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The Short Conference 2020

A Virtual EHS Conference to Meet the Moment

Recorded May 21, 2020

On-demand recordings and the session Q&As are now available. To access, register using the links below.

  • How to bring workers safely back into the workplace
  • EHS best practices under difficult conditions
  • Managing compliance and legal obligations
Man at office focused on device

It’s a new world in EHS; one that few companies expected or were fully prepared to face. Let’s brave this new world together. On May 21, 2020, VelocityEHS brought together industry experts to discuss and learn what it takes to be resilient, safe, and prepared for the future. And now you can experience our first virtual conference, where we tackled the biggest questions head-on:

Watch On-Demand

The Short Conference recordings are open to VelocityEHS customers and other EHS professionals. Register for the sessions you’re interested in, and we will email you links to the recordings.

The Short Conference Agenda

Attend the Sessions that Make Sense for You

3 Expert Panels + 3 Workshops

  • Covid & Compliance: Navigating Regulatory & Legal Hurdles
  • Restarting Work: Optimizing Human Performance – CEUs Available
  • EHS Professionals Panel: Pro Tips for This Moment & the Future
  • Brown Bag Lunch with the VelocityEHS Experts
  • HazCom Chemical Management Tips for COVID & Beyond
  • Simplifying Industrial Hygiene: Breaking Down the Silos – CEUs Available

On-demand recordings and the session Q&As are now available. To access, register using the links below.


Register: COVID & Compliance: Navigating Regulatory & Legal Hurdles

Moderator: Winnie Ip, Vice President, VelocityEHS | Humantech

Panelists:
Doug Crim | Attorney | Douglas W. Crim Law PLC
Pam Walaski | Senior Program Director | Specialty Technical Consultants
Elaine Ye | Expert Services Manager | Enhesa

EHS professionals are facing new challenges and shifting priorities to ensure the health and safety of employees and the public. While employers have had to quickly adjust to new requirements on social distancing in employee work areas, use of personal protective equipment, and reporting COVID-19 cases as occupational illnesses, the future is equally as complex. New policies and guidelines are being published daily that refine mitigation requirements and establish “return to work” provisions. Our panel of leading experts will discuss the global regulatory framework and discuss some of the trending topics that regulators are prioritizing. Covering both US and international jurisdictions, this panel will help EHS professionals navigate the regulatory uncertainties and stay up to date on recent compliance and enforcement initiatives. Join us for an opportunity to “ask the expert” on how these initiatives will continue to impact EHS programs and resources. 


Register: Restarting Work: Optimizing Human Performance – CEU Eligible

Blake McGowan | Director of Ergonomics Research and Ergonomics Engineer | VelocityEHS 

Working on an assembly line can be a physically demanding job. Due to COVID-19 work restrictions, some employees may have spent the last few weeks or months either not working or working reduced hours. Changes in the human body due to a reduction in physical activity is known as physical deconditioning. It may involve reduced muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, physical endurance, and range of motion, as well as an increase in whole-body fatigue and weight gain. Leadership must recognize that these losses could increase employees’ risk for developing musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injuries and could also reduce productivity and product quality. These potential results need to be considered when establishing strategies for restarting work and employee reintegration.  

 During this presentation, participants will learn:

  • Which practices to implement to make restarting work easier 
  • How to reduce physical stress on workers when restarting work 
  • Tips to help employees return to work safely 

Register: EHS Professionals Panel: Pro Tips for This Moment & the Future

Moderator: Matt Airhart, President & COO

Panelists:
Michelle Bourke | Health Safety Environmental Specialist | LivaNova
Michelle Brown | Corporate Process Safety Manager | FMC Corporation
Eugene Doetsch | Manufacturing Crisis Team | CF Industries
Bobbie Watts | Director of Ergonomics | Michelin Americas

COVID-19 has disrupted operations around the world, and EHS professionals are on the front lines. Not surprisingly, during this time of uncertainty, many companies are turning to EHS professionals to help get things back on track. So, who can you turn to? During this panel discussion, EHS leaders will share best practices on how they managed and engaged with their remote workforce, restructured their production lines to produce different goods, implemented new processes to restart work, and how they are preparing for what’s next.

This panel will focus on:

  • Preparing to bring workers back 
  • Best practices for this moment 
  • An eye to the future of EHS 

Register: Brown Bag Lunch with the VelocityEHS Experts (Q&A)

Matt Airhart, Winnie Ip, Blake McGowan, Phil Molé, Dave Risi 

Pull out your lunch and spend some quality time with the VelocityEHS pros. It’s a unique opportunity to see the EHS and economic landscape from our in-house team of experts.

  • The view across 20,000 customers
  • Taking advantage of opportunities
  • Leveraging resources & getting C-suite buy-in

Register: HazCom Chemical Management Tips for COVID-19 and Beyond 

Phil Molé, MPH | EHS & Sustainability Expert | VelocityEHS

The ongoing global pandemic is creating an urgent need for disinfectant use. However, the increased scale of disinfectant use, coupled with the introduction of many new cleaning products into the workplace, creates new chemical management challenges. We need to keep up with our responsibilities under OSHA’s HazCom Standard and avoid mixing incompatible chemicals to prevent the creation of additional risks for our workers. Existing weaknesses in our chemical management practices can become more serious during times like these. Fortunately, better use of HazCom information, such as Section 7 of an SDS, can help us more safely manage all chemicals in our inventory during this crisis and beyond. 

Learning Objectives 

During this presentation, participants will learn: 

  • Chemical management challenges during COVID-19  
  • Hidden dangers behind new processes & products 
  • Best practice tips for ensuring chemical safety   

Register: Simplifying Industrial Hygiene: Breaking Down the Silos  – CEU Eligible

Dave Risi, CIH, CSP | Director of Industrial Hygiene | VelocityEHS

One of the key issues facing OHS professionals is the need to do more with less. This trend is not going away anytime soon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have been forced to lay off or furlough workers and share job responsibilities across disciplines in order to surviveNow more than ever, OHS professionals are required to expand their knowledge and skills to be able to manage programs outside of their normal silos, including Industrial Hygiene. While some view this discipline as a black box that requires a degree in IH or chemistry, managing it is actually very similar to overseeing safety. By breaking down the steps and relating the metrics to other risk management processes, OHS professionals can run an effective and efficient program. Additionally, by relating the matrices to safety, management will better understand the risk and benefits of an IH program. 

Learning Objectives 

During this presentation, participants will learn: 

  • Ways to break down the Industrial Hygiene for non-IH professionals 
  • How IH fits in with other risk management programs 
  • Tips for managing exposure risks & monitoring health effects 
Hand stopping the domino effect with wooden blocks

This is Your Moment: Be Ready

The coronavirus has shifted the attention of EHS professionals to unexpected things. We probably never imagined seeing manufacturing lines repurposed to produce goods outside our specialties, or needing to take the temperature of each employee prior to their shift.

Yet, EHS professionals already know how to be agile while balancing risk, productivity, safety and health. That is exactly the skill that is needed right now.

The Short Conference sessions provide actionable knowledge that you can use to improve the safety and health of your workers during this pandemic, and continue to apply no matter what the future holds.

Sign Up For On-Demand Recordings Using Session Hyperlinks Above

The Short Conference session recordings are available to VelocityEHS customers and other EHS professionals.