Oregon OSHA names winners of annual student competition

Salem, OR — Students from Silverton and Hermiston high schools took first-place prizes in this year’s Oregon OSHA media contest to promote young worker safety and health awareness.

For the 16th annual contest – organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition, known as O[yes] – high school students were challenged to create either a 30- to 90-second video or graphic design that inspires young workers to take O[yes] online Safety Awareness Training.

Silverton High School students Makayla Chase and Cordelia Bay won $500 for their first-place entry in the video category.

Their video, titled Saying Yes, portrays a young worker telling her parent about the lack of safety training at her job. Overhearing the new employee’s phone conversation, a co-worker introduces the new colleague to O[yes]’s online safety training. 

In the graphic design category, Hermiston High School’s Cody Radcliffe won the $500 first-place prize for his Don’t Burn Yourself Out infographic. 

To educate young workers about the dangers of a poor work-life balance, Radcliffe depicted a campfire with the words “Don’t Burn Yourself Out” spelled out in smoke. Four logs in the campfire feature the messages “no sleep,” “no free time,” “long shifts” and “rude boss.”

The first-place winners also earned a $500 prize for their schools.

The second-place finishers in both categories each earned $400 prizes, and the third-place winners earned $300 each.