Safety is a paramount issue within the utility industry. Safety professionals work tirelessly to manage risk, avoid incidents and ensure safety through a variety of programs and initiatives geared toward employees and consumers. This summit is designed for gas and electric utility safety professionals, and spans across three unique, topical tracks: Safety Strategy and Policy, Electric Safety Work Methods and Gas Safety Work Methods. Content is designed to promote safety culture through discussions related to the education and training that can influence utility operations, as well as address some of the challenges and successes associated with developing strategy.
General Details
- Program Chair(s)
- Darwyn Anderson, Seattle City Light;
Mike L'Heureux, EPCOR Distribution and Transmission Inc.
Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation - Program Location
- Renaissance Seattle Hotel
- 515 Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98104 - Who Should Attend
• Electric Safety Work Methods – Managers, trainers, supervisor, safety advocates and team leads responsible for safe work methods and practices among employees. Service company delegates are encouraged to attend.
• Gas Safety Work Methods – Operations managers at 1st or 2nd level supervision of employees at local distribution or gas pipeline companies, managers responsible for safe work practices among their employees or who implement training on natural gas operations work methods and safety advocates and team leads interested in learning how to best promote safety. Service company delegates are encouraged to attend.
• Safety Strategy and Policy – Senior management level safety professionals from both electric and natural gas who are responsible for developing and maintaining safety policy, culture, and standards. Participation is restricted to senior leaders of WEI energy member companies.
- Registration Options
Member: $549 USD
Regular: $1,199 USDRegistration prices increase by $100 after August 7, 2017. Registration includes comprehensive conference materials and food events. Guest passes are available for $100 and are for a personal guest (a spouse or partner who does not work in the energy industry) to accompany a registered attendee at the event.
For vendor registration options, please see the Vendor Displays tab.
- General Cancellation Policy
- Due to contractual obligations, cancellations received 15 business days prior to the program will receive a full refund. Cancellations received 6 to 14 business days prior to the event will receive a refund, less a $100 administrative fee. No shows and last minute cancellations, 5 business days prior to the event or less, will be responsible for the full registration fee. Substitutions from your organization for the same event are always welcome.
- Participation Policy
- Western Energy Institute programs and events are open to energy companies (including gas production and electric generation, gas and electric transmission and gas and electric distribution utilities). Select programs and events are open to energy industry product and service suppliers. Programs and events are closed to all media representatives and to the general public.
- For more information contact Beverly Jones Woolf, Program Manager at (503) 688-2790.
Agenda
- Select a track:
Agenda
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Seattle Underground Tour
Optional networking event. Check the Networking tab for more details.
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by:
Dinner on your own.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome
Speakers: Darwyn Anderson, Seattle City Light; Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
What Leaders Do To Achieve and Sustain Safety Excellence
Speaker(s): Kevin Ellison, Senior Safety Consultant, Caterpillar Safety Services
Kevin Ellison is a senior safety consultant with Caterpillar Safety Services, with a focus on organizational transformation in the areas of safety culture and performance. With more than 37 years of utility experience, including working for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and LG&E Energy Corporation, Kevin is uniquely qualified to speak to the challenges and strategies of safety in the utility industry.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Break with Vendor Displays
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Individual Track Sessions
Break out into Gas Safety Work Methods, Electric Safety Work Methods, or Safety Strategy + Policy tracks. GSWM and ESWM are open to everyone. SS+P participation is restricted to senior management level energy company members.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch with Vendor Displays
Sponsored by:
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Individual Track Sessions
Break out into Gas Safety Work Methods, Electric Safety Work Methods, or Safety Strategy + Policy tracks. GSWM and ESWM are open to everyone. SS+P participation is restricted to senior management level energy company members.
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Break with Vendor Displays
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Individual Track Sessions
Break out into Gas Safety Work Methods, Electric Safety Work Methods, or Safety Strategy + Policy tracks. GSWM and ESWM are open to everyone. SS+P participation is restricted to senior management level energy company members.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Hosted Reception with Vendor Displays
Dinner on your own.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Individual Track Sessions
Break out into Gas Safety Work Methods, Electric Safety Work Methods, or Safety Strategy + Policy tracks. GSWM and ESWM are open to everyone. SS+P participation is restricted to senior management level energy company members.
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 PM – 12:00 PM
Executive Panel Discussion
Moderator: Booga Gilbertson, Senior Vice President, Operations, Puget Sound Energy
Panelists: John Haarlow, Assistant General Manager/Engineering VP, Snohomish County PUD; Kimberly Harris, CEO, Puget Sound Energy; DaVonna Johnson, Chief Administrative Services Officer, Seattle City Light; Eric Martuscelli, Vice President, Operations, Cascade Natural Gas Corporation
Senior Executives will share their insight into leading Operations with a cultural and practical application of safety.
12:00 PM – 12:00 PM
Close of Safety Summit 2017
Electric Safety Work Methods
Meet the Program Development Team.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Seattle Underground Tour – Optional Networking Opportunity
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by:
Dinner on your own.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome
Speakers: Darwyn Anderson, Seattle City Light; Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
What Leaders Do To Achieve and Sustain Safety Excellence
Speaker(s): Kevin Ellison, Senior Safety Consultant, Caterpillar Safety Services
Kevin Ellison is a senior safety consultant with Caterpillar Safety Services, with a focus on organizational transformation in the areas of safety culture and performance. With more than 37 years of utility experience, including working for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and LG&E Energy Corporation, Kevin is uniquely qualified to speak to the challenges and strategies of safety in the utility industry.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Break with Vendor Displays
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM
Roundtable Introductions
Facilitator: Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
10:50 AM – 12:00 PM
How do you transform a craft person into a professional trainer?
Speakers: Billy Roeder, Idaho Power Company and Jeff Wilding, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
The speakers will share their companies’ experiences developing training skills in their best craft people so they can successfully pass on their skills to others.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch with Vendor Displays
Sponsored by:
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Safety Incident Reports Roundtable
Facilitator: Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
Attendees will share short descriptions of incidents and what corrective actions their companies took with safety professionals. Discussion will follow with fellow attendees contributing their experiences and company protocols.
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Break with Vendor Displays
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Reducing Consequences of Unintended Actions
Speaker: Chip Stanley, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Facilitator: Jeff Wilding, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
What prompted PG&E to create the position of Human Performance Specialist Senior, what has the creation of the position accomplished, and what are the next goals?
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Skilled and Qualified Workforce through Assessment
Facilitator: Jeff Wilding, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Speaker(s): Chris Ste-Croix, Human Systems, Inc. and Andrew Morton, Human Systems, Inc.
Human Systems Inc. will present how their system helped PG&E with their human performance. This program has helped PG&E determine the appropriate intervals for task retraining (eg. Grounding, rubber gloving). Jeff will speak to how this data has affected the retraining program.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Hosted Reception with Vendor Displays
Dinner on your own.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Safety Moment
8:45 AM – 9:35 AM
EPZ Dirt Box
Speaker: Sean Cullinane, Idaho Power Company
Idaho Power has created an EPZ Dirt Box to show Journeymen in training how electro-potential grounding actually works.
9:35 AM – 10:15 AM
Electronic Tail Board
Speaker: Mike L’Heureux, EPCOR Distribution and Transmission
Mike L’Heureux will share EPCOR’s experiences developing and utilizing electronics at tail board meetings to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the meeting.
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Wrap up
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 PM – 12:00 PM
Executive Panel Discussion
Moderator: Booga Gilbertson, Senior Vice President, Operations, Puget Sound Energy
Panelists: John Haarlow, Assistant General Manager/Engineering VP, Snohomish County PUD; Kimberly Harris, CEO, Puget Sound Energy; DaVonna Johnson, Chief Administrative Services Officer, Seattle City Light; Eric Martuscelli, Vice President, Operations, Cascade Natural Gas Corporation
Senior Executives will share their insight into leading Operations with a cultural and practical application of safety.
Gas Safety Work Methods
Meet the Program Development Team.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Seattle Underground Tour – Optional Networking Opportunity
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by:
Dinner on your own.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome
Speakers: Darwyn Anderson, Seattle City Light; Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
What Leaders Do To Achieve and Sustain Safety Excellence
Speaker(s): Kevin Ellison, Senior Safety Consultant, Caterpillar Safety Services
Kevin Ellison is a senior safety consultant with Caterpillar Safety Services, with a focus on organizational transformation in the areas of safety culture and performance. With more than 37 years of utility experience, including working for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and LG&E Energy Corporation, Kevin is uniquely qualified to speak to the challenges and strategies of safety in the utility industry.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Break with Vendor Displays
10:30 AM – 10:40 AM
Safety Moment and Roundtable Introductions
Facilitator: Jim Hart, NW Natural
10:40 AM – 11:20 AM
Peer Trainers: How do you transform a craft person into a peer trainer?
Facilitator: Rob Marcoff, NW Natural
Speaker(s): Diana Lancon, NW Natural and Jonathan Santizo, NW Natural
The speaker will share his company’s experiences developing training skills in their best craft people so they can successfully pass on their skills to others.
11:20 AM – 12:00 PM
Driving Behaviors Roundtable
Facilitators: Ruben White, Southwest Gas Corporation and Harish Shukla, Southern California Gas Company
This roundtable discussion will focus on the types of distracted driving situations facing our employees each day on the road. What challenges are the companies facing, how are they tackling those challenges, and are they using and special programs or technology in their battle to reduce incidences?
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch with Vendor Displays
Sponsored by:
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Safety Incident Reports Roundtable
Facilitator: Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
Attendees will share short descriptions of incidents and what corrective actions their companies took with safety professionals. Discussion will follow with fellow attendees contributing their experiences and company protocols.
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Break with Vendor Displays
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
How are we communicating safety messages vertically? – Safety Work Methods Roundtable
Facilitator: Mike MacDonell, ATCO Gas
How are we communicating the safety direction and strategy down through the organization vertically? This roundtable will focus on how different companies transform the message to suit the various internal audiences. What is successful, what are attendees struggling with?
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Steal My Idea – Safety Work Methods Roundtable
Facilitator: Jeff Bailey, Puget Sound Energy
This roundtable will be an opportunity to share what has been successful at your company with fellow safety professionals.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Hosted Reception with Vendor Displays
Dinner on your own.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Safety Moment
8:45 AM – 9:25 AM
FR Clothing –Safety Work Methods Roundtable
Speaker: Jeff Bailey, Puget Sound Energy
The focus of this roundtable will be FR clothing: discussing the advantages and disadvantages of it, different company’s requirements, and how various companies are mitigating for the disadvantages.
9:25 AM – 10:25 AM
NW Natural’s Response to a Building Explosion
Speaker(s): Jon Huddleston, Sr. Director of Operations, NW Natural
This presentation will provide a review of emergency response, crisis communications, community recovery, and lessons learned during NW Natural’s handling of a third party damage event that resulted in significant damage that impacted businesses and residences in the central city area of Portland, Oregon.
10:25 AM – 10:34 AM
Wrap up
10:35 AM – 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Executive Panel Discussion
Moderator: Booga Gilbertson, Senior Vice President, Operations, Puget Sound Energy
Panelists: John Haarlow, Assistant General Manager/Engineering VP, Snohomish County PUD; Kimberly Harris, CEO, Puget Sound Energy; DaVonna Johnson, Chief Administrative Services Officer, Seattle City Light; Eric Martuscelli, Vice President, Operations, Cascade Natural Gas Corporation
Senior Executives will share their insight into leading Operations with a cultural and practical application of safety.
Safety Strategy + Policy
The Safety Strategy + Policy track is open to senior management level energy members only.
Meet the Program Development Team.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Seattle Underground Tour – Optional Networking Opportunity
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by:
Dinner on your own.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome
Speakers: Darwyn Anderson, Seattle City Light; Mark Taylor, ENMAX Corporation
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
What Leaders Do To Achieve and Sustain Safety Excellence
Speaker(s): Kevin Ellison, Senior Safety Consultant, Caterpillar Safety Services
Kevin Ellison is a senior safety consultant with Caterpillar Safety Services, with a focus on organizational transformation in the areas of safety culture and performance. With more than 37 years of utility experience, including working for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Edison, and LG&E Energy Corporation, Kevin is uniquely qualified to speak to the challenges and strategies of safety in the utility industry.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Break with Vendor Displays
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Safety Moment
Speaker: Mark Maguire, Eugene Water & Electric Board
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Leading Indicators
Speaker: Mark Maguire, Eugene Water & Electric Board
Mark will share the findings of the Leading Indicators survey and lead a discussion with the aim of identifying common indicators to be tracked at each participating company in coming years.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch with Vendor Displays
Sponsored by:
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Serious Injury or Fatality Potential (SIFP)
Speaker: Manny Albert, FortisAlberta
Explore the use of SIFP as a Leading Indicator and learn why the Fortis group has implemented the SIFP metric across its companies in Canada, the U.S., and the Caribbean, and how they share all SIFP events through a communication package.
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Break with Vendor Displays
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Building your Safety Organization
Facilitator: Phil Smithers, Arizona Public Service Company
Examine and discuss the staffing and hiring approach for Safety personnel, incorporation of Safety staff in the organizational structure, and an overview of business plans with regards to corporate safety. Everyone is encouraged to bring a copy of their organizational structure to contribute to the conversation.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Hosted Reception with Vendor Displays
Dinner on your own.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Safety Moment
Speaker: Chuck Trujillo, Southwest Gas Corporation
8:45 AM – 9:15 AM
Stepping Inside
Speakers: Manny Albert, FortisAlberta; Darwyn Anderson, Seattle City Light; Jim Duke, Idaho Power
What are the benefits of sharing strategies through site visits? Discover how three companies improved their safety by learning from each other.
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Soft Tissue/Ergonomic Injuries Roundtable
Has your company instituted a program to reduce ergonomic injuries? How do you sustain interest in the program and keep it fresh? Are you seeing results?
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
Wrap up time
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Break
10:45 PM – 12:00 PM
Executive Panel Discussion
Moderator: Booga Gilbertson, Senior Vice President, Operations, Puget Sound Energy
Panelists: John Haarlow, Assistant General Manager/Engineering VP, Snohomish County PUD; Kimberly Harris, CEO, Puget Sound Energy; DaVonna Johnson, Chief Administrative Services Officer, Seattle City Light; Eric Martuscelli, Vice President, Operations, Cascade Natural Gas Corporation
Senior Executives will share their insight into leading Operations with a cultural and practical application of safety.
Hotel + Travel
- Renaissance Seattle Hotel
- 515 Madison Street
- Seattle, WA 98104
- Phone: (206) 583-0300
- Reservation Instructions
Please use the reservation link below or contact the hotel directly at (800) 546-9184 to reserve your room. Identify yourself as being with Western Energy Institute and use the discount code ‘GBT WEI Safety Summit’ to receive a special rate of $239/night. This rate is guaranteed until August 7, 2017 or until the WEI room block is full.
Click here to make your reservation now.
Networking
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Seattle Underground Tour
Registration Fee: $35 USD per person
Refund policy: No refunds after August 15, 2017
Meet in the hotel lobby for the 10-minute (downhill) walk to Bill Spiedel’s Underground Tour. The guided walking tour is Seattle’s most unusual attraction, a humorous stroll through intriguing subterranean storefronts and sidewalks entombed when the city rebuilt on top of itself after the Great Fire of 1889.
Registration for this event is also open to guests. The registration fee includes the guided walking tour, a complimentary drink at Doc Maynard’s Public House, and transportation (uphill) from the tour to the hotel.
Vendor Displays
Registration Options
Member Vendor Display Only: $649 USD
Regular Vendor Display Only: $1,599 USD
Member Conference Registration + Vendor Display: $849 USD
Regular Conference Registration + Vendor Display: $1,799 USD
+ Vendor Assistant: $200 USD
+ Guest Pass: $100 USD
Registration prices increase $100 after August 7, 2017. Registration includes one Vendor Display representative, one skirted Vendor Display table for Wednesday Display Events, and Wednesday food events. Conference attendance is not included. Vendors that wish to attend conference sessions should purchase Conference Registration + Vendor Display which includes all Gas Safety Work Methods and Electric Safety Work Methods sessions, comprehensive meeting materials and all food events. The Safety Strategy and Policy track is not open to service companies.
Vendor assistant passes are available for $200 once the main vendor registration is complete and includes access to join Wednesday Display Events only.
Guest passes are available for $100 and allow a personal guest (a spouse or partner who does not work in the energy industry) to accompany a registered attendee at the event.
Shipping Information
Arrangements for shipping and additional services and equipment can be made by contacting the hotel directly. Please review this document for details and contact information.