The Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division will be offering two safety and health workshops designed for Bay Area small businesses during October.

“Safety for Small Business” will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday at The Business Center, 2455 Maple Leaf, in North Bend.

The workshop is designed to help small business owners or supervisors develop an effective safety and health management program for their workplace. The training consists of two one-hour workshops where participants bring their own lunches, and Oregon OSHA provides workshop materials. The training is free.

Attendance is important at the first workshop session to effectively participate in the Phase Two workshop two weeks later. Participants will learn how to integrate a safety and health program into their business plan, receive industry-specific safety information, and be introduced to the program's 10 short-duration safety and health training modules.

Free one-hour training sessions will be offered Wednesday, Oct. 11, at The Business Center. They include, at 8:30 a.m., “Back Safety;” at 9:45 a.m., “Personal Protective Equipment;” and at 11 a.m., “Violence in the Workplace.”

To register, those interested can fax their requests on company letterhead to (503) 947-7462 or register on the Oregon OSHA Web site, http://www.orosha.org, under “Education.” For more information about Oregon OSHA training, those interested can call (503) 947-7443 or (888) 292-5247, Option 2.