Agriculture Safety Conference Planned for Washington

Tumwater, WA (WorkersCompensation.com) - Washington's annual Agriculture Safety Day will be twice as good this year. For the first time, the February event is being held in two locations to meet growing safety and health training needs in the agricultural industry.

The conference will be held Feb. 1 at the Wenatchee Convention Center, and Feb. 22 at the Yakima Convention Center. Registration is open now for both events.

The agricultural industry is one of the largest in the state, with one of the highest injury rates, so prevention is good for workers and makes good business sense.

"Last year's conference in Wenatchee had record attendance, so this year we're offering a second event for the Yakima area," said Rebecca Llewellyn, Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) conference manager. "Each event offers topics that are important to the local areas. There'll be something for everybody."

The one-day meetings promote workplace safety and health and are specifically geared to hazards that employers and workers say are the most important. The events are co-sponsored by L&I and the Governor's Industrial Safety and Health Advisory Board.

This year's meetings feature special training on how to manage hazards associated with workplace violence, tractor/ATV safety, trellis dangers, and other potential hazards. Many of the workshops are in both English and Spanish.

There'll be several classes on pesticide training, where participants can earn pesticide license recertification credits. Health and safety exhibitors will also be there with educational booths, product displays and demonstrations.

Online pre-registration is $75 per person or $65 for groups of five or more. Students and apprentices get a discounted rate of only $35. Admission at the door is $85. The registration fee includes the conference and a boxed lunch.

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