I hope this article finds the safety community doing well in our region.Including at home, family, friends, work, and in all that you do, my hope is that you are safe, well, and looking forward to a prosperous return to day-to-day life.
In the meantime, stating the obvious, we have all had to make adjustments, but most seem to be doing well with the situation. We did our first Webex for a chapter training meeting. Lenny Reierson, OR-OSHA, presented on the Top 18 OSHA Violations. It was very informative, and you could still tell, even through a Webex meeting, that Lenny has a heart for the safety of all workers. He is an outstanding safety consultant, and he was willing to give this Webex process a try to share his message. We had a few technical difficulties, but Mike Hill, who was hosting the event, was prepared for these “hiccups,” and the meeting went off without a hitch as we say in Eagle Point. Thanks to everyone involved in the Webex, we had a very productive meeting. We will be doing a similar event in June.
As you may have heard, Safety 2020 in Orlando has been changed to a virtual 3-day conference. We will now see how attendance at a 3-day virtual event plays out next month. This is a monumental task, but the ASSP is up to it. Numerous training opportunities are now coming available on-line in a virtual setting. As a result, we are seeing some positive responses to the changing work atmosphere.
We have canceled the Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference this year as the planning and execution would not line up due to the restrictions in place and the unknown conditions for the remainder of this year for such events. We will be looking at doing a Safety Committee Academy in the future where we will put on classes for Safety Committee Operations, Hazard Identification, and Accident Investigations.  
As noted, there have been a lot of changes in our daily lives and the way we operate, but like a strong America has always done, we are finding our way through this and turning challenging situations into positive outcomes. This is what safety professionals do!

Stay safe and healthy.
 
Chris Lawrence
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter

​With over 20 years in occupational safety and health, Chris Lawrence is a retired US Air Force Safety Professional who is the Regional Safety Manager for Boise Cascade.

​​With so many changes occurring lately, many of us have had to adjust to a new workspace: a home office. What was once an occasional occurrence, became much more regular. This has caused so many of us to reevaluate our workspaces to make them work for us without them harming us. While it is not always realistic to expect them to be as nice as the office workspaces that we were accustomed to, we can make small changes that will make a big difference. Let’s looks at some simple solutions and guidelines we can consider:

​Southern Oregon Chapter ASSP Executive Committee Officers Start July 1st
Please help me welcome the new and continuing officers that will be starting on July 1st for your Southern Oregon Chapter. A successful vote of the membership was held online at the May 5th, 2020,chapter meeting. This vote successfully confirmed the slate and was unanimous. Please also consider if you would like to join us for one of the two open positions, and let us know of your interest. We would enjoy having you join the team!
 
2020/2021 ASSP Southern Oregon Chapter Executive Committee Officers and Members
(The 2020/2021 chapter year runs from July 1st, 2020, to June 30, 2021.)
 
President – David Hanson
Vice President – Open Position
Past President – Chris Lawrence
Secretary – Roy Harper
Treasurer – Patti McGuire
Program Coordinator – David Spence
Membership Coordinator – Amy Stonehill
Communications Coordinator – Kyle Valley
Conference Planning Chair – Michael Hill
Government Affairs Coordinator – Ross Olson
Operations Coordinator – Open Position
 
 
Michael Hill
Past President

Southern Oregon is Open for Business
Governor Brown approved of Southern Oregon Counties reopening Friday, May 15th, under Phase 1 guidelines. How will this affect your business or organization? How can you ensure the safety of your workers during this time? Checkout the following resources to help you. Feel free to get in touch with one of us on the Executive Committee if you have questions.
 
What you need to know:

1. Phase 1 guidelines include staying six feet apart, wearing face coverings, and no groups larger than 25.
2. After 21 days in Phase 1, counties that do not show a spike in cases can enter Phase2 which is still being defined but may include expanded social gatherings up to possibly 100, some office work, and visitation to congregate care.
3. Phase 3, which would allow large gatherings of probably over 100 people, will not be considered in Oregon until reliable treatment or prevention is available.

 
Governor Brown’s COVID19 Resource Page
 
Reopening Oregon: Details on Restarting Public Life and Business
 
Oregon Face Covering Requirements
 
CDC Business Guidance Page
 
SAIF Resources for Workplaces During the Pandemic
​

​We will be taking an online vote in our May virtual chapter meeting. Please join us on May 5th at noon to take part in this by joining the WebEx meeting link. Thanks for your thoughtful consideration and for all those who agreed to serve this year. I look forward to working with you to help advance safety in Southern Oregon.
 
2020/2021 ASSP Southern Oregon Chapter Slate of Candidates for Election
(The 2020/2021 chapter year runs from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.)
 
President – David Hanson
Vice President – Open Position
Past President – Chris Lawrence
Secretary – Roy Harper
Treasurer – Patti McGuire
Program Coordinator – David Spence
Membership Coordinator – Amy Stonehill
Communications Coordinator – Kyle Valley
Conference Planning Chair – Michael Hill
Government Affairs Coordinator – Ross Olson
Operations Coordinator – Open Position
 
The vote, which will occur on the first Tuesday in May, will be to approve the entire slate. Since we do not have any contested positions, we will be looking for your support of these leaders who have agreed to serve. Thank you for being a member of the Southern Oregon Chapter.
 
Michael Hill
Past President

​As I write this, I am hoping that all our chapter members and their loved ones are doing well during these challenging times.No, this is not another article on the perils of staying safe in a pandemic. I think most of us have that message well in hand.This is about new opportunities to learn and share. As an example, while we may not be able to meet in person, we will be working on how to bring technical meetings to where you are!
 
If all goes well, we will hold our first on-line chapter technical meeting on May 5th!Our goal is to have an OSHA representative, the well-known and loved Lenny Reierson, conduct an online course discussing the top OSHA violations that OSHA has been seeing over the last couple of years. With chapter leaders like Mike Hill and David Spence taking us on this journey, it is sure to be a successful and very good option to share important safety information with our chapter and region.
 
I will always believe that we see a much richer comradery when we meet together, but the learning part of our meeting can still occur in an electronic format.It truly can be a very functional way of sharing safety learnings. With what we learn through this social distancing constraint, we may be able to have a component of electronic learning in our future meetings. We will still have our very crucial in-person meetings and potentially have an electronic component for those who are not able to attend for some reason. 
 
While I definitely enjoy being able to see chapter members and visitors in our monthly meeting, I look forward to still being able to meet and learn in a new way for the time being. Perhaps we will be able to meet in person again starting in June, but for now, we are hoping you will be able to join in our WebEx format to learn and share valuable safety information from Oregon OSHA. 
 
Keep an eye on our website and your email for more information to come on our next meeting that will be in a WebEx format! I miss seeing you all, and I hope you are staying safe and healthy during this COVID-19 response effort.
 
 
Chris Lawrence
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
 
​With over 20 years in occupational safety and health, Chris Lawrence is a retired US Air Force Safety Professional who is the Regional Safety Manager for Boise Cascade.

​Member Spotlight
We have two new members to spotlight this month, Ross Olson and Loria Holden. Check out more about their background and join us in welcoming them to our chapter!
 
​

​ 
Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions?
 
Does our safety committee have the training it needs to operate effectively? When do we need to post the 300a report? Did we follow up on the hazard list that the safety committee submitted to us last month? Is this safety improvement really necessary? How are we doing on our corporate safety goals and objectives? Do our employees understand our safety policies? Weren’t we documenting our safety training? Does our safety policy need to be updated? When was the last time we updated our safety policy anyway? Why don’t our employees contribute more to our safety program? Why don’t we identify more hazards on our safety inspections? Are we really that safe? I reported a safety hazard last week—whatever happened with that? Are we safer now than we were three years ago?
 
It’s okay if you have. But if you have asked these questions, chances are you need a dedicated safety manager at your organization.
 
Things a safety manager can offer your organization:

• Clear direction for safety goals and objectives of the organization
• Safety efforts that are consistent and effective throughout multiple departments and by multiple supervisors
• Management support to safety committee activities and tying loose ends
• Follow-through on identified hazards by making sure that reported hazardsare making their way through steps to be resolved
• Help in identifying effective best practices that go above and beyond mere compliance
• Healthy change management processes and building safety into projects
• On-site resource for up-to-date safety best practices
• On-site safety resource that can train employees on the best practices and company policies
• A knowledgeable advocate that can assist when your organization is under the microscope from external agencies
• An additional concerned ear on the management team to employee safety concerns
• Assurance that safety recordkeeping is being done properly
• Data-driven decision making tools that help identify where your safety program is now and where your organization wants to go

 
Organizations that hire the right safety manager for their company soon learn that many of the techniques used to manage a great safety program also work to manage and organize other critical company functions. 
 
Now that you’ve asked the questions and know what you need, check out the ASSP guide to hiring the right safety professional here:
https://www.assp.org/docs/default-source/asspdoc/hiring_right_osh_professional.pdf?sfvrsn=0.
 
David Hanson, CSP
Vice President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation
 
David has expertise in building dynamic safety teams and developing high-performing safety cultures. He spent 18 years at Timber Products Company as a Supervisor and Safety Coordinator and facilitated continued certification into Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

Dear employer,


The health and safety of our community is our highest priority as we plan and manage the ongoing developments surrounding COVID-19. As circumstances evolve, it is vital that employers in our community are healthy and feel supported through this unprecedented time.

Currently there are no plans to close or limit hours of operation for our Grants Pass and Medford Occupational Health locations. After-hour drug screen services also are not affected at this time.

Should one of your employees have flu-like symptoms and needs medical care, we ask that the employee schedule a video visit through their Asante MyChart account or call the Asante COVID-19 hotline at (541) 789-2813. A representative will direct the employee to the appropriate care option.

If you are concerned that one of your employees may have been exposed or contracted COVID-19 through work-related responsibilities, please call Asante Occupational Health for additional assistance at (541) 789-4236.


Thank you,
​
Kathy Johal Manager of Practice Operations, Asante Occupational Health
​(541) 789-5435 or Kathryn.Johal@asante.org

Last week I heard some bitter-sweet news – the kind of news you dread, but then you can’t be upset about it.   It seems that one of our local safety leaders has been promoted and will be leaving the area.  This is a person who has a humble demeaner, but at the same time is an effective leader.  I won’t give her name away because I haven’t asked her permission.  But I will talk about her as a positive example of being plugged into the safety community and the Southern Oregon Chapter of the ASSP.
 
I don’t think that any of our members join the ASSP just so they can use it as a stepping stool in getting to some lofty position.  I can’t think of anyone who would fit that description.  But I can say that I see a lot of folks who join because they recognize it is the premier trade organization of the safety profession!  As and example, when I became a safety professional, I asked my supervisor if there was an organization I could be a part of that would help me be better at what I do, where I could build professional relationships, see how other people make safety happen, and if possible, a place where I can help out.  He said I should join the ASSP and be involved in the local chapter. 
 
So, follow me on this:  In this bitter-sweet situation, we see a person who was, years ago, relatively new to safety and who decided she needed to be plugged into the local community of safety professionals.  She attended chapter meetings and helped on the Conference Committee.  Soon she was participating in various ways with the chapter leadership team.  Eventually, she became the president of the chapter and supported very necessary organizations such as WISE, O[Yes], and a variety of other functions.  She was sent to the ASSP leadership conference, attended safety conferences, and eventually obtained her Certified Safety Professional credentials.  As I see it, she didn’t join to make all this happen.  She joined because it was a part of her profession, and yet it was also a part of her journey to where she is today in this profession.  Because of her abilities, her skills, her leadership and her willingness to be involved, she has had success in our chapter and in her organization, which resulted in her being promoted several times to include this most recent promotion which will have her leaving our chapter.  There’s where the bitter-sweet comes in! I have seen similar results with so many of our members and to be honest, it just makes me smile to see such great things happen to such great people!
 
We will be sorry to see her move, but we can say that we are better for her time here and I am guessing she will say that she is better for her time being involved.  Being plugged in is essential to building ourselves as professionals.  We all have something to offer each other in terms of friendship, support, mentorship, teaching and learning.  We all make each other better at what we do.  We can gain insights and rise to new levels when we get plugged in and get involved.  While we congratulate her on her success, we will miss her when she moves.   We can’t help but be excited for our members who have built their success along with the group of members who make up the Southern Oregon Chapter of the ASSP.
 
Get plugged in and get involved as it is just what safety professionals do – it’s a part of the journey.
 
Chris Lawrence
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
 
​With over 20 years in occupational safety and health, Chris Lawrence is a retired US Air Force Safety Professional who is the Regional Safety Manager for Boise Cascade.