(Portland) – The largest safety and health conference in the Northwest, the 2001 Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) Conference, will be March 5-8, at the Convention Center in Portland.

The conference offers 43 professional development workshops, 68 training sessions, and an awards luncheon where Oregon employers and employees will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to occupational safety and health. More than 200 companies will feature the latest technology in equipment, demonstrate their products, and introduce their services and programs.

The conference keynote address, "Lessons Learned from the Challenger," will be delivered by Col. Mike Mullane, Astronaut.

"Whether you're here for the full conference or carefully choose a few classes, your time will be well spent," said OR-OSHA administrator Peter De Luca. "The philosophy of this conference is in keeping with one of Oregon OSHA's strategic goals – to help Oregon businesses become self-sufficient in workplace safety and health."

The conference is a joint effort of the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Department of Consumer and Business Services Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division.

For registration information , call (503) 378-3272 (V/TTY) or (888) 292-5247, option 1. Fax requests to (503) 947-7462, send e-mail to Oregon.GOSH2001@state.or.us, or visit our Web site, http:// www.orosha.org.