Safety Summit (Sep 26-28)

The registration desk will open for attendees to pick up their name badge.

Join us for a hosted reception and to pick up your namebage at registration. Dinner is on your own.

STOPCHECK™ for Increased Resilience, Wellness and Safety

This evidence-based program delivers a practical “in the moment” skill set to respond dynamically and effectively to pressure, emotional challenge, and change. Whether you want to increase situational awareness in the field, or stress management in the office, STOPCHECK™ delivers.
 
Twenty years of client results show improved health and performance, fewer absences and reduced anxiety, stress, and depression because of practicing the techniques learned in this program.
 
Learning Outcomes:
•    Recognize subtle stress signals before they become chronic.
•    Learn the powerful technique of STOPCHECK™ to boost performance, increase resilience, and feel calmer and more focused.
•    Be less reactive, think clearly and make good decisions under pressure.

Electric + Gas Safety Work Methods (Combined)
Attendee introductions & Roundtable
Join us as we learn about each other, what the hot topics are and how utilities are dealing with them.
Facilitators: Rob Richardson, Supervisor Workforce Development – ATCO, ATCO Natural Gas; Dean Battershill, Manager, Safety Operations, ENMAX Corporation

sponsored by Westex: a Milliken Brand 

Safety Strategy + Policy (Utilities Only)
Telling a Convincing Story of Your Company’s Safety Performance    
Join us for an overview of what’s out there to help Safety Leaders paint an accurate picture and tell a compelling and valuable story of the organization’s safety performance to the workforce, its leaders, its contractors and its external stakeholders. Followed by peer discussion and sharing of best practices.
Speaker: Elif Erkal, Senior Associate, Exponent

Electric Safety Work Methods
Challenges Related to Distributed Generation and Renewable Energy Sources to Power Utilities    
A 90min panel discussion on challenges related to Distributed Generation and Renewable Energy Sources to Power Utilities with focus on asset reliability / safety and worker safety. The discussion will offer different perspectives on the topic featuring representatives from utilities at different stages of the journey, operators / owners of renewable energy farms or storage facilities, and a regulatory body. The discussion will explore the adequacy of regulations and standards around these establishments and interconnections to the power grid, the steps utilities are taking to ensure asset / grid safety and also safety of its workers on both energized work (with potentially much higher available fault energy) and de-energized work (reliance on disconnect equipment owned and maintained by others). 
Moderator: Wendy Ho, Manager, Human Factors Engineering and Work Methods, BC Hydro
Panelists:  Mark Henry, Director, Reliability Services, Texas Reliability Entity; Tarek Morgan, Operations Engineering Director – Utility Solar and Wind, ENGIE North America; Sharon Morganson, Operations Engineering Supervisor, ATCO Electric; Wade Abbott, Manager Safety & Work Methods, Fortis Alberta; Doug Holden, Trades Training Instructor, BC Hydro

sponsored by Westex: a Milliken Brand

Gas Safety Work Methods
Virtual Reality: Training with Immersive Technology    
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are technological methods for kinesthetic learning or hands-on training. This presentation will demonstrate the technology used to provide the user a customized environment that is fully immersible and free of any hazards that would normally accompany its real-life counterpart. AR/VR also provides data that can be a tool for tracking comprehension and retention of knowledge, highlighting areas within a business that are successful in its operation or areas that may need further focus of training. AR/VR can also be fun, often called ‘gamified training’ and introduces a modern method for engaging learners towards new concepts or tasks.
Speaker: Jennelyn Torrey, Technical Training Coordinator, Intermountain Gas Company

Safety Strategy + Policy (Utilities Only)
Critical Incident Stress Management: Support Your Employees After a Traumatic Event
Description: In this session, you’ll learn how Avista built their CISM program internally by developing a team of Peer Support Members (PSMs) to respond to assist in the needs of employees who have experienced a traumatic event. The PSMs help educate, prevent, and mitigate the effects of high stress incidents among employees. CISM trained employees provide early, post event assistance through supportive listening and confidential engagement as well as referral to professional resources if necessary. The hope is that employees can safely return back to work feeling less stress, and will be better fit to do their work and help customers.
Speaker: Mac Mikkelsen, Hydro Operations and Maintenance Manager – Lower Spokane River + Critical Incident Stress Management Coordinator, Avista Utilities

Electric + Gas Safety Work Methods (Combined)
How Is Mental Health & Pain Impacting Our Workforce: “The Invisible Cost of the Future”
At least 84% of the working population will face a serious mental health challenge over the next year. 50% are experiencing some sort of muscle and joint pain daily. Employees suffering from poor mental health experience four times the amount of unplanned absences and can cost nearly 20% more in health care costs. OSHA estimates the impact of one recordable back strain to be $67,000. A business case for proactively addressing mental health and chronic pain can be made by understanding and measuring presenteeism.

Presenteeism is defined as, “An employee is at work but not as effective as s/he could be due to a related health issue”. This definition considers all health issues that could be affecting the worker. Presenteeism costs can be 3-5 times higher than absence-related costs. Could presenteeism be more of a contributor to SIFs than we realize? How can we address this challenge? Join us to explore this challenge facing every Utility.
Speaker(s): Dr. Joseph Leutzinger, VP Development, headversity; Dr. Kevin Rindal, CEO/Founder, Vimocity

Looking at Safety Differently:  What does good look like?
Let’s play a game and see how many different ways we can look at safety on our projects. You’ll get to experience performing activities in varied environments and exposure to several different challenges and you may even experience failure. But can your team fail safely? Come find out.  In this exercise you’ll be asked to look at safety from many different angles and we will discuss “what does good look like” to you and other professionals in the room. We will explore what good looks like when conducting Jobsite Observations and Pre-job crew safety planning meetings (tailboards or pre-jobs). You’ll work with your team to discuss what looks good to you and you’ll hear what looks good to others; hopefully gaining a new perspective.
Speaker: Bryan Sabari, Vice President of Safety, Training and Compliance, Potelco
 
sponsored by Westex: a Milliken Brand

Safety Strategy + Policy (Utilities Only)
The Efficacy of Stretching Programs: Panel Discussion
This will be a moderated panel discussion on the advantages and challenges of different pre-work programs to stretch and maintain flexibility. Several Utilities will discuss their experiences with different providers.
Moderator: Charlotte Dorrity, Director, Safety, Health + Wellness, Seattle City Light
Panelists: Daniel Encinias, Program Manager of Safety & Occupational Health, New Mexico Gas Company; Derek Johnson, Director Safety, Work Methods & Training, FortisAlberta; Jen Pearson, Manager of Safety, Avista; Sara McCoy, Director, Risk Management, Salt River Project

Electric Safety Work Methods
Lessons Learned
Join us as we hear from different Utilities and Service companies on what went wrong this year, what they learned from it and what policies and procedures may have been created in the wake.  
Speakers: Wade Abbott, Manager, Safety Operations, ENMAX; Wendy Ho, Manager, Human Factors Engineering, BC Hydro; Bryan Sabari, Vice President of Safety, Training and Compliance, Potelco; David Coats, President, MoveSafe Inc; Dean Battershill, Manager, Safety Operations, ENMAX

Open Roundtable Discussion
Still have questions, still looking for that one solution to take back with you? This open roundtable discussion time will be open to all attendees to ask questions, bounce ideas off fellow attendees and get clarification on past presentations. 
Facilitator: Dean Battershill, Manager, Safety Operations, ENMAX

sponsored by Westex: a Milliken Brand

Gas Safety Work Methods (Utilities Only)
ATCO Gas' Urban Pipeline Project 
In 2010, ATCO began its Urban Pipeline Replacement (UPR) program as a result of a risk and needs assessment of their system to ensure public safety and improve system reliability. The program involved relocating pipelines from the two largest urban centers into the provinces Transportation Utility Corridor (TUC). Pipelines within the urban centers were transferred to the local distribution company or abandoned in place. Currently all of the major components of the UPR program are complete. An overview of the alternatives to the UPR program will be discussed along with the benefits and challenges of the program. 
Speaker: Michelle Agar, Manager, Transmission Engineering, ATCO

The Intelis Journey at Southwest Gas
The Intelis meter brings ultrasonic measuring technology to residential metering. Included with it are Distributed Intelligence (DI) components that bring enhanced safety to the edge of systems and capabilities to interact with meters at a remote distance can make “safer happen faster” for customers and employees alike. This presentation will highlight some of the Intelis technologies and then journey through Southwest Gas Corporation’s testing through implementation/use. Points will cover testing, training and rollout methodology, incorporation of our focus on safety, and near-future plans. These meters have been fielded across our service territories in NV, CA, and AZ. The ability to easily incorporate the product with existing technologies and processes have made use and training of this meter a highlight for IT, Risk Management, Field Support, and Field Employees
Speaker: Nicholas Miller, Supervisor/Application Svcs, Southwest Gas; Jeffrey Mohrlock, Specialist/Tech Svcs Support, Southwest Gas; Alex Scarpelli, Portfolio Account Manager, Itron, Inc.

Safety Strategy + Policy Track
Should You Have a Workplace Naloxone Program?
Adding naloxone to first-aid supplies and providing it to employees can be a part of an employer’s strategic health and safety plan but requires consideration of the benefits and risks before making a decision. Join us for a roundtable discussion on the benefits and risks of implementing a naloxone program and the considerations that need to be evaluated to make a decision.
Facilitator: Val Sherman, Deputy Manager – Environmental Health and Safety, Tacoma Public Utilities