(Salem) – A two-day event in Portland this week will offer employers, workers, insurers, medical providers, and others a variety of opportunities to improve their understanding of the workers’ compensation system in Oregon.

The 17th annual Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference – to be held Oct. 17-18 at the Red Lion on the River, Jantzen Beach – offers speakers and sessions on everything from Oregon’s return-to-work programs and employee leave laws to independent contractors and worker safety and health.

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division is presenting the conference, in coordination with the International Workers’ Compensation Foundation.

“This is a major opportunity to learn about current and emerging issues affecting the workers’ compensation system,” said Lou Savage, administrator of the Workers’ Compensation Division. “This conference will offer tools and resources to help improve processes and services that affect injured workers, employers, and others.”

On Oct. 18, Mark McMullen, Oregon’s state economist and the director of the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, will deliver the conference’s keynote presentation. Other speakers include Dr. David Harris, of Providence Medical Center, who will address non-opioid strategies in pain management.

The event’s breakout sessions include:

• Workers’ compensation 101
• Employment law update
• Independent contractors
• National perspective on legalized marijuana
• Safety programs
• Worksite modification
• Crossing language barriers

Registration for the conference is $350 per person. For more information or to register, go to https://wcd.oregon.gov/training/conference/Pages/index.aspx

Those who are interested in attending may also contact Conference Coordinator Addy Null, 503-947-7601, or adeline.r.null@oregon.gov.

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The Workers’ Compensation Division, part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, administers and regulates laws and rules that affect participants in the Oregon workers’ compensation system, including workers, employers, insurers, claims examiners, attorneys, and medical providers. For more information, visit https://wcd.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to www.dcbs.oregon.gov.