The Mid-Oregon Construction Safety Summit is held annually in January, a time when construction activity is low due to the cold, icy and snowy weather. That was not the case in Bend this year, where sunny skies and 60+ degree temperatures have temporarily turned this ski mecca into a mountain biking town. In spite of such nice weather, turnout was exceptional, which shows how important the topic of safety is among the construction trades.

Last Fall, at the Western Pulp and Paper Safety Conference, we were interested in learning about what most concerns wood products workers in their jobs. We repeated this survey for the construction industry, the results of which can be seen in the photo. Sleep seems to be a common theme, expressed as a concern about longer shifts and shift rotations due to working abroad. But other concerns were apparent among the construction trades, such as fall protection, paint fume exposures, proper safety harness use, and the danger of inadvertently cutting into underground utilities.

If you are in the construction trades, this is a conference you cannot afford to miss. We hope to see you there next year. Thanks to Oregon OSHA and the Central Oregon Safety & Health Association (COSHA) for organizing this conference.