Safety + Health

Safety + Health is the track for everyone! Whether you work with electricity or gas, in the field or in the office, safety and health are of paramount importance to our industry. Our topics and presenters offer something for everyone.

This track is sponsored by:

Meet the Safety + Health Program Development Team. Learn more about the Operations Conference.

All session times are listed in Pacific time.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
COVID: A State of Constant Change
Facilitator: Dean Battershill, Manager, Safety Operations, ENMAX Corporation
Panelists: Marc Hendon, Risk Manager of Corporate Health & Safety, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Brad Hawn, Construction Engineer, Salt River Project
Ashley Kaiser, Integrated System Analysis Distribution System Planning – Engineer 2, Southern California Edison
Come join us for a chance to discuss the impact COVID has had on the health and safety of our workforce. This global pandemic has manifested profound changes in our daily life and routines. The constant changes in policies, mandates and even our work locations have left workers feeling upended, confused and frustrated. In this session, you will broaden your understanding by hearing three distinct perspectives on how COVID changes have impacted workers’ mental and physical health as well as the impact these changes have had on workers’ ability to safely continue to perform their work.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

10:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Transferring Skills + Knowledge Across Generations
Moderator: Eden Ratcliffe, Customer Operations Manager, Hydro One Inc.
Panelists: Paul Hahto, Senior Safety Advisor, BC Hydro
Enrique Guerrero, Manager of Safety and Training, Power Construction and Maintenance Division, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Rob Cranmer, Environmental & Safety Manager, Burbank Water and Power
Hannah Cooper, Electrical Mechanic, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Brian Dease, Power Distribution Section Supervisor, Pasadena Water & Power
How we communicate is just as important as what we communicate, but when it comes to communicating and teaching safety in the three generations of blue-collar workers in our current workforces, we’re facing barriers. It’s not hard to see the difference in the way that they learn and communicate and this is affecting how we transfer skills and safety knowledge from journeyperson to apprentice. Our younger generations are driving change in our industries, but at times their different drives and desires aren’t well understood or mesh well with the older generations. Our experienced workers expect the younger workers to be just like them and learn as they did – but they’re not. Our younger workers face the prospect of learning safety from journeypersons who aren’t sure that they even speak the same language. They’re talking, but are they communicating? Both sides are generalizing and there’s an opportunity for both sides to learn from each other – but are they open to it? This session will bring awareness to this challenge within your organization to help you gain a better understanding of what the barriers are and why.

1:15 PM – 2:30 PM
Ergo Everywhere: Enhancing Safety Through Ergonomics
Speakers: Laura Vo, Environmental Health & Safety Specialist II, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Cole Foster, Ascent Health Solutions
Sue Glumac, Ergonomist, San Diego Gas & Electric Company
Kenny Anderson, VP/Co-Owner, Ascent Health Solutions
Come take a stretch break with us. We all think of ergonomics as the study of people in their working environment; however, ergonomics is everywhere in our daily lives. Let’s discover the importance of body mechanics applications and the stressors that society has put on this topic from working in the office to transitioning to remote or hybrid environment. In addition, we’ll cover the importance of creating and continuing safe and effective safety programs for our “industrial athletes.”

Thursday, April 21, 2022

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Training Advancements to Make Your Slip-Fall Injury Rate Hit the Ground
Speaker: Thurmon Lockhart, MORE Foundation Professor of Life in Motion, Arizona State University
Have you ever wondered how effective your slip/trip/fall training is when your participants are sitting in a chair in a climate-controlled, indoor, dry, well-lit facility? Training employees on preventing the slip or trip that can lead to a fall is critical but at the end of the day, what have we done to prepare our workers for how to handle a slippery surface when it can’t be avoided? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could learn not to slip and fall? Dr. Thurmon Lockhart has spent decades researching why people fall. His research on human motion and injury mechanics have helped government agencies and Fortune 500 companies train their employees on this very topic. In this presentation, Dr. Lockhart will explain the history and mechanics of falling, and how we can overcome this challenge by training employees to react a specific way to a slip/trip. This training program can be modified and allows safety teams to target strategies that can mitigate recurring fall accidents in occupational settings.