Young Worker Safety Resources Ahead

We are excited about two important developments to add new resources to support young worker safety in the Pacific Northwest and Oregon. In our long journey to promote safety for young workers, we are eager to partner with other organizations sharing this mission.

First, we appreciate work spearheaded by the University of Washington’s Occupational Safety and Health Continuing Education Program. This regional effort was supported by a multi-state task force to create, update and organize state-specific fact sheets, curriculum and relevant external on a now updated UW-hosted website.  Employers, mentors and teachers of those new or entering the workforce will find this site helpful. The task force participants represented Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Washington, and were guided by Nancy Simcox, Director of Continuing Education. Visit the website.

Equally exciting is the recent launch of the new Oregon Career and Technical Education Safety Systems website. This launch was guided by a state-wide task force, including safety and health professionals, to develop recommendations and procedures for Oregon career and technical education-based programs.

“CTE programs offer wonderful opportunities for our Oregon students. The work of the task force recognizes the importance of CTE programs and promotes safety as a vital goal,” said Pam Ahr, O[yes] Board Member and SAIF Chief Safety Officer.

Much of the information helpful in creating this new Oregon CTE website was shared by the safety and risk management team at Salem Kaiser School District. While we understand some districts will be challenged to find resources to support this effort, we applaud this quest to improve safety in the classroom, and ensure that our instructors and students learn what they need to do learn and work safely now and into the future.