Wednesday’s Speakers

Wednesday

Additional panelists will be added soon. The organizers are hard at work confirming speakers for the 2021 dates of the Safety Congress. Check back shortly, or sign up to be notified of updates to the programming.

Plenary: Leading the Future of Safety by Learning from the Past

At the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), we recognize that a safe and healthful workplace is essential to our mission delivery. Safe work practices and a safe work environment are critical to employee wellbeing and to the conduct of world-class science. In fact, world-class science demands world-class safety. The essential elements for world-class safety are: leadership commitment; clearly documented and well-communicated roles, responsibilities, and requirements; employee participation in creating and implementing safe work procedures; and a robust safety management system grounded in continual improvement. As each of these elements strengthen and improve, so does the safety culture of the organization. In this presentation, I will discuss the development and evolution of each of these elements as part of the NIST journey that led to the safety management system, practices and culture that we have today.

Breakout Session #10A: Prevention Through Engineering Design

A proven method to improve safety for any facility is to remain focused on engineering safety during the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage and on the maintenance of effective programs, procedures, and practices. This session will explore considerations in the development and application of new technology, the role of digital technology, and how organizations can effectively assess prospective new operating environments.

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.

Breakout Session #10B: The Role of More Effective Data Management

In this age of "big data," it is important to recognize the role of effective and innovative data management in improving safety performance. The pooling of data gives insight that benefits safety in many industry sectors, according to several reports and studies. For example, important lessons can be learned when near misses are included in safety event databases. To pool data effectively, common definitions are needed to facilitate the sharing of data and experience sharing. A related challenge is the double-reporting of events in different organizations (i.e., regulatory authorities, international associations). A more effective aggregation of data is necessary for disseminating knowledge on past events, obtaining a clear overall picture of the risk of possible safety event types, understanding the effectiveness of barriers, determining what constitutes a leading indicator, and analyzing trends with the objective of trying to anticipate the next major event.

Elizabeth Mackey is the chief safety officer (CSO) of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). After receiving a B.S. in chemistry from Boston College in 1984 and Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry from the University of Maryland in 1991, Mackey began her career as a research chemist at NIST, where she conducted research to develop and improve radiochemical analysis methods and worked with external stakeholders on laboratory quality assurance and to develop and certify standard reference materials. In 2010, Mackey shifted her career focus from research to safety and became the safety program coordinator for NIST’s Material Measurement Laboratory. In 2014, Mackey was honored with the NIST Safety Award as the visionary leader behind the development of a web-based hazard review system, a comprehensive, flexible, and user-friendly tool to manage NIST’s laboratory hazard assessment, risk analysis and work and worker authorization process. Mackey was appointed the chief safety officer in September of 2019. As NIST’s CSO, Mackey is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining a robust, integrated, and risk-based safety, health, and environmental management system and developing strategies to improve the agency’s safety performance and maintain a positive safety culture.

Joy Inouye is the research associate for the Campbell Institute, the EHS center of the excellence at the National Safety Council. Responsible for researching Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) best practices, she has led several research efforts at the Institute, including studies on leading indicators, risk perception and contractor safety management. She is co-author of a journal article on leading indicators research and has co-presented this topic at various national and international conferences. The research on contractor safety has recently been featured in the BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, the NIOSH Science blog and other online safety communities.

Breakout Session #10C: Risk Identification and Tolerance

The objective of this session will be to address processes for identifying and managing different types of risk that may present the greatest challenges in any work environment. Specific aspects to be discussed include understanding the value of risk matrices and risk registers; determining the integrity and effectiveness of barriers; and identifying the factors impacting risk tolerance at the individual and company levels. The session will address question such as: Does managing risk mean it is acceptable to cut corners if the likelihood of a problem is relatively low? Is your personal risk tolerance aligned with the company's level? What about at the workforce level?

Bruce Hamilton is manager of the global energy solutions group in the Energy Systems division of Argonne National Laboratory, where he provides leadership in the application of world-class expertise, research facilities, and analytical tools to strengthen energy security and industrial safety. For the U.S. Department of Energy, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, International Atomic Energy Agency, Veterans Health Administration, and numerous companies around the world, Bruce has applied his expertise in systems engineering to resolve priority issues affecting energy infrastructure development, operational safety risks, environmental protection, and creation of sustainable business models for innovative energy technology. He received the Midwest Energy Leadership Award, served as guest editor of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Power & Energy Magazine, and is lead author of a report on Risk-Based Evaluation of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Using a Success Path Approach (2018).

Closing Remarks and Recognition of Congress Organizers and Planners