Capturing the art of workplace safety

Last year, the Junction City middleschooler penned the winning motto in an annual safety contest sponsored by Olsson Industrial Electric. This year, she not only coined the winning motto ("Staying safe is the way to go")—she also won the company's safety poster contest.

Unbeknownst to Jensen, Olsson Industrial Electric's safety director entered her winning poster in the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Safety on the Job Poster Contest. She placed third place in the national competition, and ASSE invited her to Washington, D.C. to receive her award.

Jensen mailed handwritten letters to safety companies and organizations throughout Oregon, requesting their help in sending her back east. The letters produced big results. In total, 14 companies, plus friends and family, contributed enough money to pay for the entire trip and to take her parents along, too.

In May, the Jensen family traveled to Washington, D.C. There, Jensen met other safety contest winners from across the nation and attended an ASSE awards ceremony at the Department of Labor. She and other winners also participated in the North American Occupational Safety and Health Week kickoff and had lunch at the Capitol.

Jensen says she hasn't yet thought of a motto for next year's safety poster. But if the past is any indication, it's sure to be a winner.