Society member and Director-at-Large Brad Giles led the opening session of the 13th annual 2018 Safety Fest. Summing up the purpose of the event, he said, “We believe that ongoing safety education is critical to enhancing and expanding safety best practices in our offices, work sites and our communities.”

The two-day event took place in Boise, ID, on Jan. 25-26, and featured 62 free continuing education and training classes, one-third of which were taught by Society members.

The event was created by Rick Callor, a professional member of the Utah Chapter, and Bill Bankhead with Boise OSHA to provide free safety training to small- and medium- sized employers and trade school programs. Since its start in 2005, the event has expanded to California, Colorado, Montana, Tennessee and Washington, providing training to more than 17,000 people.

Randy Danner, a member of the Snake River Chapter and the Construction and Public Sector practice specialties, coordinated a dozen volunteers who plan and manage the event, enlisting instructors, vendors and volunteers. The free training by volunteer members allows workers to bring updated safety education to their workplaces.