The Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division will be offering three days of free training sessions to employers and workers this week in Coos Bay. The sessions will be held at Southwestern Oregon Community College's Newmark Center, 2110 Newmark Ave., in Coos Bay.

Tuesday:

� Industrial Hygiene for the Non-IH (8 a.m. to noon): Industrial hygienists form an important part of the workplace safety-and-health team. This class introduces participants to the role of an IH and how IHs form an important part of safety committees.

� Hazard Communication Program (1 to 5 p.m.): This workshop guides participants through developing and implementing effective ways to communicate required information to employees about the hazards that exist in a workplace, including hazardous chemicals.

Wednesday:

� Safety Accountability (8 a.m. to noon): Implementing an effective safety-and-health program in the workplace requires that supervisors and employees both are accountable for safety. This workshop will introduce participants to a balanced accountability approach.

� Recognition and Incentive Programs (1 to 5 p.m.): Is the safety culture in your business fear-driven or success-driven? This class will address positive recognition in the workplace.

Thursday:

� Ergonomics Awareness (8 a.m. to noon): Ergonomics is the study of how the human body responds to the design, tasks and tools of a work environment. This workshop will discuss the risk factors involved with a variety of jobs, from office settings and labor-intensive natural resources work to lifting boxes in warehouses.

� Ergonomics - Before and After (1 to 3 p.m.): This workshop looks at an ergonomic workstation and task design from a "before and after" approach, using group exercises to help transform ergonomic nightmares into modern solutions for preventing employee injuries. .

To register for the training workshops, those interested can fax requests on company letterhead to (503) 947-7462 or register on the OR-OSHA Web Site, http://www.orosha.org under "Education." For questions about OR-OSHA training, people can call (503) 947-7443 or call toll-free within Oregon, (888) 292-5247, option 2.

Oregon OSHA is committed to partnering with employers and workers to keep Oregon's injury rates low and workers' compensation costs under control. OSHA officials say one of the best things an employer can do to prevent injuries is to properly train employees. Oregon OSHA offers free training, free safety and health consultations and education and training materials from the OR-OSHA Resource Center. More information and resources are available on Oregon OSHA's Web site, http://www.orosha.org.