Port of Portland Joins Oregon SHARP
The property maintenance and marine facilities, shown in this photo provided by the Port of Portland, joined the program for safety high achievers when Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood presented a plaque to port administrators on May 13.
The Port of Portland became the latest employer in Oregon's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) when Cory Streisinger, director of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, and Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood gave a plaque to port administrators on May 13. An elite program, SHARP has only 68 employer locations participating at this time, with 84 facilities having graduated from the program, according to Oregon OSHA.
The agency says SHARP gives employers an incentive to work with their employees "to find and correct hazards, develop and implement effective safety and health programs, and continuously improve. The ultimate goal of SHARP is to encourage employers to become self-sufficient in managing workplace safety and health issues." Participants receive a limited exemption from programmed inspections.
With 724 employees, the port owns four airports (including Portland International Airport), four marine terminals, and four commercial and industrial parks in the Portland area. "As a result of the SHARP program, we have taken a closer look at the working conditions at our marine terminals and at the port's other industrial properties, particularly around heavy equipment and machinery," said Sam Ruda, marine and industrial development director. "There are inherent dangers to the work we do, and we share a commitment to ensuring that our facilities remain safe places to conduct business."
The most recent economic impact study shows the port generated 33,575 jobs, $1.92 billion in wages, salaries, and consumption impacts, and nearly $195 million in state and local taxes in 2007. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments until June 16 on the renewal of the port's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit covering effluent from the Portland International Airport deicing system into the Columbia Slough and the Columbia River. The permit is being renewed in conjunction with enhancements to the deicing system, including more storage capacity for deicing runoff and building an on-airport treatment facility.