Yard safety

Yard chores might seem mundane, but unsafe practices can lead to injury, illness, or even death. Over the past decade, 3.2 million U.S. residents have been injured while working on their lawns or in their gardens. Lawnmower accidents cost patients an average of $37,000 in medical treatment.

In a survey of over 1,000 U.S. homeowners about their history, habits, and concerns related to lawn care accidents and injuries, key insights were:

* 21.2% have experienced a serious injury while working on the lawn and landscape, with 7.9% of those respondents seeking off-site medical treatment.

* Most injuries resulted from picking up debris or heavy items (19.5%), kneeling, squatting, or bending over (18.6%), and weed whacking (13.2%).

Other distractions should not be a part of operating lawn equipment, like headphones at a high volume, utilizing cell phones, drinking or eating, or other distractions.

EWEB careers

The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) is inviting job seekers to attend a Job Showcase to learn about one of the most important jobs at EWEB that also serves as an early career entry point to the industry – the utility support worker.

It’s scheduled for Thursday, July 11th, with one-hour information sessions scheduled at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. in the Roosevelt Operations Center, 4200 Roosevelt Blvd, Eugene. No registration is required

It’s open to the general public ages 18 and over. Employees in this entry-level role can leverage their experiences to advance into various careers within EWEB, including electric line technicians, water distribution technicians, heavy equipment operators, and more.

Attendees will have the chance to meet with current employees and learn about job responsibilities. For more information about EWEB careers, go to EWEB.org/careers.

Smokey hat

All Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) districts are in fire season. This means that to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires, fire restrictions may be in place where you live or at a destination you plan to visit or recreate.

ODF protects over 16 million acres of private, county, state, and federal land in Oregon from wildfire. Fire season is declared at the local level when conditions reach a point where the risk of a fire starting and spreading becomes clear. This year, the Southwest Oregon district was the first to declare on June 1st, and the North Cascade District was the last to declare on July 3rd.

Mid-July and August are known for high fire occurrence due to increased lightning activity, but human activities continue to be the leading source of Oregon’s wildfires.