Agricultural safety seminars
We appreciate your interest in ag safety. Registration for our seminars is now open.
For more than 25 years, thousands of farm owners, managers, and workers have attended SAIF's agricultural safety seminars, learning how to be safe in one of the most hazardous occupations. Held in several cities across the state, these free, half-day trainings will begin in October 2022 and run through March 2023. Some trainings are conducted entirely in Spanish. SAIF will also offer webinars in English and Spanish.
Although the seminars are designed for owners, operators, supervisors, and foremen, anyone working in the agricultural industry is welcome to attend. Small agricultural employers attending the seminar will meet one of the four requirements that exempt small ag operations from random OSHA inspections.
The Landscape Contractors Board has approved the seminar for three hours of technical and one hour of business continuing education credits. The Department of Consumer and Business Services has approved the ag seminar for four regular producer continuing education credit hours.
Be sure to check out the helpful materials on our ag safety page.
To register: Choose the English or Spanish tab below and click on the date of the seminar you would like to attend.
Ag Hacks 3.0 – the saga continues…
Ag Hacks and Ag MythBusters returns for its third year due to your repeated requests for more. For the past two years we’ve presented various ag hacks that provide simple and safe innovative solutions whose aim is to save you time as well as streamline various work processes on your farm. Are you interested in seeing more? Buckle up for Ag Hacks 3.0!
Coexisting with Agricultural Chemicals
For many of us, pesticides and other chemicals are a fact of life. They help us grow bigger, healthier crops, increase our yields, and cultivate products that might otherwise not be viable. But if handled improperly, chemicals on our farms can pose significant health hazards and financial liabilities. This hour will focus on tips, tricks and best practices in the ever-evolving topic of chemical handling, application and storage.
Juggling the heat and the effects of OSHA’s new Heat Rule
This hour we’ll focus on how to understand, navigate, implement, and comply with the requirements of the newly revised (and permanent) 2022 heat rule. The heat rule addresses access to shade and cool water, preventive cool-down breaks, as well as prevention plans, information, and training. Also, want to keep farm workers cool before the sun even heats them up? Stay tuned as we revisit last year’s FlexiFreeze Ice Vest and the important results that we discovered from its use!
First Responders on the Farm
Recent events have served as a powerful reminder that in the event of an emergency, we need to take efforts not only to protect ourselves and our employees from hazards, but also the first responders we rely on to help us through those emergencies. This hour will focus on ways we can mitigate and minimize the potential for additional injuries in the event of a critical incident, and how to identify and communicate to first responders the hazards that may be present on our farms and businesses.
Eric Lloyd (English Sessions)
is a safety consultant with Oregon Risk Management Solutions, Inc. His exposure to safety and agriculture began at an early age, when he spent summers working on the family ranch in Idaho and watching his father provide training and consulting services to promote ag safety throughout Oregon. Eric earned a degree in criminal justice from Western Oregon University, and served in law enforcement for several years until being drawn back to his roots and joining the family business in 2016.
Wes Koester (English Sessions)
is a SAIF senior safety management consultant living and working in the Willamette Valley area. He grew up working in his family's farm and nursery business in Riddle, Oregon. Wes graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. Over the past five years, he's helped both farms and businesses with their overall safety compliance by providing over 1,100 on-site walk-through inspections to proactively assist them with their safety needs.
Edgard García-Ramírez (Spanish Sessions)
is a native of Nicaragua. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Lewis & Clark College in Hispanic studies and Spanish literature and is a member of the Board of Alumni of the college. Edgard has been a Spanish presenter for the seminars since 2003. He joined SAIF as a full-time translator in 2014.
Courtney Merriott (Spanish Sessions)
is a SAIF senior safety management consultant who grew up in Willamette Valley wine country. She spent many years working in food production with a focus on locally-grown ingredients. While earning a bachelor's degree in Spanish foreign language and literature from Oregon State University, she travelled to Mexico and Ecuador. Prior to SAIF she spent two years living abroad and teaching in Spain.
Omar DeMarco (Spanish Sessions)
is a bilingual SAIF safety consultant. He is new to the world of occupational safety, having spent the eight years before coming to SAIF as a police officer, and before that he was an elementary school teacher. Omar earned a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University in psychology and a master's degree from Willamette University in teaching. He's excited to be joining the annual Ag Seminars.
Spanish seminars for 2022-2023 have been completed.
Check back this fall for the 2023-2024 schedule.
Webinars
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 (English)
Part 1
First Hour: Ag Hacks 3.0 | The saga continues...
Second Hour: Coexisting with agricultural chemicals
8:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Register
Thursday, December 8, 2022 (English)
Part 2
First Hour: Juggling the heat and the effects of OSHA's new heat rule
Second Hour: First responders on the farm
8:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Register
Monday, March 20, 2023 (English)
Part 1
Hour One: Ag Hacks 3.0 | The saga continues...
Hour Two: Coexisting with agricultural chemicals
8:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Register
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 (English)
Part 2
Hour One: Juggling the heat and the effects of OSHA's new heat rule
Hour Two: First responders on the farm
8:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Register
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 (Spanish)
Part 1
Hour One: Ag Hacks 3.0 | The saga continues...
Hour Two: Coexisting with agricultural chemicals
8:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Register
Thursday, March 23, 2023 (Spanish)
Part 2
Hour One: Juggling the heat and the effects of OSHA's new heat rule
Hour Two: First responders on the farm
8:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Register
2022-23 ag safety seminar resources
Ag hacks 3.0 | The saga continues...
Coexisting with ag chemicals
- Hazard communication, poster | Spanish
- Protect yourself from pesticides (PERC), poster
- OSHA - Safe practices - ag chemicals, booklet
- Pesticide safety guide | Spanish
- Pesticide safety talk | Spanish
Juggling the heat and the effects of OSHA’s new heat rule
- Heat stress, poster | Spanish
- Heat pocket guide | Spanish
- OSHA - Heat illness prevention | Spanish
- OSHA - Permanent heat rules | Spanish
First responders on the farm
- Fire extinguisher, poster | Spanish
- Fire extinguisher, safety talk | Spanish
- OSHA - 300 forms, booklet
- OSHA - Foundation for a safe workplace, booklet
- Emergency 911 signs
- Incident analysis form | Spanish
- OSHA - Reporting work-related incidents, fact sheet
Other resources