Tuesday’s Speakers

Tuesday

Plenary #5: Executing an Effective Risk Management Programh

Risk management is critical to all industries, as well as laboratory environments, but unfortunately it sometimes requires a disaster to remind us of this fact. Each and every individual is in the risk management business, and each person must take responsibility to identify and recognize the elements of risk in their respective operations or activities. No one can afford to ignore the risks in their activities or assume that someone else will address the risk exposures. Once risk is identified, we all have a responsibility to understand the consequences associated with the failure to address the risk by finding economically viable solutions that either eliminate the risk, mitigate it, or find a way to manage it to an acceptable level.

Norman Ritchie was educated as a mechanical engineer at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He has over 35 years of experience of project and risk management, largely in the oil and gas industry. As a director of vPSI group, LLC, which he co-founded in 2003, Norman provides consulting and training in project management, performance measurement and improvement, principally in the areas of risk, loss prevention, safety, human performance and organizational learning. A pioneer of web-based safety applications, Norman holds a broad U.S. patent for online job safety analysis systems. Norman was a contributing author to the 2020 "One Percent Safer" book project and was honored to be named the American Society of Safety Professionals 2020/21 Safety Professional of the Year (SPY) for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and the Gulf Coast.

Breakout Session #6A: Suicide and Fatigue in Construction & Other Industries—Something We Need to Talk About

This panel is set to discuss mental health, depression, and suicide in various industries. A great place to begin approaching the topic of well-being is simply just that: start the conversation. Encourage a new era of dialogue around mental and physical health, and ask for everyone to take ownership of their own well-being and to keep an eye out for any concerning signs and symptoms in their workmates and colleagues.

Krystal Sexton is the Americas’ regional lead for Human Performance and Care at Shell. She obtained an M.S. in Biostatistics and Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral fellowships at both MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine. In her current role, she is the scientific liaison to the business, demonstrating the impacts of positive and organizational psychology, cognitive and social neuroscience, and science of inclusion on business outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family, hiking, and cycling.

Zoe Dugdale is a Research Epidemiologist with the Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. She holds a Master of Public Health from Eastern Washington University, with concentrations in Epidemiology and Community Health, and her work at SMRD is focused on studying mineworker fatigue and helping to build the Miner Health Program.

Lisa Hensinger holds a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and Management. She has been working as an occupational health nurse and coordinator for over 18 years at Steel Dynamics, Inc. She was an on-site nurse for 15 ½ years before transitioning to her position as the occupational health nurse coordinator. She has certifications in audiometry, spirometry and drug screen collection. She is also a Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN), Certified Case Management (CM) and Certified Workers Compensation Professional (CWCP). She has helped lead the company in their medical and response team programs, oversee the nurses and their respective duties in their positions, and is a member of their Core Safety Group. Their nursing team leads wellness programs, including biometric testing, holding health and safety fairs, having health screenings and blood drives. They are BLS certified instructors for American Health Association and train their employees in CPR AED first aid certification. They are involved in development of medical training programs, assist with insurance and medical claims, refer to their Employee Assistance Program, track FMLA and short-term disability, and assist with new employee orientation training. The nurses are Workman’s Compensation Case Managers, responsible for OSHA medical record keeping, and assist the safety, management, and employee teams on keeping safety top of mind and taking control of safety. She holds the Mid Indiana Director board position for Indiana Association of Occupational Nurses, was the recipient of the Moore Excellence Award in Occupational Health Nursing, is on the Chapter’s Committees for American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Psi Upsilon Chapter. She has been married to her husband Corey, for 25 years, and they have 3 children. They enjoy spending time outdoors and out on the lake with family and friends.

Breakout Session #6B: Incident Investigation

The importance of conducting effective incident investigations is to prevent future incidents by understanding and learning from past experiences, including incidents and near misses. An effective incident investigation program includes: timely and accurate reporting and classification of safety events; understanding what happened; identifying the root causes and contributing factors; discussing recommendations and follow-up actions; and sharing of lessons learned to prevent recurrence. The underlying facts, root causes, and contributing factors of events over time, or across sites and organizations, must then be analyzed for trends in an effort to identify potential broader, systemic implications for things like procedures, design standards, and practices.

As a world leader in process safety, Shakeel H. Kadri, Executive Director and CEO of the Chemical Process Safety Center (CCPS®), brings nearly 40 years of broad industry experience, with a strong focus on improving process safety. Kadri came to CCPS in January 2015 as executive director. CCPS is an industrial technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). In nearly five years at CCPS, Kadri has been expanding CCPS globally and driving the CCPS mission to minimize significant process safety incidents globally. Before this role, Kadri spent 36 years at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. In his most recent role there as director of Global Process Safety and Risk Management, which he held for twelve years, Kadri was instrumental in building their global process safety team, raised company’s process safety risk awareness and focus globally, revitalized process safety performance measurement culture and developed a strong industry engagement. Prior to this role, Kadri also held leadership positions in Process Engineering, Technology, Operations, Quality and HSE. Kadri is a Fellow of AIChE and a Fellow of CCPS. He is very engaged with the industry and its stakeholder. Kadri has actively served on process safety committees of the American Chemistry Council, the American Petroleum Institute, the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center, the International Council of Chemicals Associations, the Compressed Gas Association, the European Industrial Gases and Association, and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association.

Tom Knode, SPE, is the director of safety for Kirby Corporation, Distribution and Services. He previously worked for vPSI Group, Athlon Solutions, on contract for Statoil, and before that, he was with Halliburton for 25 years. Knode has had regional and global responsibilities for the oversight of HSE and introduced programs to improve performance through enhanced HSE leadership and technical requirements. He was the technical director of health, safety, security, environment, and social responsibility for SPE from 2008 to 2011, has been co-chairperson of five SPE HSE conferences, and has coauthored more than 20 technical papers and articles. He is a member of the SPE Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT) Editorial Committee representing HSE. Knode holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from Texas Christian University and master’s degree in geology from The University of Texas at Arlington.

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.

Breakout Session #6C: Identifying Critical Issues During the Review of Lift Plans for Cranes and Alternative Lifting Methods

This will be a facilitated panel discussion on identifying critical issues that can be found during the review lift plans that may affect safe crane and rigging operations. Focus will be on topics such as tandem lifts and upending operations, ground bearing and load spreading, use of hydraulic gantries and lifting frames, use of hydraulic platform transporters, rigging selection considerations, and lifting with ship’s cranes. Discussions will highlight critical items that can be incorporated into a prepared jobsite pre-lift checklist to ensure a safe lift. In addition, the panel will discuss key ideas for the sensor technology and the benefits and challenges related to the use of sensing systems.

Joe Kuzar has 22 years of experience in overhead and mobile crane operation and inspection, light and heavy equipment operation, rigging applications and rigging gear inspection, lift planning, safety management and crane and rigging accident investigation and auditing.

Jim D. Wiethorn, Ph.D., P.E., is a third-generation general contractor in the family business who has been involved in crane use and operations during his entire career. Wiethorn has analyzed over 1,200 crane accidents during his forensic career and published Crane Accidents: A study of Causes & Trends to Create a Safer Work Environment, 1983-2013 in 2014. Wiethorn's dissertation, An Analysis of Critical Factors of Lift Planning to Improve Crane Safety based on Forensic Causation of Crane Accidents-2018, is based on his 35-year crane study database of over 700 crane accidents. Wiethorn is a main committee member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME B30), as well as subcommittee member of ASME B30.3-Tower Cranes and ASME B30.29-Self Erect Tower Cranes. Wiethorn also serves the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operator (NCCCO) Tower Crane committee and Rigging Task Force committee. He has a Ph.D. in civil, architectural and environmental engineering from the University of Texas, master's and bachelor's degrees in architectural engineering from the University of Texas, and a bachelor's degree in math and physics from Baylor University.

Lunch Break and Networking

Plenary Session #7: The Role of Technology & Innovation in Improving Safety Performance

Over the years we have seen a dramatic improvement in safety (and environmental) performance through the implementation of new technologies. While some of these technologies help mitigate the outcome of an incident such as seat belts and air bags, others help prevent the incident or take the worker out of a harmful situation. We have developed vehicles that can be remotely driven or piloted to conduct inspections and replace workers at height and in hazmat gear. Innovations such as robots to maneuver heavy equipment can help with safety and quality in manufacturing. What innovations are in the works and what should we expect to see in the future that will help improve safety in our working environment? We also must ask, what new risk might we introduce with these new technologies?

Travis McGuire leads the Transocean team developing engineering solutions for human-machine interaction, including a drill floor safety system. He previously served as an assistant rig manager for five years and notably delivered the best-in-class Deepwater Conqueror drillship from the shipyard. He joined Transocean as a projects engineer in 2010. Prior, he worked at CB&I. Travis holds an MBA from University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in welding engineering from The Ohio State University.

Chenn Qian Zhou is the founding director of the Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation and the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium, as well a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University Northwest (PNW). She joined PNW in 1994 after three years of industrial experience. Zhou has more than 38 years of experience in the areas of computational fluid dynamics, combustion, energy, multiphase reacting flows, and air pollution control. She is on the cutting edge in the integration of computer simulation and AR/VR visualization technology to provide innovative solutions for solving real world issues related to energy, environment, safety, and training in steel and other industries. Zhou has conducted a large number of funded research projects totaling over $21 million and collaborated with many experts from over 140 organizations including academia, national laboratories, and industries, resulted in more than 350 technical papers and over $40 million savings for companies. Zhou has been a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since 2003, and a Fellow of the Innovation Society since 2005. She has been very active in professional societies. Zhou received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in power engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, USA.

Terrance Sookdeo is the global process safety technical advisor for Baker Hughes. He has over 26 years of industry experience. After spending 12 years working at the wellsite as a senior engineer he moved into operations, reliability engineering and risk management. Terrance is trained in industrial engineering, Lean Six Sigma, and business administration.

Breakout Session #8A: Preparing University Students for Industry

The transition from a university environment to industry can be an eye-opener for students—unless they are prepared in the advance for the challenges they will face. This session will explore what can and should be done to effectively prepare students to enter the workforce from a safety perspective, as well as how modern technology can be applied in industry to improve safety. This session will also explore what lessons from industry can be applied to improve safety and instill a safety culture at the personal level, for those who are working in a university or laboratory environment.

Wayne A. Crew, P.E., NAC, is the general secretary of the National Academy of Construction. Prior to his current position, he was the director of the Construction Industry Institute (CII), the renowned research institute based at The University of Texas at Austin. He has over 45 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry and has worked for both owner and contractor firms as well as in research. Early in his career, he served in project management and engineering positions for two large owner companies, Amoco Chemical Corporation and Michigan Chemical Corporation. Later he served in executive positions at engineering giants Technip USA, KBR, and B&R. His roles in research included serving as director of research at CII and then as director of CII. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Houston and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Michigan. He is active in the ACE Mentor Program, serving on both the group’s national board of directors and the Austin, Texas, board of directors. He also has served in many capacities in his church and with the Boy Scouts of America. Wayne has a keen interest in improving the engineering and construction industry through development and implementation of best practices. Working with Virginia Tech faculty in the aftermath of the tragic 2007 campus shooting there, he created a graduate best practices class taught by industry lecturers and practitioners. That course is now offered to the industry at large through the Construction Industry Institute (CII).

Hector Siller is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Texas, and Coordinator of the Certificate Program in Manufacturing Engineering Technology in the same institution. Currently, he is the faculty advisor of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). He holds a Ph.D. degree in Technology Innovation from Jaume I University, Spain and holds a master and a bachelor’s degree from Monterrey Tech, Mexico, in the fields of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, respectively. Before his appointment at UNT, he was director of the Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems at Monterrey Tech and full-time faculty member at the same university. His research areas include advanced manufacturing processes, additive manufacturing, micro-manufacturing and metrology. He conducted and is conducting several R&D projects with enterprises like Walkway Management Group, Navistar, Honeywell Aerospace, and Metalsa, among others. His teaching experience, of over 15 years, includes courses in the fields of manufacturing automation and industrial metrology, among others, and during his career he has advised more than 30 graduate students and has published around 80 research papers in journals and conference proceedings.

Breakout Session #8B: Case Studies - Challenges in Learning from the Past

Aligned with the theme of learning from the past, one of the most effective ways to do this is to share learnings stemming from case studies and incident investigations. This session will discuss the barriers to sharing and improving within an industry sector and across industries.

Russell Holmes, the Center for Offshore Safety (COS) Director, serves the U.S. offshore oil and gas industry by leading effective implementation of Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) to drive continual improvement in safe operations. Captain Holmes retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2020 after nearly three decades of service. Just prior to joining COS, Captain Holmes served as the Coast Guard’s senior point of contact for offshore safety, known as the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI), for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In this role, he oversaw all marine inspection and investigation activities that ultimately support SEMS. He has a Master of Science in Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and a Master of Engineering in Manufacturing from the University of Michigan and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). His military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal and Commandant’s Letter of Commendation.

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.

Jim D. Wiethorn, Ph.D., P.E., is a third-generation general contractor in the family business who has been involved in crane use and operations during his entire career. Wiethorn has analyzed over 1,200 crane accidents during his forensic career and published Crane Accidents: A study of Causes & Trends to Create a Safer Work Environment, 1983-2013 in 2014. Wiethorn's dissertation, An Analysis of Critical Factors of Lift Planning to Improve Crane Safety based on Forensic Causation of Crane Accidents-2018, is based on his 35-year crane study database of over 700 crane accidents. Wiethorn is a main committee member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME B30), as well as subcommittee member of ASME B30.3-Tower Cranes and ASME B30.29-Self Erect Tower Cranes. Wiethorn also serves the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operator (NCCCO) Tower Crane committee and Rigging Task Force committee. He has a Ph.D. in civil, architectural and environmental engineering from the University of Texas, master's and bachelor's degrees in architectural engineering from the University of Texas, and a bachelor's degree in math and physics from Baylor University.

Breakout Session #8C: Interfacing Workers and Machinery in an Industrial Environment

Every year, the injury statistics continue to highlight the risks when workers and machinery work in the same environment. Workers and machines interact and affect one another daily in many industries, and it is not a combination on equal terms. The worker has the intelligence and ability to be flexible in their interaction decisions, where the machine does not. Tragic consequences may result from workers moving into the path of the unforgivable machine. This session is designed to provide attendees with the latest information on what efforts lower the risk of this interface through the use of awareness training, equipment technology, work place designs, and more.

Monica Philippart is the CEO of her consulting firm Ergonomic Human Factors Solutions. Her firm offers consulting and training services for managing operational, and health and safety risks associated with human performance and human error in oil and gas, aerospace, and entertainment markets. She is a member of the new Gulf Offshore Energy Safety (GOES) Board for the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program. Following Deepwater Horizon, Philippart was the Human Factors and Industrial Engineering expert of the Process Safety Monitor’s team that was tasked with reviewing BP’s process safety, major accident risks, and risk management on behalf of the Department of Justice. Before starting her consulting firm in 2010, Philippart had an extensive career in advancing human factors engineering through her work with organizations including NASA, Boeing, the United Space Alliance, BHP Billiton, and The Walt Disney Company. She has a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, an M.S. in industrial engineering and management systems, and a B.S. in mechanical engineering.

Mark Dowsett has been with Caterpillar 12 years. Over his career he developed several Safety Leadership & Custom Communication training programs for a consulting company—eventually purchased by Caterpillar. He since has helped leverage those tools to help guide safety culture transformation within the enterprise and as a service to global Caterpillar dealers and customers alike. Currently, Dowsett fosters those assets with a focus on helping customers proactively mitigate and manage risk exposure associated with fatigue and collision avoidance by leveraging the last layer of protection—technology.

Samantha O’Saben is employed by the Edward C. Levy Company (“Levy”) in Detroit, Michigan, USA, and currently holds the title of director of Environmental, Health and Safety. Her leadership and collaborative effort in safety with operations have led to an impressive redesign of their safety and health program resulting in an 80% reduction in the division’s total recordable incident rate as well as other major safety and health performance improvements. She is a graduate of Slippery Rock University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health and safety management, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned a Master of Science degree in safety sciences. She earned her Certified Safety Professional certification (CSP) in 2018.

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.

Plenary Session #9: Planning & Preparedness for Safety and Health Emergencies

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on society and the way we conduct business. What lessons have we learned, and what do we continue to learn, to make our responses effective? The panel will explore some health strategies of organizations, examine their efficacy, and discuss potential improvements to ensure a sustainable and resilient approach going forward. The panelists will discuss the health and safety issues around COVID-19 and the latest thinking of how we manage disease now and in the future.

Lisa Hensinger holds a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and Management. She has been working as an occupational health nurse and coordinator for over 18 years at Steel Dynamics, Inc. She was an on-site nurse for 15 ½ years before transitioning to her position as the occupational health nurse coordinator. She has certifications in audiometry, spirometry and drug screen collection. She is also a Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN), Certified Case Management (CM) and Certified Workers Compensation Professional (CWCP). She has helped lead the company in their medical and response team programs, oversee the nurses and their respective duties in their positions, and is a member of their Core Safety Group. Their nursing team leads wellness programs, including biometric testing, holding health and safety fairs, having health screenings and blood drives. They are BLS certified instructors for American Health Association and train their employees in CPR AED first aid certification. They are involved in development of medical training programs, assist with insurance and medical claims, refer to their Employee Assistance Program, track FMLA and short-term disability, and assist with new employee orientation training. The nurses are Workman’s Compensation Case Managers, responsible for OSHA medical record keeping, and assist the safety, management, and employee teams on keeping safety top of mind and taking control of safety. She holds the Mid Indiana Director board position for Indiana Association of Occupational Nurses, was the recipient of the Moore Excellence Award in Occupational Health Nursing, is on the Chapter’s Committees for American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Psi Upsilon Chapter. She has been married to her husband Corey, for 25 years, and they have 3 children. They enjoy spending time outdoors and out on the lake with family and friends.

Dinner with Keynote Speaker : "The Power of Collaboration to Improve Safety"

In the mid-1990s, the fatal accident rate in U.S. commercial aviation, after declining significantly for several decades, had begun to reach a plateau. The industry’s response was a collaborative safety improvement program called CAST, the Commercial Aviation Safety Team. CAST brought together the key industry participants – airlines, manufacturers, pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, airports, and the regulator – to collaborate. Their work would (a) identify safety issues; (b) prioritize those issues, since more issues would be identified than there were resources to address; (c) develop interventions for the prioritized issues; and (d) evaluate whether the interventions were producing the desired outcome. CAST has been successful beyond all expectations. Although many safety experts thought that the fatal accident rate in the 1990s was already exemplary, CAST reduced the rate by more than 80% in less than 10 years, while also improving productivity. This presentation is about the transferability of CAST to improve process safety in other potentially hazardous industries, including nuclear power, petroleum exploration and refining, chemical manufacturing, and healthcare, to name a few.