Registration is open for the Oregon Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) Conference, to be held March 6-9, 2017, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. With more than 150 workshops and sessions, it is the largest event of its kind in the Northwest.
“This event provides a unique opportunity for organizations to breathe new life into their commitment to on-the-job safety and health,” said Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood. “Everyone from professionals in the field to employers, supervisors and workers on the front lines can use GOSH as a fresh reminder of why workplace health and safety matters. Ultimately, it’s about bringing people together to soak up new knowledge, discuss best safety and health practices, and to tackle emerging issues — all with the goal of sending workers home safe to their family and friends.”
Keynote speaker Todd Conklin will present “Thinking Differently About Safety” on Tuesday, March 7. Conklin, who has a doctorate in organizational behavior, spent 25 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory as a senior advisor for organizational and safety culture. He speaks all over the world to executives, groups, and work teams who are interested in better understanding the relationship between workers in the field and an organization’s systems, processes, and programs. Conklin’s presentation will focus on the human performance theory of safety, where investigations are conducted before accidents happen. “Safety is not the absence of events,” he said. “Safety is the presence of defenses.”
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) encourages safety committee members, emerging environmental health and safety professionals, safety managers, and human resources personnel to mark their calendars for the 2017 GOSH Conference.
The event will offer session tracks on many specialties, including:
* Construction
* Workplace violence prevention
* Motor vehicle safety
* Emergency response and preparedness
* Communication and training
* Utilities
* Craft brewing and winemaking
Back by popular demand is the Columbia Forklift Challenge and registration is open to participants. Trained forklift drivers will compete for cash in an obstacle course designed to test their skills and safe operation on Wednesday, March 8.
The GOSH Conference is a joint effort of the American Society of Safety Engineers Columbia-Willamette Chapter and Oregon OSHA.