Six Oregon High Schools Win Prizes in Media Contest to Promote Young Worker Safety

Parkrose, Klamath Union, Wilsonville, West Linn, Lincoln, Henley take top spots

Teams of students at Parkrose, Klamath Union, Wilsonville, West Linn, Lincoln, and Henley high schools have earned top prizes in a media contest designed to increase awareness about workplace safety and health for young workers.

High school students across Oregon were invited to participate in the annual contest organized by the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]). In its 15th year of putting a spotlight on the importance of young worker safety and health, the 2022-2023 competition challenged participants to create either a 30- to 90-second video or graphic design that inspires young workers to take the O[yes] online Safety Awareness Training to bolster their knowledge of how to stay safe and healthy while on the job. The door to creativity was wide open: Participants were asked to choose a key message, theme, or tagline for their video or graphic design, with an eye on making their media project stand out and effectively reach their audience.

Teams of students rose to the challenge. In attention-grabbing videos and colorful graphic designs, they called attention to everything from a young worker’s right to a safe and healthy workplace and the importance of speaking up to the need to prepare for safety before the work begins – all with an emphasis on the value of taking the O[yes] online Safety Awareness Training.

The top winners in each category were:

 Video:

• First place: Parkrose High School, “Screen Grab” ($500)
• Second: Klamath Union High School, “Safety is Success” ($400)
• Third: Wilsonville High School, “Work Smarter, Not Harder” ($300)
• Finalists: Crescent Valley High School, “Workplace Safety? Oyes!” and Bend Senior High School, “Work Exhaustion.”

  Graphic design:

• First place: West Linn High School, “5 Things You Need to Know” ($500)
• Second place: Lincoln High School, “Be Your Own Hero” ($400)
• Third place: Henley High School, “O[yes] Safety” ($300)
• Finalists: Westview High School, “Staying Healthy,” Springfield High School, “Mental Health Matters,” Klamath Union High School, “Stay Alert; Don’t Get Hurt,” Klamath Union High School, “Don’t Lego of Safety.”

The first-place teams in each category also earned a matching award for their schools.

Check out the winning submissions on the (O[yes]) website, where you will also find videos of the contestants discussing their media projects.

With its first-place win in the video category, Parkrose High School has now taken the top spot in that category three years in a row and four out of the last five years. Parkrose has also finished in the top three of the video category a total of 10 times since 2013.

This year’s contest marked the second year in a row that West Linn High School secured a place in the top three of the graphic design category. Meanwhile, Klamath Union High School – new to the ranks of finalists in the media contest – put in a robust showing with a second-place finish in the video category and two finalist entries in the graphic design category.

The mission of (O[yes]) is to prevent injuries and illnesses, and promote well-being to young workers. The nonprofit does this through outreach, advocacy, and sharing resources with young workers, educators, employers, parents, and labor organizations.

The 2022-2023 contest sponsors are: Oregon Chapters of the American Association of Safety Professionals, Construction Safety Summit, Central Oregon Safety and Health Association, Hoffman Construction, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Oregon OSHA, Oregon SHARP Alliance, SafeBuild Alliance, and SAIF.