Governor's Safety and Health Conference

Conference Program

Confirmed Sessions for the 2024 Conference

Registration opens at Noon October 29th, 2024, Conference Starts at 1:00pm. 

Tuesday, October 29th Sessions: 

  • 1:00 pm: Opening Remarks/Polk County Color Guard
  • 1:20 pm: Keynote Presentation: Lisa Even, Have a Good Ripple Effect
  • 2:20-2:50 pm: Break/Vendors
  • 2:50-3:50pm: Breakout Sessions
    • OSHA 2024, The Good, The Bad. The Ugly— John Surma, Ogletree Deakins
      • This presentation will provide an overview of developments in OSHA and OSHA regulations that have happened in 2024 and a foreshadowing of potential developments in 2025.
    • Impacting Through Mentorship: Encouraging Growth Through Effective Feedback and Coaching— Cheri Patzner, Waldinger Corp.
      • Mentorship is a powerful tool that can significantly influence an individual’s growth and potential. In this presentation, we will explore the key elements of successful mentorship, provide guidance on how to effectively coach and give feedback to your mentee, and offer actionable strategies to enhance mentoring relationships. Whether you are a mentor, a mentee, or someone looking to implement a mentorship program, this presentation will provide valuable insights and practical advice to maximize the benefits of mentorship.
  • 3:50-4:50 p.m.
    • Hazard Recognition and Corrective Action with Iowa OSHA— Joseph Sawyer, Scott Jahn, John Norris, Peggy Peterson, IOSHA Consultation and Education
      • In this session you will be able to look at common, and not so common hazardous situations through the eyes of an Iowa OSHA Consultant. This session will include looking at real world situations, identifying hazards, discussing why they are occurring, and options for corrective action. At the end of this session you will be able to understand the process IOSHA Consultants go through when evaluating hazards, and walk away with some more creative solutions to hazards.
  • Vendor Reception to follow

Wednesday, October 30th Sessions:

Conference Starts at 8:00 a.m. with Opening announcements at 7:45 a.m. 

  • 8:00-9:00 a.m. Keynote Presentation: Charles Marshall
  • 9:05-10:05 a.m.- Breakout Sessions:
    • Implementation of a Dermal Exposure Management Program — Katie Hacker, 3M
      • This presentation will share information on the prevalence of work-related dermal injuries, define the steps to implement an effective dermal exposure management program, and share key learnings through dermal investigation case study sharing. Attendee’s will be empowered with step-by-step guidance on how to implement a similar program.
    • The Great Debate… Is that Permit required? — Jerry Eslick, Professional Rescue Innovations
      • This session will take a dive into what requirements determine a confined space a permit required, and what mitigation techniques are needed to be deemed a non-permit required confined space. We will get into the OSHA CFR 1910.146 Subpart J, while deciphering what are the standards requiring while also discussing best practices from over 30 years’ experience in Confined space rescue, Stand By ready, and self-performance.
  • 10:05-1035 a.m. BREAK 
  • 10:35-11:35 a.m.- Breakout Sessions 
    • Did you see that? How to start a JHA process. — Mike Berry, Graham Construction and Brandon Black, CSSI
      • This session will be co-instructed By Mike Berry and Brandon Black on how the two organizations lead an industry wide best practice universal JHA. This process included bringing together the top industry experts in hazard recognition and mitigation to formulate an Industry accepted JHA form and more important learning process. The two instructors will share what and why was included in the JHA form, what additional resources were produced such as an instructional video, and state-wide craft worker training. We will also share best practice learned in the last year since field implementation industry wide.
    • Emerging Topics: Innovative Solutions for Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention— Sarah Ischer- NSC
      • Over the past three decades, extensive research, development and implementation efforts have been made to redesign workplaces to accommodate or modify the work and work environment according to the capabilities of workers. However, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) persist and continue to account for the majority of workplace injuries, offering a significant opening for emerging technologies to revolutionize solutions for reducing risk and preventing MSDs. Emerging technologies offer potential solutions to workplace hazards including reducing physical strain on workers, enhancing ergonomics, improving productivity, and providing better training and guidance. This session will review a range of these technologies that were unthinkable just a few years ago, including: computer vision, wearables, and exoskeletons (among others) and also discuss a technology implementation roadmap that can be used in your organization.
  • 11:40- 12:40: LUNCH AND AWARDS
  • 12:45- 1:45: Breakout Sessions 
    • Active Shooter – In and Out of the Workplace — Brent Aldrich, Corteva Agriscience
      • Active shootings and mass shootings have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.  Stopping them will be difficult, but education on what to look for and how to be prepared could be our only defense. We will discuss the basics of Run-Hide-Fight as well as being prepared and having a plan, knowing what to do, sharing information, being aware of our surroundings, and above all, speaking up!
    • The Hot Topic…— Cody Volkmann, Iowa State University
      • No, you won’t find a Hot Topic store here… Instead, you’ve been tasked with creating a Heat Illness Prevention Program. You have the basics of the program and heat related illness training developed but what more you do to reduce heat stress? During this session you will learn a different way to think about the contributing factors of  heat stress. We will then discuss strategies on how to positively impact those contributing factors and reduce the overall heat stress.
    • High Society- Cannabis in the Workplace- Dr. Christopher Iverson, University of Iowa and Attorney Terri Davis, Shuttleworth and Ingersol
      • This talk will focus on the current state of cannabis drug testing and legal status amid a changing landscape of cannabis acceptance nationwide. Specific items to be discussed will include indications for drug testing, interpretation of drug testing results, the challenges of identifying impairment, and best practices for employers.
    • Noise Hazards and Prevention: 
  • 1:45-2:45: Breakout Sessions: 
    • Critical Incident Stress Management: Appropriate Use and Correcting Misinformation— Braxton Morrison- Benton County CISM Team
      • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2020, over 20,000 workers experienced trauma from a workplace violence event. Trauma, whether caused by an accident or violence, can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health challenges. Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISDs) are one tool that was developed under the larger Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) model to aid in mitigating and alleviating traumatic stress. Unfortunately, over the last 50 years or so since the inception of CISDs, they have been used inappropriately and out of context from their original purpose. This presentation will review the process of a CISD, indications to use, misinformation, and other CISM interventions that should be used before, after, or in place of.
    • Personal Liability in EHS
  • MORE TO COME!!!!

Conference ends at 3:30pm