7:00 am - 12:00 pm Registration by VPPPA National Office
Registration Desk
7:00 am - 8:30 am Conference Attendee Breakfast
White Room
8:00 am - 8:50 am Breakout Session 3
Cocoa Terrace
VPP and PSM: A Discussion from A - C by Mark Harmon/OSHA
Speakers will discuss the requirements for sites covered by the OSHA PSM regulation and those which handle Highly Hazardous Chemicals (HHC) the three requirement supplements associated with these facilities. Background information related to the site PSM program, policies and procedures will be reviewed, results of the annual evaluation and lines of questions related to the re-evaluation process will be discussed along with an overview of the OSHA PSM regulation. Adequate time will be provided for questions.
Mark Harmon is a graduate of Marshall University with a Master’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health. Mark started working for the Erie OSHA office in 1996 as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) and conducted over 600 inspections before becoming the Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) in 2010. As an OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist, Mark is responsible for overseeing and managing all the OSHA Strategic Partnerships, Alliances, and Voluntary Protection Program worksites within his office’s jurisdiction.
Cocoa Boardroom
Seven Ways to Confine Hazmat Spills by Karen Hamel & Halen Hardy/TBD
Before spill response begins, teams need to have a plan for how they are going to confine it. Every spill is different, and chances are good that there may be more than one right way to control or confine it. And, even if there really is one “best” way; the lack of time, personnel, equipment or other factors may negate its use.
Karen D. Hamel CSP, CIT, is a regulatory expert, trainer and technical writer for HalenHardy. She has more than 30 years of experience helping EHS professionals meet and exceed regulatory requirements and industry standards; and has had more than 300 articles published on a variety of EHS topics. Karen is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT), OSHA-Authorized Outreach Trainer for General Industry, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Trainer and Hazmat Technician.
Cocoa Suite 1
Building an Effective Workers Comp Team, Who’s on Your Team? by Reese Gardiner & Luanne Shaffer/MITER Brands
In this session, we will explore how to effectively create a Workers Compensation team by leveraging all available resources. Additionally, we will outline the key team members and their respective roles within the team, ensuring a clear understanding of their responsibilities and contributions to the overall process.
Together, Luanne and I oversee the Workers’ Compensation Program for Miter Brands, which includes three major companies: MI Windows, Milgard, and PGTI. In our current roles at Miter Brands, we are responsible for the workers’ compensation program for over 10,000 team members. We are highly experienced in managing claims across multiple jurisdictions throughout the United States. Our extensive background includes handling insurance claims and litigation in various states, and we possess a deep understanding of the processes and procedures within the insurance industry.
Cocoa Suite 3
Speaking the Same Language: Multi-Generational Communication by Kristy Shinn/Pennoni
Are you and your colleagues speaking the same language? With many offices having four to five different generations working together, this can be difficult. The trends of each generation will be discussed, including how they prefer to work and how they prefer to communicate. Participants will leave with information regarding each generation’s preferences, best practices, and prompts to start better communicating in their departments and teams.
Kristy Shinn, MS, CIT, is an accomplished entrepreneur, trainer, and presenter in the Human Capital space. As the Training & Development Manager at Rettew, Kristy is developing and expanding training to impact all areas of our lives - from Front-Line Leadership to Culture and Communication. Kristy is a captivating speaker, blending a mix of laughter, vulnerability, and challenging reflection.
Cocoa Suite 4
Respiratory Protection by Kevin O’Brien/Access Compliance LLC
Respiratory Protection - The presentation will address what employers need to know to comply with the respiratory standard. Topics include recognition of hazards; selection considerations; maintenance, cleaning and storage; the importance of a proper FIT, Medical and FIT Testing requirements and inspections. We will address the following specifically: A clean-shaven face, why it matters, The difference between a silica clearance and a respiratory clearance, The difference between a seal test and a fit test, When is voluntary usage, truly voluntary, and So you passed your fit, does it Fit ?
Kevin O’Brien, EHS Director, is responsible for managing employee safety and health. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of New York at New Paltz. He has 13 years of Occupational Safety and Health experience. Kevin is a Special Government Employee (SGE) for the VPP Program. Kevin previously served as Treasurer on the Executive Board for the Voluntary Protection Program Participants Association (VPPPA Region 2) and served on the Construction Committee for National VPPPA.
Cocoa Suite 6
New Technology = New Results (AI) by Paul Thurber/Everguard.ai
Computer vision based artificial intelligence can be used to enhance an existing safety program. CV-AI works to recognize predetermined leading indicators of injury and alert the worker(s) to enable a behavior change B-E-F-O-R-E an injury occurs. These truly PREVENTATIVE type solutions are making a difference not only to the worker's improved habits but also through the company's decreased frequency of incidents and lessoned risk.
Paul Thurber currently serves as the VP/GM of Manufacturing and safety for Everguard.ai. Paul brings greater than 30 years of practical safety experience throughout numerous industries to the group.
9:00 am - 9:50 am Vendor Hall (50/50 Drawing at 9:40 am)
White Room
10:00 am - 10:50 am Breakout Session 4
Cocoa Terrace
Revolutionary Leader: How to Lead in a World That Is Set Up for You to Follow by Shereen Thor/THOR INTERNATIONAL INC.
The #1 regret of dying is, “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself rather than the one other people expected of me.” There are also 120,000 preventable deaths a year due to work-related stress in America. People aren’t just dying from overwork; they’re dying because they are not sharing their authentic gifts, and the cost to our well-being is dire. This talk is perfect for audiences experiencing change, a change in leadership, burnout, culture change, needing a morale boost, and women working in male-dominated fields.
Shereen Thor is a comedian turned coach who slays with hope and humor. She has shared the stage with greats like Serena Williams, Prince Harry, Pau Gasol, and Les Brown. She is the bestselling author of Revolutionary Woman, which focuses on inspiring women to revolutionize how they see themselves to create a more equitable world. She has been featured in Forbes, TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Insider, Medium, Spike TV, 97.1 AMP Radio, and more.
Cocoa Boardroom
Making Critical Medical Training Exciting Again by Glen Stilson/Independence Training
Many companies look at medical training as a "check the box" requirement, and often, the classes are boring, with death-by-PowerPoint and very little hands-on or practical application. But it doesn't have to be that way! From basic first aid and CPR to trauma response and creating Emergency Response Teams, medical training should be exciting and engaging, and your team should look forward to it, not dread it. We want to share some examples of what to do and how we do it with our educational experience, which spans more than 15 years all over the United States with a variety of different industries and organizations.
Glen Stilson is the head instructor for Independence Training, an emergency response training organization based in Arizona. He has been in field medicine since 2000, including work in the U.S. military and Search and Rescue. He has been teaching industrial, civic, and government organizations, along with prepared citizens, all over the U.S. for over 15 years.
Cocoa Suite 1
The Industrial Athlete Mindset: Mindset Tools for Safety, Resiliency, and Self-Mastery by Stacy Spector/Catamount Consulting LLC
Industrial athletes have been defined as the men and women of the construction and general industry who perform services with high physical demand, using strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. However, like any high performing athlete, the industrial athlete mindset understands that in addition to the physical demands of the trade, equal time energy and training must be spent on training their mental strength, endurance, and flexibility. All too often, the majority of all employee training is centered on the physical skills, but 99% of how we perform when stakes are high (game day or on the job site) is how mentally conditioned we are.
Stacy Spector is the primary content and curriculum developer for Catamount Consulting’s “People First” Leadership Programs. Stacy attended Albany Law School after college and was a practicing attorney in Lake George, New York, for over 20 years. As a former college athlete and professional natural physique and figure competitor, Stacy has made fitness and mindset mastery part of her daily life.
Cocoa Suite 3
Energizing Your Safety Team by Crystal Main/Virginia Department of Labor & Industry
Energizing your safety committee is all about fostering engagement, collaboration, and a sense of shared purpose. This will be an interactive session as we will discuss ideas to spark enthusiasm to re-energize your current team that includes goals, creativity, celebrating success, training opportunities, team spirit, communication, and management involvement.
Crystal Main currently works for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry as the VPP Virginia Challenge Coordinator and VPP VADOC Challenge Coordinator. She has managed multiple offices in her career as a manager and administrator in retail, technology, workers' compensation case management, and medical. She has three Associate degrees (Business Management, Management/Accounting, and Management/Marketing). She graduated from Columbia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management.
Cocoa Suite 4
How to Build a Hand Safety Program: Reduce Hand Injuries & Improve Worker Safety by Kate Crespo/Superior Glove
This session provides a comprehensive look at building a well-rounded hand safety program that prioritizes injury prevention and compliance. Participants will gain practical insights into foundational safety principles, understand the role of standards in guiding PPE choices, and learn how consultative, worker-focused approaches enhance program effectiveness. The session also highlights collaborative strategies for maximizing safety resources, offering a strategic framework that equips attendees with actionable knowledge for creating a safer workplace.
Kate Crespo, Hand Safety Program Manager at Superior Glove, has over 20 years of experience as a strategic account manager in the manufacturing vertical. Her focus is providing a program that helps companies understand the "why's" around the right PPE for each hazard.
Cocoa Suite 6
Fall Protection - Should It Be Engineered? by Bill Kreke/Tritech Fall Protection
Bio & Abstract TBD
11:00 am - 12:00 pm FINAL Vendor Hall (50/50 Drawing at 11:45 am)
White Room
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm Lunch is Served
Red Room
12:45 pm - 1:45 pm - Keynote: It Happened in a Moment by Ray Delfing
Red Room
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm Breakout Session 5
Cocoa Terrace
AI and Wearable Technology by Shawn Harrington/MakeUSafe
Bio & Abstract TBD
Cocoa Boardroom
Making Critical Medical Training Exciting Again by Glen Stilson/Independence Training
Many companies look at medical training as a "check the box" requirement, and often, the classes are boring, with death-by-PowerPoint and very little hands-on or practical application. But it doesn't have to be that way! From basic first aid and CPR to trauma response and creating Emergency Response Teams, medical training should be exciting and engaging, and your team should look forward to it, not dread it. We want to share some examples of what to do and how we do it with our educational experience, which spans more than 15 years all over the United States with a variety of different industries and organizations.
Glen Stilson is the head instructor for Independence Training, an emergency response training organization based in Arizona. He has been in field medicine since 2000, including work in the U.S. military and Search and Rescue. He has been teaching industrial, civic, and government organizations, along with prepared citizens, all over the U.S. for over 15 years.
Cocoa Suite 1
Making Safety Fun by Kaitlin Maloney/Syensqo
Engaging people in safety can sometimes prove challenging. While being safe should be a serious topic, how we get the message out to people can utilize tools that can be fun. Research has shown that hands on training has better retention that purely theoretical or lecture based learning. I will use this session to go over some tools I have used to make the learning process and safety fun.
Kaitlin believes that Safety is everyone's responsibility. Kaitlin Maloney is the current HSE Manager at the Syensqo West Deptford, NJ facility. She has over 7 years in the chemical manufacturing industry with 5 in consulting prior to that. She was selected as Responsible Care Future Leader in 2022. She graduated from Georgia Tech with BS in Environmental Engineering, however safety has always been at the front for her.
Cocoa Suite 3
Therapy Dogs in the Workplace by Ray Delfing/WIN Waste Innovations
If you've never interacted with a therapy dog, you’re in for a treat! These dogs provide more than just companionship – they also offer a wide range of benefits, making them a valuable asset to individuals and organizations. Research has shown that interactions with therapy dogs have significant health benefits and can reduce stress, as well as provide a sense of connection, improve morale, communication, productivity, and overall workplace well-being by reducing anxiety and fostering a positive atmosphere.
In addition to his 30 years of experience in environmental, health & safety, Ray has more than 10 years of experience breeding and training Great Danes to compete in the sport of AKC confirmation and obedience trails. Each of Ray's dogs have earned numerous AKC, UKC and ICKC titles and have appeared in multiple national advertising campaigns. Ray currently works with his certified therapy dogs at schools, universities, assisted living facilities and organizations.
Cocoa Suite 4
OSHA Emphasis Program for Warehousing & Best Practices with Warehousing Operations by Nathanial Griffin/Virginia Department of Labor & Industry
This presentation provides an overview of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) National Emphasis Program (NEP) for Warehousing. The NEP aims to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities in the warehousing industry, which has been identified as a high-risk sector. This initiative focuses on identifying and mitigating hazards related to material handling, forklifts, storage systems, slip-and-fall incidents, and ergonomic risks. The presentation will outline the key objectives of the NEP, including compliance with OSHA standards, the enforcement strategies in place, and the importance of proactive safety measures for warehouse employers. Emphasizing the role of training, hazard assessments, and safety culture, this presentation will also highlight best practices and provide insights on how employers can prepare for inspections and improve their safety programs. Ultimately, the goal is to create a safer working environment for employees while ensuring that employers remain compliant with OSHA regulations.
Nathanial J. Griffin, GSP, is the SW Virginia Senior Regional VPP Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industries Voluntary Protection Programs. Nathanial has been in the safety and health field for 17 years and holds a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University. In addition, working with VPP, he leads evaluation teams conducting STAR certifications and re-certifications, giving presentations such as this one and on different topics that affect the workplace as well as our employees when they go home.
Cocoa Suite 6
Drones in the Workplace by Bob Brynes
Bio & Abstract TBD
2:50 pm - 3:10 pm Afternoon Break
3:20 pm - 4:45 pm Closing Keynote: Mindfulness and Mental Health by Riley Cote
Red Room
TBD VPPPA Region III Social Event