Coffee & Networking

"Pump up the jam, pump it up while your feet are stompin', and the jam is pumpin'."

Think of the following question: “You have five dollars, ten minutes, and no authority to write a new rule. What would you do to reduce one common workplace risk?”

Join us in the Lounge for a coffee and some networking/ergonomic fun before the conference officially kicks off! Please bring your own coffee, though...this is a virtual event! 🤣

Welcome & Keynote: AI

Scott and Jamie will officially open Safety Connect 2026 by welcoming attendees into three days built for uplifting Safety professionals who too often focus on everyone else before themselves.

Then

Hazards of Lithium Ion Batteries: An Open Discussion

During this session, we will review the hazards of Lithium Ion Batteries. We will look at the signs of how to recognize if a Lithium Ion Battery was to become unstable. In this session, I will also talk about some of the newer technologies with these types of batteries and discuss some of the potential standards on the safe storage and disposal of them. We will close out with an open discussion with questions and answers on this very important topic. Please join us for this session.

OSHA Enforcement and Regulatory Update - Presented by Eric Conn

President Trump is almost two years into his second term, and he has already put his stamp on the vast Executive Branch bureaucracy, including the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The pendulum is mid-swing after control at OSHA transitioned from the Biden/Harris Administration to Trump/Vance Administration. The picture has become clear what OSHA will prioritize over the remaining two years of the second Trump Administration.

In this session, Eric J. Conn, Chair of the national OSHA Practice at Conn Maciel Carey LLP, will review the current enforcement and rulemaking landscape at OSHA, and peek into the crystal ball to predict what employers can expect from OSHA over the balance of the Trump Administration, including:

• An update about key decisionmakers at the Department of Labor and OSHA- OSHA’s latest enforcement policies and trends- Status and future of OSHA rulemakings, including deregulatory efforts

EDGE Talks: Leading Without Authority

How Quiet Leaders Orchestrate Change at Global Scale

Some of the most influential leaders are rarely seen in the spotlight.

For decades, Ockert Dupper has worked at the intersection of worker safety, labour rights, development, and global supply chains. Through his work with the International Labour Organization and the Vision Zero Fund, he has helped bring together governments, employers, workers, and institutions to improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of workers around the world.

In this EDGE Talk, Malcolm Staves sits down with Ockert to explore the experiences and lessons behind a career dedicated to improving working lives through collaboration, influence, and collective action. Together they examine what it takes to create lasting change in complex systems and why some of the most effective leaders are those who quietly enable others to succeed.

How do you change the world when nobody works for you?

Lunch & Speed Networking

Session description coming soon.

Day 1: Roundtable 1 - Randy Milliron - Solo Safety Professional

Session description coming soon.

Day 1: Roundtable 2 - BCSP Beyond the Next Job

Day 1: Roundtable 2 - BCSP Beyond the Next Job

Build a career not just a job.

Day 1: Roundtable 3 - Joe Stevenson AI on the Jobsite: Hype, Hope, or Hazard

Session description coming soon.

Tech Panel (Chip, )

Session description coming soon.

BCSP - Beyond the Resume - What employers are looking for.

Session description coming soon.

EDGE Talks: From Safety Culture to People Sustainability

Why Wellbeing, Inclusion and Human Performance Are Shaping the Future of Work

For decades, the safety profession has focused on preventing injuries and reducing risk. But the world of work is changing. Today's organizations face new challenges: mental health, burnout, workforce engagement, inclusion, retention, and sustainable performance.

As safety leaders broaden their focus from physical protection to human flourishing, a new question emerges: Can we sustain performance if we do not sustain people?

In this EDGE Talk, Malcolm Staves sits down with Janelle Bronaugh, Global EHS Director at Safran Electrical & Power, to explore the evolution of safety leadership and the growing connection between wellbeing, inclusion, human factors and organizational success. Together they examine why the future of safety may be less about systems and compliance, and more about creating the conditions in which people can thrive, contribute, and perform at their best.

Perhaps the future of safety is not about protecting work from people but creating workplaces where people can thrive.

Ergo Moment - Powered by CIP Solutions

It’s time to shake it out!

Join CIP Solutions for a quick Ergo Moment where you’ll stretch, move, and recharge. In just 15 minutes, you’ll loosen up, laugh a little, and get your energy flowing so you’re ready to dive back into the sessions.

You're welcome to come on camera with us or stay off camera. This recharge session is for YOU, so Ergo your way!

Leslie McHugh

Session description coming soon.

BCSP - Beyond the Job Title - Influence regardless of your title.

BCSP - Beyond the Job Title - Influence regardless of your title. Communication and Leadership strategies.

Edge Talks

Session description coming soon.

Day 1 - Reflection & Conversation

Session description coming soon.

Closing Keynote: Thiago Ramos

Session description coming soon.

Day 1 Wrap up

Session description coming soon.

Safety Connect Lounge & Networking

Wrap up the day in the Safety Connect Lounge, a casual space to connect with speakers, peers, and new friends. Share your takeaways, continue the conversations, and enjoy prize giveaways along the way. It’s the perfect way to wind down Day 1 while building relationships that last beyond the conference.

Coffee & Networking

Are you ready for this? Day-2 coming in hot!

Let's go chase some waterfalls!

Describe your energy level this morning using a safety-related word or phrase. (Examples: Fully charged, needs corrective action, within acceptable limits, etc..)

Describe Day one in three words.

This or that, safety edition.

What is one thing you will do today to make Safety Connect valuable for you?

Maybe the wheel?

Join us in the Lounge for a coffee and some networking before Day 2 gets rolling! Again, please bring your own coffee and breakfast...this is a virtual event! 🤣

Welcome & Keynote: Matt Catlin

Session description coming soon.

HSEQ leadership lessons, practical frameworks and personal reflections across complex organizations and major projects

During this conversational session, Nigel Dunning will share the HSEQ leadership lessons, practical frameworks and personal reflections that have shaped his approach to leading Health, Safety, Environment and Quality across complex organizations and major projects including one of Canadas most iconic infrastructure projects. Drawing on his career journey to Vice President, HSEQ at WSP Canada, he will explore how to build a clear vision that supports operational needs, translate that vision into a practical plan, set meaningful goals, align tactics with risk, and design an effective structure that enables teams to perform with clarity, discipline and care.

A central focus will be his experience as Health and Safety Director for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, a highly publicized, highly visible and operationally demanding environment where expectations were intense, risk was dynamic, and success required resilience, judgment, influence and strong relationships. He will reflect on what it takes to lead HSEQ in conditions where the stakes are high, the pressure is constant, and the organization needs both strategic direction and hands-on execution.

He will also draw from his current role leading HSEQ within WSP Canada, a large global consulting firm with a broad service offering, a diverse risk profile, and a geographically dispersed workforce and HSEQ team. This perspective will examine how to create consistency without rigidity, maintain connection across distance, and build a function that supports the business while challenging it to continuously improve.

The discussion will also address the personal dimension of leadership: how to balance the “all in” mindset often required in major projects and senior roles with the need to protect wellness, family life and personal sustainability. Nigel will share that you may find your “calling” when you least expect it and how career changes, moves and side steps only lead to opportunities to leverage skills and give a more rounded perspective to your role. Ultimately, this session is intended to offer an honest, humble, practical and reflective view of HSEQ leadership—how to lead with purpose, structure and courage while remaining grounded in the human realities of the work.

 Having a clear vision and plan is the foundation

 Spending enough time on your org. structure and role clarity is critical to success

 Finding your “thing” may come later in your life or when you least expect it. Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself in your career.

 Avoiding falling into the trap of being consumed by the work is paramount. Finding things that ground you in your personal life helps keep the balance.

Mike Gole

"Safety Shepherds - Bringing an ancient profession into the modern-day workplace."

Safety Leadership in an ever increasingly complex, fast-moving, global environment is more challenging than ever. In response to the call for leadership solutions which also satisfy the desire for morality, avoid ethical failures, and offer meaning and purpose, contemporary follower-friendly leadership theories and popular writings have proliferated. Unfortunately, theoretical fundamentals are often difficult to grasp and even more difficult to practice. It is in simplifying and clarifying complex human or organizational constructs that metaphors can be especially effective. The shepherd metaphor is one such illustration that while used to depict leadership for thousands of years, has lost many of its powerful lessons within non-agrarian societies of today

For most leaders, the nuances of shepherding are foreign and often only the comforting element of the shepherd imagery remains, but the depth of the metaphor and the need for leadership render shepherd leadership a model worthy of study. Individually, people are vulnerable and unfulfilled, so they seek to join the flock and follow a good shepherd. While self-direction and autonomy are applauded as progressive in today’s workplace: Other sheep respond to the voice of the shepherd, not the bleating of the flock supports the fundamental need for leadership by an individual not a collective.

EDGE Talks: The Thinking We Outsource

Protecting Human Judgment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is entering high risk work faster than any technology before it. It predicts, prioritizes, recommends and decides. It also makes it very easy to stop thinking.

Anthony Aarons has spent a career at an unusual intersection: frontline high risk operations, board and C-suite advisory, and the deep technology sector. That vantage point has led him to a warning the profession is only beginning to absorb, which is that the greatest risk of AI in safety critical environments may not be the technology failing, but human expertise quietly eroding while the technology appears to succeed.

In this EDGE Talk, Corrie Pitzer sits down with Anthony to explore what happens to judgment, expertise and accountability when intelligent systems become part of how risk decisions get made. Together they examine why AI risk cannot be delegated to a single function, what leaders need to understand before they trust the output, and how organizations preserve the human capability they will need most on the day the model is wrong.

The question is not whether AI can make better decisions. It is who is still capable of questioning them.

Lunch - Trivia

Session description coming soon.

Decoding Compliance: How OSHA and NFPA 70E Work Together to Save Lives

Runs across both time slots

Navigating electrical safety can feel like deciphering two different languages. While OSHA provides the legal framework and enforcement mandates (the what), NFPA 70E provides the tactical, hands-on standard for safe work practices (the how). Failing to align the two doesn’t just risk costly citations—it puts lives at risk.

In this interactive virtual training session, we will demystify the critical link between OSHA subparts and NFPA 70E requirements. You will learn how to translate rigid federal regulations into an Electrical Safety Program (ESP) that keeps your team safe and your organization compliant. Whether you are a safety manager, engineer, or supervisor, you will leave with a clear roadmap to bridge the gap between legal theory and field reality.

• The Nexus of Compliance: Understand exactly how OSHA references and enforces consensus standards like NFPA 70E.- Hazard Identification: Master the core requirements for Arc Flash and Shock Risk Assessments.- Practical Implementation: Steps to establish an effective, OSHA and NFPA compliant Qualified Person training program.

What Attendees Will Receive (Key Deliverables)

To ensure your session provides long-term value beyond the presentation slides, here is a breakdown of the actionable tools and resources attendees will take home:

• The OSHA-to-NFPA 70E Alignment Matrix: A quick-reference cheat sheet mapping major OSHA electrical standards (like 29 CFR 1910.303 and .331-.335) directly to their corresponding NFPA 70E chapters.- Access to the Presentation Deck: A PDF copy of the training slides.

Day 2: Roundtable 2 - 3M Fit Testing

Session description coming soon.

Day 2: Roundtable 3 - Coming Soon

Session description coming soon.

SIFs Panel

Session description coming soon.

EDGE Talks: When the Numbers Look Good

Why Strong Performing Organizations Face the Hardest Climb

Most organizations reach a point where the systems are mature, the metrics are stable and the results are respectable. It is the moment many leaders have worked years to arrive at. It is also the moment the improvement curve quietly flattens.

For decades, Corrie Pitzer has argued that safety is not a state to be maintained but a capability to be continuously generated, and that the plateau is not a sign of success but a signal that the organization has run out of the very thing that got it there: discomfort with the status quo.

In this EDGE Talk, Corrie sits down with Chris Hutzler, Safety Director at Southern Company, to explore what it takes to keep raising performance in a high hazard, highly regulated industry where the fundamentals are already strong. Together they examine how leaders create the appetite for change when nothing appears to be broken, how frontline capability and adaptability are built rather than mandated, and what separates organizations that plateau from those that keep climbing.

The hardest safety challenge is not fixing what is failing. It is improving what is already working.

Ergo Moment - Powered by CIP Solutions

Session description coming soon.

When Decision Makers Don’t Listen, Strengthen Your Influence with F.L.O.W.™

Safety professionals often know the risks better than anyone, but struggle to be heard by leaders and decision-makers. This session introduces the F.L.O.W.™ model, a simple but powerful framework that helps EHS leaders connect, reframe their message, and gain influence without formal authority. Through practical examples and reflection, participants will leave with a tool they can use immediately in their next leadership conversation.

Is enforcement of regulatory non-compliance a driver for change?

Session description coming soon.

EDGE Talks: Sharing the Workplace with Machines

Human and Organizational Performance in an Age of Automation and Robotics

Human and Organizational Performance changed how the profession thinks about error, systems and the conditions people work within. But those principles were built for workplaces occupied entirely by people.

Laurie Shelby leads environmental, health, safety and security for one of the most automated manufacturing environments in the world, across a workforce of more than 130,000 people in automotive, energy and sales operations. Before Tesla, she held senior EHS leadership roles at Alcoa across mining, refining, smelting and rolling. Few leaders have watched the shift from heavy industry to advanced automation from closer range.

In this EDGE Talk, Corrie Pitzer sits down with Laurie to explore what happens to safety thinking when robotics, AI and humanoid systems become working colleagues rather than equipment. Together they examine how HOP principles extend into environments where machines and people share the same space and the same tasks, what serious injury prevention looks like at scale and speed, and how organizations build the adaptability to stay ahead of technology they have never worked alongside before.

We learned how to design work around people. Now we have to design it around both.

Day 2 - Reflection & Conversation

Session description coming soon.

Closing Keynote: Lorraine Martin, Corrie Pitzer & Malcolm Staves

Session description coming soon.

Day 2 Wrap up

Session description coming soon.

Safety Connect Lounge & Networking

Wrap up the day in the Safety Connect Lounge, a casual space to connect with speakers, peers, and new friends. Share your takeaways, continue the conversations, and enjoy prize giveaways along the way. It’s the perfect way to wind down Day 1 while building relationships that last beyond the conference.

Day 3 - Welcome & Keynote

Session description coming soon.

3M Product Showcase - Safety Helmets

3M Product Showcase - Type II Safety Helmet, the 3M™ DBI-SALA Safety Helmet X6000 Series

Terracon Product Showcase

Session description coming soon.

Momentum Solutions 360 - Product Showcase

Session description coming soon.

FyterTech Product Showcase

Session description coming soon.

From the Inside Out: The Science & Safety of FR Base Layers

Session description coming soon.

Lunch

Session description coming soon.

AIHA Product Showcase

Session description coming soon.

Sqwincher Product Showcase

Session description coming soon.

CIP Solutions Product Showcase

Session description coming soon.

Conn Maciel Carey LLP Product Showcase - OSHA MasterClasses and Boot Camps

Conn Maciel Carey LLP Product Showcase

Learn about the various OSHA-related training offerings the CMC can provide for your organization, such as a full day OSHA Boot Camp and partial day OSHA MasterClasses focused on Managing OSHA Inspections, Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting, Machine Safety (Lockout/Tagout and Guarding), Privileged Audits and Investigations, and other topics.

I help organizations reduce risk, strengthen compliance, and create safer workplaces through practical, business-focused safety solutions. As Founder and Principal Consultant of J. Smith Safety, I partner with construction, manufacturing, logistics, retail, government, maritime, and nonprofit organizations to develop safety programs that protect people while supporting operational goals. My background includes OSHA compliance and audit programs; injury and illness prevention programs; contractor safety management; safety leadership development; environmental health and safety systems; risk assessments and incident investigations; and regulatory compliance and training.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Over 35 years of experience in the EHS field. Retired one year ago after 20 years with the State of Ohio Division of Safety and Hygiene. I am currently a Commercial UAV 107 Drone Pilot. Owner of Haz-Drone Response LLC consulting in the EHS fields which includes Hazmat Instruction, Construction and General Industry consultations, Instructor for Great Lakes OSHA Educational programs through University of Cincinnati.

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Mike Dalton is the Brand Manager for Kent Consumer Brands Americas, LLC, where he leads brand strategy and growth initiatives for the Sqwincher® hydration brand within the industrial sales channel. He is responsible for driving brand performance, developing market-focused strategies, and supporting sales growth across the industrial safety / workplace hydration markets. Mike is based in Columbus, Mississippi and is part of the company's Functional Hydration Brands. He plays a key role in advancing the Sqwincher brand position as the trusted hydration brand for industrial workers, helping customers improve workplace safety and wellness, productivity, and performance through effective hydration solutions.

Bio coming soon.

Joe Stevenson is a Senior EH&S Consultant with Terracon Consultants, Inc. and a highly credentialed safety professional with more than 20 years of experience helping clients achieve compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations across manufacturing, chemical, government, energy, and construction industries. His background includes leadership roles as an onsite EH&S Manager, Vice President of EH&S, Business Owner, and National Environmental Operations Director.

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I am a United States Air Force Veteran who served faithfully and honorably for 26 years and am now a Safety Professional with over 15 years under my belt with a variety of organizations, the most recent being the Director of OSH for the Self-Performing Companies of Manhattan Construction Group. I do not view myself as a director or any other specific title. I view myself as a shepherd for people. A Shepherd? Yes! Like a shepherd of old I lead, watch, care for, protect, provide and comfort my “flock”...my people. What people? Those that come under my sphere of influence. This is not a one-time phenomenon, but rather is constant, intentional vigilance, and on-going protection of my “flock”. Every day and at every opportunity to influence in a positive manner with intentional presence.

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Christina Roll has over two decades experience as an occupational, environmental, health and safety (OEHS) professional. Her areas of expertise include workplace risk assessments, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, government regulation compliance, and training. She has degrees in Safety Sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is a Certified Industrial Hygienist, and is Certified Safety Professional. She has earned several awards including the 2023 American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Women in Industrial Hygiene “Aileen Yankowski Leadership Award”, the 2023 American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Women In Safety Excellence “Safety Professional of the Year”, and the 2023 & 2025 ASSP President’s Award.

Bio coming soon.

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Marieke Bleyenbergh is the founder of Be Human Be Safe, a company dedicated to transforming workplace safety through human-centric leadership. She is a practical and strategic advisor who has lived the operational side of high-risk industry. She loves to speak and inspire at events, as well as coach and develop EHS and operational leaders. With over 27 years of international experience in refining, petrochemicals, and specialty chemicals, Marieke has held senior leadership roles at Shell and AkzoNobel and recently served as interim CEO of Pryme Circular Cleantech, a publicly traded company in chemical recycling. Her expertise spans operations, supply chain, sustainability, and health, safety & environment (HSE), where she is recognized for combining technical depth with a strong focus on people and culture. She has worked extensively across Europe, the U.S., and Asia, giving her a truly global perspective on industrial safety challenges. Through Be Human Be Safe, Marieke helps organizations and leaders build trust, shift mindsets, and embed lasting cultural change. She is known for her engaging keynotes, practical frameworks, and ability to connect with audiences from the boardroom to the frontline. www.behumanbesafe.com

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Kelly Franko is the Founder and President of Seraphina Safety Apparel, a woman-owned company redefining personal protective apparel for women in high-risk industries. A passionate advocate for safety, inclusion, and performance-driven design, Kelly launched Seraphina to address the long-overlooked need for flame-resistant undergarments and base layers engineered specifically for women. With a background spanning post-surgical garments and advanced wound care solutions, safety innovation, product development, and mission-driven entrepreneurship, Kelly partners with utilities, steel mills, petrochemical, and other industrial organizations to implement PPE programs that improve protection, comfort, and compliance. She is a sought-after speaker on advancing women’s safety in industrial workplaces and building scalable solutions that challenge the status quo. Kelly’s work is driven by a simple belief: when women are properly protected, they perform at their best, and everyone goes home safe.