Monday’s Speakers

Monday

Welcome

Opening Keynote: Controlling Risk in a Dangerous World

On the front lines of danger, operators face hazards and make life-and-death decisions in dynamic, complex situations. They are the last line of defense. How do we help them stay alive—and be more productive? Managers in organizations manage risk with systematic processes intended to limit the assessed risk. Even in the best organizations, when it is time to go to work, operators don’t manage risk; they control risk. To prevent all accidents—even unpredicted ones—the front-line workers need techniques to supplement the rules and procedures. Since the beginning of the space program, astronauts have developed techniques based on the principles of operating excellence to execute missions and stay alive in unforgiving environments. These principles-based techniques can help optimize performance in any high-risk businesses, and accomplish more in our dangerous world—or out of this world!

Plenary Session #1: The Value Proposition for Safety

The engineering, construction, manufacturing, and transportation industries have made great strides to improve safety on jobsites and asset designs, yet they continue to experience significant operational and process safety incidents. This is especially true in the construction industry, which when compared to other work industries, appears to have a disproportionate number of worker injuries and fatalities. Current safety management knowledge and concepts indicate a need to start addressing safety during planning and design. Hazard identification along with risk assessment and mitigation play a big part in injury and fatality prevention. Developing an overarching, comprehensive safety program for a project that integrates both design and construction requires forethought and planning. Using the hierarchy of controls as a starting point, this presentation outlines recommended practices for such a program that takes advantage of both design and construction to promote safe work sites.

John Gambatese is a professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University. Gambatese’s educational background includes bachelor and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a doctoral degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington. He has worked in industry as a structural engineer in San Francisco, and as a project engineer for a construction management firm in Seattle. He started his current position at Oregon State University in 2000. Gambatese’s research interests are in the broad area of construction engineering and management, and more specifically related to safety, prevention through design, work zone safety, risk and reward, innovation, and sustainable and lean practices. Over his career he has taught courses on a variety of subjects including worker safety, planning and scheduling, contracts and specifications, structural analysis and design, temporary structures, and construction site systems engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). He is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in California.

Steve Murphy graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1986 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1987. He joined The Boeing Company in 1987 as a structures analyst in Boeing Aerospace and then moved to Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) a year later. Since then he has worked on all BCA airplanes including the 737NG & MAX, 747, 757, 767, 777 & 777X and fifteen years on the 787 in a myriad of roles. As well as programs, he has held numerous functional roles in Loads, Structures, Production, Propulsion and Knowledge Based Engineering. He also spent nine years in the process and tool world including the implementation of CATIA V5 and oversaw the entire BCA Computing System. As part of his duties he led the team that brought the groundbreaking Hybrid Laminar Flow Control (HLFC) into production. He spent two years leading the 787-10 Aft Body Engineering team in Everett and South Carolina, while also leading the 787-9 Multi Spar co-cured box in Seattle, Salt Lake City and Foggia, Italy. Murphy is currently the engineering leader for the 747 Program and leads the BCA teams in support of the new Air Force One program. He is very active with the University of Washington as the Boeing focal for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He is a founding member of the Boeing Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is currently the Boeing American Society of Civil Engineers Executive Focal as well as a member of the ASCE Industry Leaders Council (ILC). He leads the Safety Committee for the ILC.

Breakout Session #2A: The Role of HSE Management Systems

External shareholders, regulators, and communities demand that we deliver flawless safety performance. Continuous improvement in all engineering and industry sectors relies upon structured, disciplined approaches for managing safety, security, health, and environmental aspects of an operation or process. Health, safety, and environment (HSE) management systems provide a platform for sustainability and continuous improvement. This session will address the following aspects of management systems: What is the value of developing and implementing structured management systems? Why is management of change so important? How can management systems help in managing company versus contractor interfaces?

Andrew (Andy) Purvis is the director of Safety, Health and Environment with the World Steel Association, a dynamic member-led industry association with a strong focus on safety, environment, technology, and sustainability. His role is to drive improvement in safety and environmental performance through collaborative action across the global steel industry. Andy has worked in and around the steel industry for 25 years. He previously worked at BlueScope Steel in Australia as vice president of Environment, responsible for environmental performance and greenhouse policy, and as a research manager in the British and Dutch Steel industries. Andy has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Leeds and an MBA from Warwick University. He lives in Brussels, Belgium with his family.

Breakout Session #2B: Integration of Safety in Regulator Frameworks

Improving safety culture and performance in any industry not only focuses on internal processes and procedures, but it also requires a healthy partnership between companies responsible for implementing innovative and sustainable safety management systems, regulators who are charged with oversight of those companies, and employees who are expected to work within those systems. The session will explore how industries, regulators, and employees have effectively worked together in the past without compromising a regulator's core mission and role, as well as how best they can build on this partnership in the future to promote a safer workplace. Two examples are OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs and MSHA’s Alliance Program.

Matthew Berkheiser is the associate vice president of the Environmental Health & Safety, Sustainability and Emergency Management department at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Berkheiser holds a doctorate in occupational and environmental health from the University of Texas School of Public Health. He has over 25 years of experience in the environmental health and safety field. His career started when he was first employed by MD Anderson Cancer Center as a safety technician. He has also held positions at Johnson Space Center, Sam Houston State University and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. His primary customers and collaborators at MD Anderson include Facilities, Employee Health, Nursing, and Infection Control. His team is responsible for emergency planning, occupational safety, and other programs for over 16 million square feet in the Texas Medical Center and locations across Texas. He spends time mentoring his staff on developing their technical and leadership skills. Most recently, he became a Core Clarity, Inc. and Gallup Coach who helps participants explore their StrengthsFinder talents.

Norman R. Deitch was a compliance safety and health officer and manager for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 20 years. For seventeen years he was the Voluntary Protection Programs manager for OSHA’s Region II. As a safety and occupational health manager, Deitch led over 400 evaluations of safety and health management systems of large and small companies in both general industry and construction. He has trained over 6,000 individuals in the public and private sector in the elements of an effective safety and health management system, effective assessment techniques, and safety and health hazards and standards. Deitch is currently senior vice president of EHS Excellence Consulting LLC, a full-service safety and health consulting firm. He is an Occupational Health and Safety Technician (OHST), has had an article published in an edition of the ASSP (formally ASSE) Professional Safety journal, and has co-authored a book on the OSHA VPP (Preparing for OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs: A Guide to Success). Deitch was a volunteer New Jersey emergency medical technician for 36 years and is still an emergency medical responder and CPR/AED instructor.

Michael Rivera is currently the acting regional administrator for Region 3 of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The regional administrator implements program and administrative policies, plans and implements program operations, and provides overall leadership and direction for OSHA in the five states and the District of Columbia that comprise OSHA Region 3. His permanent position, since July 2015, is deputy regional administrator. Previously, he was the area director for the Corpus Christi area of Texas for over six years. He was the assistant area director for the OSHA District Office in El Paso, Texas for three years. He also worked as an OSHA compliance assistance specialist for six years. Trained as an industrial hygienist, he has over ten years of experience as an OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer, performing safety and health inspections in manufacturing, construction, and other industries. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in biology.

David G. Zatezalo is the ninth Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health, nominated by President Donald Trump and sworn in on November 30, 2017. Zatezalo is a native of West Virginia and has spent a lifetime working in mining. He began his career as a union miner and has since held positions as section foreman, long wall foreman, resident engineer, shift foreman, engineering superintendent, mine manager, vice president of operations, chief executive officer, and board chair. He has worked in mining all across the U.S. and internationally in Australia. Zatezalo has a degree in mining engineering from West Virginia University and is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and West Virginia. He was a recipient of the 1977 WVU Student Foundation Award and received honors for the highest grade in the 1981 Professional Engineers Exam in the state of Ohio. He also has an MBA from Ohio University. He is the past chair of the Kentucky Coal Association and the Ohio Coal Association. He is also a member of the Mine Rescue Veterans of the Pittsburgh District and a past registered member of the Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).

Breakout Session #2C: Leadership Development

What are the key elements of a strong safety culture, and what can industry leaders do to foster a more effective culture within their organizations? This session will explore this important topic in more detail as well as address related issues, including the role of regulators in promoting a safety culture within companies; the challenges and barrier to worker empowerment; and how companies can more effectively work across cultures. Safety culture requires change that come from the inside-out.

Breakout Session #3A: University Safety Culture Best Practices and Opportunities

Laboratory operations often combine high-risk work and high-resource investment, due to the nature of research, development, and discovery. Often in a university setting, new users come annually, and “seniority” rarely exceeds four years of experience among students. Academic research labs require consistent diligence toward safety, especially concerning the health of laboratory workers; however, the environmental and health impacts of lab activities are easily overlooked. In many cases, simple changes in policy, habit, or process can both increase safety in the workplace and improve resource efficiency.

Speaker list will be available soon. Check back shortly.

Breakout Session #3B: Effectively Managing Complex Systems

With the onset of innovative engineering solutions to technical problems and the application of increasingly complex technology in engineering, it is important to understand the roles and limitations of automation that should be considered as part of the equipment and process design. Key among these considerations are the human factors that should be addressed, as well as the challenges and effective management of human-machine interfaces.

S. Camille Peres is an associate professor with environmental and occupational health at Texas A&M University, and she is also the assistant director of human systems engineering with the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center. She does collaborative research on human factors and high-risk processing industry such as the oil and gas industry, chemical processing, and emergency response. She is currently involved in investigations regarding performance implications for procedure design and use; understanding human robotic Interaction in disaster environments; and measuring team performance in emergency operations.

Richard Sears is adjunct professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University. He began his career as a geophysicist in Houston with Shell Oil Company in 1976. During his 33 years with Shell Oil Co. and Royal Dutch Shell, Sears acquired significant domestic and international experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, holding technical and managerial positions including exploration geophysicist, technical instructor, economist, strategic advisor and planner, and general management. In 2010, he joined the staff of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling as senior science and engineering advisor and chief scientist and is a co-author of the Commission’s Chief Counsel’s Report which details the technical and managerial failures leading to the blowout and spill. Sears is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Gulf Research Program, a 30-year, science-based research program administered by the National Academy of Sciences that is focused on offshore energy system safety and the protection of human health and the environment. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering Committee reviewing the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s offshore oil and gas facility inspection program.

He received his bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s degree in geophysics from Stanford University and is a licensed Professional Geoscientist in the State of Texas.

Venkat Venkatasubramanian is the Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering, professor of computer science (affiliate), and professor of industrial engineering and operations research (affiliate) at Columbia University. He earned his doctoral degree in chemical engineering at Cornell University, master’s degree in physics at Vanderbilt, and bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the University of Madras, India. He taught at Purdue University for 23 years, before returning to Columbia in 2011. Venkat is a complex dynamical systems theorist interested in developing mathematical models of their structure, function, and behavior from fundamental conceptual principles. Venkat's research interests are diverse, ranging from AI to systems engineering to theoretical physics to economics, but they are generally focused on the theme of understanding complexity and emergent behavior in different domains. His contributions have been in fault diagnosis, process safety, materials analytics, pharmaceutical engineering, and complex adaptive systems. He is a past president of the CACHE Corporation. He currently serves as an Editor for Computers and Chemical Engineering. His book, How Much Inequality is Fair? Mathematical Principles of a Moral, Optimal, and Stable Capitalist Society, was published in 2017.

Breakout Session #3C: Leadership for Today’s 24/7 Problems

With most injuries and accidental deaths occurring outside the workplace, many organizations are trying to determine how their current safety management system could protect their employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For most companies, the cost of off-the-job injuries is higher than the cost of injuries that occur on the job, and command-and-control strategies have had little positive effect. Employees need to be introduced to practical tools that can be used every day to reduce injuries both on and off the job. This session will teach you how to recognize the repeated critical errors we make in virtually all injuries and drastically reduce injuries 24/7. Note: The session leader collects opinion data on the topic of his sessions to produce a report on the scope of the issues as perceived by the participants. Please bring a pen with you to this session.

Don Wilson is part of the ownership group and COO of the SafeStart safety training & consulting division of Electrolab Training Systems. Wilson is a frequent presenter at Corporate Health & Safety Meetings, as well as at NSC, ASSE, and VPPPA conferences at both the national and local level. He has presented briefings on 24/7 safety to the leadership of all branches of the U.S. armed services at the Pentagon, and he has also taught classes on various subjects at safety schools and organizations across North America and in many other countries around the world. His working background includes over 30 years of experience in Instructional Design, Vocational Education, E-Learning, Industrial Education and Health & Safety Training.

Additional speakers coming soon. Check back shortly.

Breakout Session #4A: Funding Effective Partnerships for Improving Safety

Improving safety is a significant investment in the intellectual capital of an organization. Safety improvements are often coupled with additional benefits to an organization in terms of improved management and communication and increases in productivity. Achieving the benefits of an improved safety culture can be a long-term and occasionally disruptive task. This session focuses on strategies and resources for organizations to find effective external partners to assist with transforming a safety culture. Discussion of funding sources, access to research and training materials, and effective coaching and consulting approaches will be discussed.

Thomas M. Barczak graduated from West Liberty University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in physics and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University in 2004 and 2005. Barczak has been involved in mining research for 40 years, holding positions of director of the Mining Science and Technology Division within the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Office of Mine Safety and Health Research; executive and technical director for The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health, Inc.; and executive director for the International Conference on Ground Control in Mining.

Kelly Oskvig is a program officer for the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. She leads the program’s Safer Offshore Energy Systems unit focused on fostering safer offshore operations for both people and the environment. Oskvig has been with the Gulf Research Program for four years. Prior to joining the Gulf Research Program, Oskvig worked as a geotechnical engineer running site investigations in the Gulf of Mexico. She worked as a physical oceanographer developing environmental design criteria for offshore infrastructure, and then applied both engineering and oceanography to scientific program management for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Oskvig earned her master’s degree in physical oceanography at Texas A&M University, and her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas.

Retired Navy Captain Jim Pettigrew is the principal investigator and director of operations for the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI). A partnership between Texas A&M University, University of Houston, and University of Texas – Austin; OESI provides a forum for dialogue, shared learning and cooperative research among academia, government, industry and other non-governmental organizations. OESI’s focus is offshore-related technologies and activities that help ensure safer and environmentally responsible offshore operations. Jim assumed the position of director in May 2014, and principal investigator in December 2018. Throughout his three decades in the Navy, Pettigrew worked predominantly in operational oceanography, surface warfare and information warfare; managing and mitigating risk at all levels of operations. He served most recently as chief of staff for the commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command where he was responsible for the direction and leadership of a team of 150 people, executing a $300 million annual budget, the operations of 4,000 personnel worldwide, the nation's Master Clock, two world-class supercomputing facilities, and six military Oceanographic Survey Ships. He also had the privilege and honor of serving as the commanding officer for the Navy’s Global Atmospheric and Ocean Modeling Supercomputing Center (Fleet Numerical, in Monterey, California) and as the Commanding Officer for the Navy’s only forward deployed Operational Oceanography support center in Yokosuka, Japan. He served twice in the Pentagon and was joint-qualified serving with the U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs. Pettigrew received his master’s degree in physical oceanography and meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School and received his bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering from Texas A&M University.

Breakout Session #4B: Unmanned Aircraft Systems: The Changing Face of Risk in Facility and Infrastructure Inspections

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, are being used increasingly for inspections of industrial facilities and infrastructure, as well as other applications such as mapping and seismic surveys. The utilization of this new technology to perform inspections and surveys has proven to be more cost-effective than traditional inspection methods or techniques such as using helicopters or temporary structures. Additionally, this new method for inspection can reduce the risk of exposure to hostile environments and enhance safety. New technology is rapidly being developed and adopted for drone inspections aiding in better and more efficient detection of flaws and defects. Along with the safety benefits of using drones come new challenges and potential risks. This discussion will cover uses of drones in inspections, new technologies for detecting issues such as flaws and defects, and how to ensure that the drone pilot is qualified and capable of safe and professional flight.

Ryan Hyatt works for the Edw. C. Levy Co. in the steel mill services division as an area manager in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Prior to this assignment, Ryan worked as a manager, supervisor, and analyst for Levy in Butler, Indiana and Dearborn, Michigan. Before joining Levy, Ryan served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force as a KC-135R instructor pilot logging more than 3,000 hours total flight time in the T-37 Tweet, T-1 Jayhawk, and KC-135R StratoTanker aircraft. Ryan flew 330 total combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) earning multiple Air Medals. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy and his master’s degree in organizational leadership from American Military University. Additionally, Ryan was selected to attend the High Potentials Leadership Program at Harvard Business School. Ryan has a commercial UAV license and flies monthly to safely perform various organizational functions. He currently resides in Indiana with his wife Erica and four young children.

Bryan McKernan took over as the U.S. operations director at Consortiq in January 2017 after retiring from the Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot after twenty years of service. He is a seasoned retired Marine Corps officer and pilot, having served in I, II, & III Marine Expeditionary Forces, three combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with two traditional Marine Expeditionary Unit floats. Beyond aviation squadron fleet tours, his military service crosses a broad spectrum of commands to include Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) Programs and Resources, Installations and Logistics, and Naval Flight School where he served as flight instructor in fixed-wing aircraft. He served as lead for training in AUVSI’s Trusted Operator Program (TOP) and serves as the vice chair on the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) UAS subcommittee. Bryan also serves on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) UAS Standards Collaborative. Consortiq North America was awarded the AUVSI Xcellence Award for “Best Training and Education Company” at AUVSI’s Xponential in Denver in 2018. Bryan is currently serving as the senior vice president, Consortiq Americas. Bryan has an MBA from the Naval Post Graduate School and has over two thousand hours in rotary wing, fixed wing and unmanned aircraft. He holds a Part 61 Commercial Instrument Pilot rating (Fixed Wing and Rotary Wing Aircraft) along with a Part 107 Unmanned Pilot rating.

Breakout Session #4C: The Day We Will Remember: Safety Leadership on a Personal Level

We all are taught to feel safety on a personal level, but we often fail to realize the effect our decisions and of those around us play on the circle of people in our lives. This session is designed to bring to light the impact of a real steel mill incident’s impact on not only the injured but also the coworkers, family members, and others who work and live with us daily. The session highlights the effects when we play “Russian Roulette” with our lives by making hasty and unwise decisions, both on and off the job. This session delivers the key point that how we make daily decisions, if not properly assessing the risk, could negatively impact those around us for whom we care about. It is a moving and emotional session hosted by a career steel-industry expert with the knowledge and experience to talk directly about good decision making.

Graduated from Clemson University 1980 with a B.S. in Administrative Management. Started career in the steel industry with Nucor Steel in 1980. Held various hourly and salary jobs with Nucor and two refractory companies his first 14 years. The last 22 years in the steel industry were with Steel Dynamics Butler Flat Roll Division. The last 19 of those years were as the Melting Department Manager. Retired from Steel Dynamics in January of 2017 and started his own company, Ricky Rollins Safety Speeches. Was awarded the Don B. Daily Safety Award in 2018 for the best safety presentation at an Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

Welcome Reception

The program committee invites all registrants to enjoy refreshments at the welcome reception.