP program is a reflection of the city of Keizer’s commitment to creating a culture where safety is at the heart of everything we do,” Jeff Heyen, chairperson of the city’s safety committee, said in a statement. “It’s been a true team effort–staff across every department have worked hard to build and sustain safer workplaces, and this recognition reinforces that those efforts matter.”
Oregon OSHA administers a state workplace safety and health program authorized by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). State programs must be “at least as effective” as the federal program. States like Oregon regulate private sector worker safety in place of federal OSHA, but all state programs must also oversee the health and safety of state, county, and municipal employees.
Eastern Oregon safety and health conference
On April 16, Oregon OSHA announced a two-day safety and health event in eastern Oregon addressing issues ranging from farm and electrical safety to safety committees and PPE.
The 17th annual Blue Mountain Occupational Safety and Health Conference will be held June 2-3 at the Pendleton Convention Center in Pendleton, and it will include preconference workshops on key topics and educational sessions available in Spanish. The state agency encouraged employers to take advantage of the Spanish-language sessions by sending staff members who would prefer to gain safety and health knowledge in Spanish.
The conference is a collaborative effort by Oregon OSHA, the Safety and Health Advocates Recommending Progress (SHARP) Alliance, and employers and employees in northeast Oregon.
Conference topics will include the following:
- Effective Accountability Systems
- Electrical Safety for the Non-Electrician
- PTSD Impacts on the Workforce
- Farm Safety Blueprint: Machine Guarding and Energy Control Essentials
- “I Have My Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Now What?”
- Effective Safety Committees
- Safety Leadership on the Front Lines
- “Is That Confined Space Permit Required? Yes or No?”
- Workplace Stress/Burnout: What Health and Safety Professionals Can Do
- The Worker Protection Standard and Chemical Safety and How it Relates to Your Vineyard and Winery
Registration for preconference workshops on Monday, June 2 is $50, and registration for the conference on Tuesday, June 3 is $125. Interested employers may register online at safetyseries.cventevents.com/blue25.