Lighting the Way to Operational Excellence!

Day 1: Tuesday, May 7 (Central)

11:00 AM to 8:00PM 

Solutions & Skills Exchange Lab | Grand Ballroom Pre-Function Space

Drop in or make an appointment to learn more about the VelocityEHS solution of your choice. Come with your questions and computers, and our knowledgeable team will walk you through the process of accessing, entering, and reporting information. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the solutions you currently use and explore the capabilities of additional offerings. You have the flexibility to set the agenda for these discussions, with separate stations dedicated to each solution, ensuring you can focus on the specific details you need.

CEU Course: Process Owner Workshop | Room 203

Built on the same concept as our successful Ergonomics Process Owner Workshops. In this hands-on, two-hour workshop, you will collaborate with VelocityEHS experts and fellow customers at roundtables focused on Safety, Ergonomics, Industrial Hygiene, and Control of Work. These discussions will focus on best practices for program management as it relates to strategic objectives, goals, metrics, management support, and employee engagement.

CEU Course: Calculating ROI: Translating Risk into the Language of Business Leaders | Room 202

Documenting the ROI for a proposed EHS effort is often challenging. In this session, we’ll discuss the data sources that can be used to bolster ROI projections. We will review two novel methods for computing cost savings when the data is partial or incomplete. Attendees will use equations and practical examples from a variety of environments. Active participation from the audience will be encouraged to foster conversations about the merits of the underlying assumptions, benefits, and challenges.

Demystifying A.I. | Room 204

With Artificial Intelligence in the popular news constantly lately, it is difficult to understand what it all means and to separate fact from fiction. Dr. Julia Penfield, VP of Research and Machine Learning will walk us through the history of Machine Learning and the facets of AI, what it all means, how you can interpret it, and how you can debunk falsely advertised “AI” features within software. This session also includes a brief update on the recent deployment of AI capabilities demoed at Accelerate 2023.

Day 2: Wednesday, May 8 (Central)

11:00 AM to 5:00 PM 

Solutions & Skills Exchange Lab | Grand Ballroom Pre-Function Space

Drop in or make an appointment to learn more about the VelocityEHS solution of your choice. Come with your questions and computers, and our knowledgeable team will walk you through the process of accessing, entering, and reporting information. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the solutions you currently use and explore the capabilities of additional offerings. You have the flexibility to set the agenda for these discussions, with separate stations dedicated to each solution, ensuring you can focus on the specific details you need.

Verification of Controls

To improve the maturity of your operational risk management system, organizations must go above and beyond identifying and assessing controls. Key to ensuring operational resiliency is verifying that the controls are implemented, operational, and understood. This session will share best practices and provide real-life examples of rolling out a critical control verification process.

Navigating the Nexus of Ethical Supply Chains | J.S. Held

In this illuminating session, we delve into the evolving landscape of supply chain management, focusing on calculating supply chain emissions, the integration of ethical practices, the impacts of Scope 3 and Scope 4 emissions, and the concept of double materiality. Attend this session to learn about these elements which are crucial for future-proofing operations and maintaining corporate responsibility.

CEU Course: Mastering EHS: Moving from Reactive to Mature

Organizations often prioritize managing past incidents but overlook leading indicators crucial for minimizing ongoing risks faced by employees. Elevating safety involves using tools like observations, Job Safety Analyses (JSAs), and risk management. Lower EHS maturity customers face the challenge of shifting focus to sustain future employee safety, not just addressing obvious risks.

CEU Course: Shaping Your Organization’s Future: Part One – With Special Guest Bill Joy 

Driven by advances in technology, a changing workforce, and increasing customer expectations, executive teams in all sectors are faced with a more challenging business environment than ever before. Their ability to achieve continued success in this new reality is dictated by their effectiveness – both as individual leaders and as a cohesive unit. Through Bill’s executive leadership programming, executive teams form this cohesion by breaking down the barriers to individual performance and overall team alignment.

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

CEU Course: Rediscover Simple: The Ergonomics Hit List^®
Observation is the most basic form of workplace assessment. The Ergonomics Hit List is an observation tool that helps identify ergonomics issues and resolve them. This session will summarize how to use the Hit List within a “Find It – Fix It – Check for Success” improvement process to apply simple solutions to obvious challenges. Furthermore, we will review additional impacts of this approach, including improved employee engagement, decreased turnover, and productivity improvements.

2:45 PM to 3:45 PM

Risk Management: Align Tactics to Each Along the Maturity Curve

A one-size-fits-all approach is rarely effective in risk management. Tactics should be adapted based on the maturity of your process and the types of risks you are addressing. This session will start with principles applicable to each step in your maturity process before transitioning to breakout sessions, focusing on the specific application to ergonomics, operational risk, and control of work.

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

The Value of Contractor Management

If you’re not holding your onsite contractors and visitors to the same standards and protocols as your own workforce, you are putting everyone, and your business, at risk. You can’t say you have a great safety culture if third parties are not vetted, trained and operating in a safe and compliant manner. However, the value of contractor management goes beyond compliance or the avoidance of fines and penalties. In this session you will learn concrete tips for creating a contractor management program that helps control risk, drive operational excellence and contribute positively to the health of your people, culture and bottom line.

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

CEU Course: Keeping Up with Recent GHS Rulemaking: What You Need to Know

Explore the evolving landscape of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling (GHS) and its impact on chemical hazard communication worldwide. While the GHS successfully aligns with the goal of harmonizing global communication, national adaptations are causing divergence in regulations. This session delves into recent GHS-based updates in the US, Canada, and the EU, highlighting emerging trends and their potential effects on businesses.

2:45 PM to 3:45 PM

CEU Course: Chemical Management & Sustainability: Going Beyond Compliance

The chemical industry has significant implications for human health and the environment, often at a high cost. While chemicals are essential in everyday life, their adverse impacts require proactive measures in their management and use. Adopting sound chemical management practices is crucial, given the regular emergence of chemicals of concern like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Managing chemical products throughout their lifecycle, is a foundational competency for organizations aiming to lead the market and achieve sustainability goals.

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Stacking Hands: Building The Team You Need to Gain ESG Maturity

Organizational leaders often struggle to understand the breadth of their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues and the potential impact of ESG risks and opportunities on business performance. Establishing a comprehensive team of internal and external stakeholders is crucial for gauging the materiality of various ESG aspects. This interactive session, led by VelocityEHS subject matter experts, will guide you in building an effective team, covering a spectrum of issues. Participants will learn how to identify and engage with representatives managing specific ESG elements within their company and leverage materiality assessments to shape successful management strategies.

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Building Safety Cultures for Multi-Generations 

Engage with safety experts in a dynamic panel discussion on cultivating a safety culture. This session explores strategies for fostering an inclusive and robust EHS culture, with panelists sharing insights on understanding generational perspectives, effective communication, customized training, leadership approaches, technology utilization, and measuring success.

2:45 PM to 3:45 PM

CEU Course: Building Your Root Cause Analysis

The most critical step in the continuous improvement/risk assessment process is to accurately identify the root causes of the problems you are experiencing. However, this is also the most frequently overlooked, undervalued, and underutilized information gathered during the Plan, Do, Check, Act process. High-quality root causes can be used to inform decision-making, maximize ROI, and illuminate previously undiscovered gaps in existing operations. Resilience requires a business to be able to prepare for potential difficulties in the future, in which case you can’t afford to keep repeating past mistakes, you need to challenge the status-quo and push for innovation.

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Leading by Omission

Gain insights from a distinguished panel of safety experts as they discuss common pitfalls and share valuable lessons on the behaviors exceptional leaders consciously avoid. This session transcends traditional leadership narratives, concentrating on the power of omission – the strategic decisions and habits that distinguish extraordinary leaders.

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

CEU Course: Shaping Your Organization’s Future: Part Two with Special Guest Bill Joy

Driven by advances in technology, a changing workforce, and increasing customer expectations, executive teams in all sectors are faced with a more challenging business environment than ever before. Their ability to achieve continued success in this new reality is dictated by their effectiveness – both as individual leaders and as a cohesive unit. Through Bill’s executive leadership programming, executive teams form this cohesion by breaking down the barriers to individual performance and overall team alignment.

2:45 PM to 3:45 PM

Communicating the Value to Stakeholders

Many EHS professionals find it challenging to secure the necessary budget and headcount to make progress toward their EHS or sustainability goals. Their motivation starts with maintaining the safety of their workers, improving their community, or protecting the planet. While they know that return on investment is a crucial driver for the organization, they are often laser-focused on the people side, making it difficult to get buy-in for their EHS and ESG initiatives. During this session, we’ll share strategies and best practices for communicating in the stakeholders’ language.

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Democratizing Management of EHS/ESG Systems

Gone are the days of full EHS teams headed up by a tenured EHS professional. EHS has turned into a revolving door of instability within organizations. This session will highlight an approach to EHS Management focused on combining technology with a smaller pool of expert resources available to help sites through maturity and growth.

Day 3: Thursday, May 9 (Central)

7:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Solutions & Skills Exchange Lab | Grand Ballroom Pre-Function Space

Drop in or make an appointment to learn more about the VelocityEHS solution of your choice. Come with your questions and computers, and our knowledgeable team will walk you through the process of accessing, entering, and reporting information. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the solutions you currently use and explore the capabilities of additional offerings. You have the flexibility to set the agenda for these discussions, with separate stations dedicated to each solution, ensuring you can focus on the specific details you need.

If you’ve been involved in software solution purchases, you’ve encountered the IT/Security and Privacy requirements within your organization. Navigating these can be overwhelming. This session simplifies topics like GDPR, Privacy, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Testing, SOC2, and more in a real-world, straightforward manner. You don’t need to be an expert, but this session will help you feel at ease navigating these aspects within your organization.

Resilience is achieved when it’s integrated into the iterative design phase. The data collected on the safety of ongoing operations plays a crucial role in enhancing future products, equipment, and processes. Move your prevention efforts beyond static checklists and leverage the valuable insights your organization has gained. Prioritize risk factors for each new design, refining your focus on what truly matters for continual improvement.

The landscape of mass litigation is changing dramatically, involving many new industries as defendants, with new causes of action such as “public nuisance,” and with funding from litigation finance. This presentation will describe the size and scope of four emerging litigation issues: addictive software design, hair relaxers, PFAS and climate, and review how the risk of modern litigation can be managed within ESG, Green Chemistry, and Product Stewardship.