Sisters HS students win state workplace safety video contest

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – A team of students at Sisters High School won $500 for their first-place video, titled “Canteen Catastrophe,” in an annual statewide safety video contest that promotes young worker safety and the importance of speaking up.

The winning video, also available to view on YouTube along with the other finalists, is in a one-shot-style format. It, follows a worker – played by Shelby Larson – as she walks through a workplace kitchen noticing hazards, but not speaking up. The video rewinds to the beginning and this time, the worker informs someone about each of the hazards so they can be fixed.

The members of the winning Sisters High School team are:

Jackson Griffin

Shelby Larson

Colton Seymour

Skylar Wilkins

Sydney Wilkins

“We chose this part of workplace safety because most of us have jobs in the food industry and so these are real problems that we encounter every day,” said Sydney Wilkins.

Sisters High School also won a matching amount of prize money.

“We think this message is good for teen workers because if they find themselves in an unsafe work environment and don’t speak up, they can possibly get injured,” said Jackson Griffin.

Second- and third-place prizes also were awarded. They are as follows:

Second place ($400)

“Undercover Ross”

Parkrose High School, Portland

Created by:

Kayla Sanders

Ryan Matthews

Tim Vu

Phong Ta

Jacob Dryer

Ryan Vacano

Aida Najaf Abadi Nejad

Brad Frasier

Chance Henry

Sean Binder

Kaley Easton

Ben Muro

Benny Osborn

Third place ($300)

“Iceolated”

South Salem High School

Created by:

Dean Holman

Ambrose Walker

Rees Jones

The creators of the top videos were announced during a live streaming event on Thursday. Sponsored by the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]), the annual video contest focuses on teen workers, who are twice as likely to be injured on the job, according to federal studies.

The contest is designed to increase awareness about safety for young workers, with the theme of “Speak up. Work safe.” Students were asked to create a video of no more than 90 seconds a teen job safety and health message. The videos were judged on creativity, production value, youth appeal, and the overall safety and health message.

All of the winning videos, as well as the other finalists, will be available for viewing at https://youngemployeesafety.org/contest/

The Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]) organizes the contest. The sponsors are Oregon OSHA, SAIF Corporation, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at OHSU, SafeBuild Alliance, Oregon chapters of the American Society of Safety Professionals, Oregon SHARP Alliance, Construction Safety Summit, Hoffman Construction, and the Central Oregon Safety & Health Association.

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Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state’s workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, visit www.osha.oregon.gov.

The Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]) is a nonprofit dedicated to preventing young worker injuries and fatalities. O[yes] members include safety and health professionals, educators, employers, labor and trade associations, and regulators. For more information, go to http://youngemployeesafety.org/.