Conference Sessions

Agenda is subject to change.

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Pre-conference Workshop

Discover boothless hearing testing using tools such as tablet audiometry, data management systems, and support services that can help you optimize time, money and the employee experience. During this workshop, we will demonstrate the power of features like portability, offline testing, scheduling assistance, and secure record keeping. You’ll hear about the ANSI standards for OSHA testing, and how systems that meet those standards can help ensure top-tier accuracy and reliability.

After completing the workshop, you will leave with a better understanding of how to optimize your hearing conservation efforts while saving you time and money. Don’t miss the opportunity to transform your approach to hearing testing and join our community committed to excellence. Elevate your hearing conservation program by attending this workshop presented by SHOEBOX.

Sponsored By:

 

Kaylee Venman
 
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Pre-conference Workshop

This session will delve into the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence to power EHS and Sustainability, from Generative AI for streamlining and automation, to advanced AI models to identify risks and generate predictive insights.

Sponsored By:

Jeremy Garner Johnathan Spisak
 
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Pre-conference Workshop

Safety culture and safety climate are very closely linked—a positive safety culture and a positive safety climate are both required to improve production, quality, retention, employee engagement, morale, and ultimately reduce injuries. An organization’s safety culture defines the norms of how people act within a facility, and the safety climate is the perceived value and approach to safety. Shifting a company’s culture can be challenging, but its safety climate can be changed more easily based on circumstances that happen at the organizational level. There are six safety climate success factors that can influence the outcome reliability in safety, production and quality. Over time, these safety climate success factors can also lead to a stronger and more sustainable culture. This presentation will demonstrate how safety professionals can leverage frontline supervisors to implement safety climate activities and influence positive short-term outcomes and longer-term culture change.

Learning outcomes 
1. Distinguish climate from culture—and understand why it matters
2. Identify six key leadership skills that can improve your workplace safety climate
3. Recognize how managing human factors and safety climate can help you build safety momentum and strengthen your safety management system.

 

Sponsored By:

Pandora Bryce Peter Batrowny
 
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Pre-conference Workshop

Discover how "Pulse Bot," a cutting-edge technology in the Tenstreet Construction platform, revolutionizes safety in the field by enabling workers to interact with complex safety and policy documents through natural language. This 30-minute presentation will demonstrate how Pulse Bot allows seamless, real-time engagement with documents, empowering workers to get the information they need quickly and efficiently while on the job. Learn how this innovative tool enhances compliance and safety by making detailed information accessible and easy to understand for everyone on a job site.

 Sponsored by:

Jim Hall
 
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
 
 
 
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
 
 
 
8:00 AM - 8:15 AM
 
Dave Blanchard
 
8:15 AM - 9:30 AM
Opening Keynote

Every company wants to keep its employees safe from harm, but some organizations go the extra mile by demonstrating excellence in safety leadership. In this panel discussion featuring safety leaders from winners of EHS Today’s America’s Safest Companies award, you’ll learn how their companies gained a competitive edge by fully embracing a culture of safety. You’ll hear how they involve their employees in the EHS process; the innovative technologies they use to train, motivate and protect their workforce; the unique challenges they face within their industry sectors; and how they make a business case every day to senior management about the value of safety.

Kevin Colwell Guy Mills Nicole Seabaugh
 
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
 
 
 
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Risk Management

If you are an ISO-9000 registered company, each of your employees can recite your quality policy. If you ask them to state the safety policy, or even to define what safety means, you will likely hear things like, “no one gets hurt,” “everyone goes home every day in the same way they came in,” or “I don’t know.” ProAct Safety defines safety as three things: identifying the hazards, controlling the hazards, and doing these things all of the time. These three things form the safety triad that lays a powerful foundation for a simplified yet impactful safety management system. The root cause of every workplace incident is found in the failure modes of these elements. When every employee has the same definition of safety and has the same goal, you will eliminate or greatly reduce the occurrence of the root causes of all safety incidents.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn the three elements of the safety triad, as well as the potential failure modes of each of the triad elements. 
  • Discover how to promote the safety triad as a shared definition of safety. 
  • Understand how to utilize the safety triad at all levels of your organization.
David Thurwanger
 
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Risk Management

Leadership is a virtue, not necessarily a title. Therefore, being an effective safety leader is not confined to just managing your company’s safety program. To be a better safety leader, you need to understand—and help integrate—safety into all aspects of the business: long-term plans, market positioning, values, goals and other organizational objectives. Safety needs to have a seat at the executive table, and it’s your goal as manager to determine how safety can contribute to other departments.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn to work with, and listen to, the needs of other employees and departments.
  • Discover  how to weave safety into the fold rather than operating as a standalone or siloed unit. 
  • Use language and other communication techniques that help safety earn trust and respect of others.
Lance Murray
 
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Risk Management

Greg Pass didn’t think an active shooting incident could happen to his company. But, even if it did, he was confident that employees were adequately prepared to deal with such a situation. Unfortunately, one day an employee brought a gun to work—and everything changed. Pass will share his experiences leading up to that fateful day and detail everything his company has done since to be better prepared in the future. And he’ll offer guidance in how to make sure your company is prepared for the unthinkable.

Key Takeaways:

•    Learn how to avoid complacency and traps of false security and safety at the workplace. 
•    Discover ways safety professionals can take ownership of workplace violence programs—and how they can better work with other departments (e.g., human resources and maintenance) to keep workers safe.
•    Hear how to develop a safety audit process that can reduce workplace violence risks and vulnerabilities in the first place.

Greg Pass
 
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
 
 
 
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Regulatory Compliance

This presentation will begin with an overview of OSHA recordkeeping requirements. The speaker, an attorney with Fisher Philips, will then offer hypothetical injuries and illnesses and give guidance on whether those incidents should be recorded on that establishment's OSHA 300 log.

Key Takeaways:

  • Learn when you should and should not record entries on your OSHA logs.
  • Understand why recording an injury is a fact-intensive exercise. 
  • Learn why having OSHA logs up to date and accessible is key to avoiding a recordkeeping citation.
Micah Dickie
 
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Regulatory Compliance

This presentation will help you be prepared for an unexpected visit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Pete Flatten will guide attendees through the entire process. He’ll also address your most pressing questions, such as: Should I request a warrant before letting them in?  Does OSHA have carte blanche during an inspection?  Can OSHA really go through all my safety records?  Do I have to give them everything they want from a records request?  What if they want to interview my supervisors or team?  When do they come back? Pete Flatten will offer advice post-inspection, too, including the options and best path forward for any formal citations.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn what steps you can take to help your company prepare for an unexpected visit from OSHA.
  • Understand what to do—and what not to do during the inspection.
  • Determine the appropriate steps to take after an inspection.
Pete Flatten
 
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Regulatory Compliance

Providing safety and health training to employees is obviously an important tool to creating and maintaining a safe work environment. However, there are also potential downsides to training that businesses need to understand so they can avoid liability associated with providing safety and health training. Some of these considerations include: What type of training should be provided? How often should it be provided? Who should provide it? Should it all be documented? What language does the training need to be in? Should supervisors be trained alongside of staff? This presentation will explore common mistakes made, including pitfalls of generic training, failure to include appropriate personnel, inconsistent documentation, and “quick orientation” training for new employees.

Key Takeaways:

  • Attendees will learn that there can be “bad” training and how to identify and avoid these mistakes. 
  • Discover how to create best practices in safety and health training. 
  • Learn how poor training can affect OSHA litigation and/or third-party litigation and create liability for your company.
John Ho Natalie Fox
 
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Regulatory Compliance

Join PIP® to identify and address the main causes of heat stress and dehydration on the job in both indoor and outdoor environments. Gain a better understanding of the “what’s and why’s” behind heat stress and dehydration solutions engineered to help drastically improve your company’s heat stress prevention program. We will cover important details to improve your heat stress prevention program including an overview of OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) and of the new ANSI/ASSP A10.50 standard; the functionality and benefits of key heat stress preventive PPE technologies; the essential ingredients and components that support proper hydration; and advancements in workwear to keep workers safer, cooler, more comfortable, and more productive on the job.

Sponsored by:

TL Barrett
 
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
 
 
 
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
The ROI of Safety

Workplace safety is central to a company’s ability to deliver on its ethical commitment to safeguarding people and the planet. Maintaining an effective safety program goes beyond compliance and regulation; it signals a genuine dedication to the well-being of all stakeholders. In an era where ethical considerations increasingly shape consumer choices and investor decisions, the EHS function has become a powerful symbol of lived corporate values. However, when it comes to competing against other corporate priorities, it is often difficult for EHS functions to articulate the ROI for EHS investment. EY sought to calculate that by analyzing data from 9,000 of the largest public companies from around the world to see if increasing EHS maturity can improve a company’s overall performance. Hear what EY found in this dynamic presentation.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Hear how EY calculated the ROI and effectiveness of investments in EHS programs.
  • Discover ways that EHS performance can affect a company’s overall performance and bottom line.
  • Learn how EHS can cut across silos and other data you can use to sell management to support your safety program.
Gabriel Mas Mark Horton
 
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
The ROI of Safety

Every safety leader has the ability—and indeed the responsibility—to make a difference. Whether your company is starting its safety journey from scratch, you’re trying to revitalize a stagnated safety program, or you’re trying to change negative attitudes from a disengaged workforce, there are things you can do to turn the safety ship around—and they don’t have to cost a fortune. Hear from James Wiedow, who has made a career out of being the first safety professional his employers have ever had. He will share the first steps he has taken to build trust and gain buy-in among front-line employees, which have been effective across industries. He will share other tips to continue to improve safety even as his safety programs grow, mature and thrive.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn how to build trust among employees.
  • Develop effective communication techniques that help safety be visible and omnipresent.
  • Create a road map to advance safety by implementing programs, policies and procedures. 
  • Brainstorm creative solutions to problems you have the power to correct and learn how to navigate roadblocks rather than avoiding them altogether.
James Wiedow
 
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
The ROI of Safety

How does your company match up to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS Code) in your class? Contracting with some companies may require comparing your company’s Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and other injury data to similar companies in the nation. If your numbers are higher than the “normal” NAICS Code, your company may not get the bid or you may have to go through a tap dance to prove your company is “safe enough” to be worthy of doing the job for your customer. This presentation, from the safety manager of D. C. Taylor Co., one of the winners of the 2024 America’s Safest Companies award, will explore methods of chasing the TRIR and creating a safe work environment for your employees where everyone wins. The employees go home at the end of the day safe and sound, and the company wins more job bids with improved safety data. Key Takeaways: • Learn to identify leadership traits that enhance incident prevention atmosphere on the worksite. • Understand how to bring the human aspect into the EHS role to enhance the proactive safety climate and achieve desired results. • Learn about the transformational and servant leadership styles that will enhance buy-in of the safety culture you desire for your company. • Learn how to influence front-line leadership to achieve improved safety performance and bring the data in line with NAICS.

Kirk Dighton
 
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
The ROI of Safety

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the field of Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), offering powerful capabilities to better monitor and assess risk in today's dynamic, complex work environments. Join us for a high-impact discussion on how AI is being leveraged to not only identify and prioritize life-saving controls but also sharpen our data insights that prime organizational learning and continual improvement

Taylor Allis Scott DeBow

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
 
 
 
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

This year, the annual presentation of EHS Today’s America’s Safest Companies Awards will be combined with VPPPA’s Health & Safety Awards in a joint ceremony that will showcase the very “best of the best” in workplace health and safety. Following the awards presentations, a special reception will allow attendees to network with the winners as they celebrate safety excellence.

 

 
 
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
 
 
 
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Safety Technology

Owens Corning has made great strides in prioritizing safety within its extensive network of over 130 factories. After research into how to reduce serious injuries and fatalites, the company identified the primary contributors to workplace incidents—forklift-human collisions and unauthorized entry into restricted areas. In response, they crafted a data-driven AI safety approach aimed at determining site-specific risks, quantitatively evaluating risk reduction efforts, and implementing real-time AI preventative measures where higher risks persist. Owens Corning strategically deploys temporary computer vision cameras in high-risk zones, collecting and analyzing gigabytes of data to discern traffic patterns and pinpoint areas of heightened risk. Subsequent modifications to workspace and procedures are informed by this intelligence, fostering area-specific risk reduction. For heightened risk areas requiring additional measures, they've implemented real-time AI sensors utilizing advanced computer vision and laser-ranging technologies. This sensor fusion delivers real-time warnings to drivers, pedestrians, and safety professionals, addressing potential risks promptly. Learn how a Fortune 500 company has utilized data-driven AI to achieve a safer and smarter working environment.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn how Owens Corning elevates safety with AI, turning data into a powerful shield against workplace risks. 
  • Witness the immediate impact of AI sensors, and how they provide a safety net that reacts as risks unfold.  
  • Experience the synergy of AI in enhancing workplace safety, while contributing to smarter and more efficient manufacturing. 
  • Uncover the art and science behind Owens Corning's tailored approach, reshaping safety protocols for a secure and proactive future.
Geoff Walter Keith Bowers
 
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Safety Technology

SafetyNow and EHS Today surveyed thousands of safety professionals across North America and has segmented the results across industries and geography. In this presentation, you’ll learn about the most important trends in safety training, and what to expect in the years ahead as new training platforms and styles emerge in the safety arena. You’ll also learn how to identify the tools and technology you can use today and in the near future to reduce accidents & incidents, liability, and costs while improving retention rates and your safety culture. Key Takeaways: • Find out how safety professionals are using technology to improve their safety training; identify emerging tools and tips. • Learn about the biggest safety training challenges that your peers are experiencing, and how they’re dealing with them. • Learn how AI will play a role in workplace safety in the near future

Rick Tobin
 
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Safety Technology

 

Sponsored by

Ryan Barnes Adam Bookwater
 
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
 
 
 
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Training & Engagement

It is an absolute need to have a safety system in place within your organization, and this presentation will focus on the steps to develop a safety system and the components needed to create a sustainable safety culture. The components include compliance, training, employee empowerment and leadership. This presentation will examine each of the components with examples (good and bad) and their importance in developing a safety system, with the goal of achieving safety excellence. Along the way, learn how SBM Management gained the status as one of America's Safest Companies twice in the past decade.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn what a safety system needs to be effective.
  • Understand the process to generate management and employee buy-in.
  • Learn how to define and build a safety culture at your organization.
David Stauffer
 
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Training & Engagement

This presentation offers an in-depth look at the Start When Certain (SWC) safety culture initiative launched by global medtech leader Baxter. SWC was customized across key principals to make a training program scalable to local needs within a global organization, customizable to relevant hazards and engaging for all levels of employees. The program focuses on leading indicators of safety performance, building tactile safety skills in both technical and professional applications. This presentation will offer a roadmap for attendees to build a similar cultural training initiative customized to company-specific goals, processes and initiatives.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Learn how to build a network of accountability and responsibility.
  • Learn how to scale safety training to meet both local and global needs.
  • Discover the ‘magic formula’ for training attentiveness.
  • Gain a better understanding of how to integrate data (e.g., safety DNA profiles, safety climate scores). 
  • Learn goal-setting strategies, as well as how to monitor and measure performance.
Kristen Heitman
 
11:30 AM - 11:45 AM
 
 
 
11:45 AM - 1:30 PM

Six-time Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken was injured 10 years ago in an ATV accident, but that hasn’t slowed her down at all. In this inspiring and motivational luncheon address, she’ll share some of her Olympics experiences, her recovery from a horrific accident and subsequent career in sports broadcasting, and her insistence on never letting anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Amy’s appearance is sponsored by the VPPPA’s Safety+ Symposium.

Amy Van Dyken Rouen
 
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
 
 
 
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Training & Engagement

Discussion on how the EHS hiring process has grown confusing for those filling positions and for those trying to get into those positions.  We will discuss how our job postings, resumes, and interviews (not to mention our attitudes) have limited growth opportunities and hindered the profession.

Key Takeaways: 

  • Hiring for a purpose
  • Resumes that are specific
  • Allow EHS professionals to specialize
Evan Kopshy
 
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Closing Keynote

This presentation explores the crucial integration of Environment, Health, and Safety priorities within organizational change. Emphasizing the transformative impact of a growth mindset, it delves into how fostering this mindset helps create a culture that values and prioritizes environment, health, and safety goals. The presenter will highlight successful instances in which her organization strategically implemented a growth mindset to drive positive EHS outcomes.

Jalayna Bolden