Oregon OSHA Launches Free Safety Training in Rural Communities
Collaborative workshops at WorkSource Oregon centers will cover critical construction hazards, heat illness and worker rights.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Jul 15, 2026
State regulators are launching a series of free workplace safety and health training workshops this summer targeting rural communities across Oregon.
The four-hour sessions are the result of a partnership between the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division and the Oregon Employment Department. Designed for active workers and job seekers, the curriculum covers heat-illness prevention, small-business resources, whistleblower protections and the construction industry's four deadliest hazards: falls, caught-in-between incidents, struck-by incidents and electrocutions.
Oregon OSHA staff members will lead the workshops at several WorkSource Oregon centers. Sessions are scheduled for Hermiston, The Dalles, La Grande, Klamath Falls, McMinnville and Pendleton. Participants will receive certificates of completion and continuing education credits.
The initiative is funded by a $200,000 federal Susan Harwood Training Grant that Oregon OSHA secured from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant program focuses on delivering safety education to small businesses, workers facing training barriers and those in high-hazard industries.
Under the Oregon Safe Employment Act, employers must maintain safe working environments, and employees have the legal right to report unsafe conditions without retaliation.
Registration is available online through the state's designated portal.
About the Author
Jesse Jacobs is assistant editor of OHSOnline.com.