Arrive early to check-in and network before the conference begins.

Speaker: David J. Sarkus, MS, CSP

You want to achieve sustainable excellence in safety and who doesn’t? But what does it really take to get to that point? For starters, it takes great leadership, coaching, and engagement. This inspiring keynote, which parallels servant leadership principles, is infused with humor and great storytelling. David’s talk will reveal three contemporary and research-driven bases of influence that will move individuals and groups from superficial compliance to deeper and more durable forms of personal commitment to safety and safe-production. You’ll leave this talk with actionable ways to:

• Impact attitudes and actions in deeper and broader ways for three especially important types of changes in attitudes and actions.
• Turn your followers into leaders and champions for EHS – creating a culture of great safety coaching.
• Develop a culture where safety is viewed as vital to the health of your organization by also experiencing positive changes in productivity, quality, and morale.

Enjoy refreshments while exploring our vendor exhibits.

Session 1: Collaboration
From Data to Prevention: Wearable Leading Indicators to Reduce Forklift Incidents, Heat Illness, and Strain & Exertion Injuries
Speaker: Tom West, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, COSS Vice President

This session explores how modern wearable technology delivers true leading-indicator data to prevent forklift-pedestrian interactions, heat illness, and strain/exertion injuries before they occur. While these hazards remain major drivers of workplace injuries and rising workers’ compensation costs, traditional safety programs rely too heavily on lagging indicators and post-incident investigations. By using anonymized real-time insights, predictive analytics, and automated risk alerts from the frontline workforce, organizations can visualize forklift-pedestrian interactions, identify congestion zones, detect environmental and ergonomic hazards, and take proactive action to eliminate high-risk exposures. Attendees will learn how these capabilities reduce collision and injury risk while strengthening overall safety culture.

Session 2: Care + Collaboration
Safety Starts Within: Integrating Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace
Speakers: Dave Hinz, Safety Manager, City of Cedar Rapids
Brittany Neese, Safety Specialist, City of Cedar Rapids

Your support with mental health in the workplace can make a life-changing difference. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an early intervention program that educates how to recognize the signs and symptoms that suggest a potential mental health challenge, how to listen nonjudgmentally and give reassurance to a person who may be experiencing a mental health challenge, and how to refer a person to appropriate professional support and services. Note: This presentation does not qualify as certification in MHFA.

Session 3: Care
AI + Ergonomics: How to Predict Injuries Before They Happen
Speaker: Caley Ploessl, PT, DPT Physical Therapist

Musculoskeletal injuries remain one of the most costly but preventable issues in industry, yet many risk factors go unnoticed until it’s too late. This session will explore how AI, including computer vision and predictive modeling, can help identify hidden patterns of risk and flag early warning signs before injuries occur. However, technology alone cannot prevent injuries—expert interpretation by physical therapists and ergonomists is critical to translate AI insights into meaningful interventions, coaching, and job modifications. Attendees will see real-world examples demonstrating how combining human expertise with AI tools leads to safer workplaces, measurable reductions in MSD risk, and proactive injury prevention strategies.

Session 4: Care & Courage
Safety on Every Mile: Securement and Service Rules for CMVs
Speaker: Trooper Job Huisman, Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit - Area C, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Public Safety

This session dives into cargo securement and hours-of-service rules for commercial motor vehicles — giving drivers, fleet managers, and safety leaders the knowhow to stay compliant, prevent accidents, and keep the roads safe. We’ll explore best practices to keep cargo stable and secure, reduce risks on the road, and ensure compliance with federal regulations. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how proper securement and adherence to hours-of-service rules protect not only the driver but also the public. Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned professional, this presentation will equip you with tools to drive safer, smarter, and in full compliance.

Session 5: Care & Courage
The Road Ahead: Driving Safely Together
Speaker: Jessica Bronson, MOL, CEAS, SSH, CSHO, WLCS, Senior Claims Advocate & Risk Improvement Specialist

Every day, millions of drivers share the same roads. Some are cautious, others are careless. Phones buzz, tempers flare, and parking lots get chaotic. In the middle of it all, one choice matters most: Are you a Safe Driver? In this session, we’ll explore all things driving — distractions, aggressive drivers, parking, defensive driving, pedestrians, and more — to help ensure that every journey is a safe one.

Take a break and explore our vendors.

Speaker: Celina Peerman, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, CSP, President, Organizational Psychologist

Every day, skilled workers make small assumptions that carry big risks, not from lack of care, but because the brain is wired for shortcuts and routine. In fast-paced environments, people see what they expect to see and hesitate to speak up when something feels off. Dr. Celina brings 30 years of understanding behavior on the job to explain why hazards get missed, why assumptions go unchallenged, and how psychological safety transforms communication and accountability. It’s not about rules, it’s about humans, habits, and creating workplaces where we understand our brains even better to see how attention sharpens, assumptions fall away, and the risks we once walked past become impossible to ignore.

Participants will be able to:

1. Explain why even experienced workers miss hazards through the lens of brain science.
2. Recognize the hidden assumptions that quietly increase risk.
3. Describe how psychological safety shapes whether people speak up or stay silent.
4. Identify cultural habits that support or undermine safe communication.
5. Commit to personal behaviors that improve clarity, confidence, and awareness.

Enjoy a delicious meal and visit with fellow attendees and exhibitors.

Session 1: Courage
Cannabis in the Workplace - Part 2
Speakers: Terry Davis, Attorney, Shuttleworth & Ingersoll
Christopher Iverson, MD, MBA, MPH, Clinical Asst. Professor, University of Iowa

This discussion will be a follow-up to the 2023 conference presentation and will focus on the current state of cannabis drug testing and legal status amid a changing landscape of cannabis acceptance nationwide. The presenters will provide any regulatory or legal updates, but most importantly, will answer your questions about cannabis in the workplace. This session will primarily be a question-and-answer discussion format.

Session 2: Collaboration
Navigating OSHA's New PPE Ruling: Strategies for Compliance and Advancing Equity in the Workplace
Speaker: Amy Roosa, Founder & Executive Director, The Safety Rack

The new OSHA ruling on personal protective equipment (PPE) represents a significant shift in regulatory expectations, emphasizing the need for PPE programs that address fit, functionality, and inclusivity for diverse workforces. This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the ruling, practical steps for ensuring compliance, and strategies to enhance workplace safety through equitable PPE practices.

Session 3: Courage
Creating a Safety Net: How Employers Can Support Mental Health and Save Lives
Speaker: Dr. Diane Rohlman, University of Iowa Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest

In this session, we will explore the critical role employers play in fostering a supportive and mentally healthy workplace. Attendees will learn about effective strategies and interventions that can be implemented to create a safety net for employees, including policies to support mental health, stigma reduction initiatives, and peer support programs. By prioritizing mental health and well-being, employers can not only enhance productivity and job satisfaction but also save lives.

Session 4: Collaboration
Safely Accessing Heights: Ladder Safety and Compliance
Speaker: Chris Murray, Safety and Solutions Trainer, Werner

We will begin by discussing "what" makes ladder use so dangerous and the mentality required to "create a culture of safety." We will then discuss examples of improper use of a ladder and safer/compliant options available on the market. We will discuss statistics, inspection process, and proper use of both stepladders and extension/straight ladders. Finally, we will discuss ladders/accessories designed to increase safety. Time at the end will be left to discuss specific applications/questions from attendees.

Session 5: TBA

Visit vendor exhibits while on your way to the next breakout sessions.

Session 1: Courage
Why We Miss Hazards: How to Train the Brain to See What Matters
Speaker: Celina Peerman, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, CSP

Hazards hide best in routines, and in busy environments the mind slips into automatic mode. Focus on the skills behind hazard recognition and real-time awareness. Participants will learn how to teach others to scan their environment differently, reset their attention during routine tasks, and use simple tools to notice changes, disruptions, and early warning signs. We’ll look at how filtering, time pressure, and visual overload affect job performance and practice strategies anyone can use to see sooner and act faster.

Session 2: Accountability & Collaboration
NFPA 70B Electrical Equipment Maintenance: Now a Standard - Are You Prepared?
Speaker: Brent Mollenhauer, CSP, CESCP, Sr. Safety Trainer, ESCO Power & Safety

For years, NFPA 70B – Electrical Equipment Maintenance, was just a “recommended practice.” Recently, it became a “Standard.” This moves us from best practice recommendations to “you shall” requirements. We will share some of the main points of NFPA 70B to get you on the right path to fulfilling the requirements.

Session 3: Care
The Sound of Safety
Speaker: Jennifer Holliday, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Terracon

Workplace noise exposures can have lasting impacts on employees, including preventable hearing loss and costly workers’ compensation claims. Because management often responds to clear, data-driven evidence, understanding how to accurately measure and control noise is essential to effective hearing conservation. This presentation highlights the role of industrial hygiene in program management by covering the fundamentals of sound, sound-level measurement, noise-control strategies, fit-testing hearing protection, and using statistical analysis to assess exposure likelihood. By understanding what the data truly represents and strengthening collaboration among management, operations, and industrial hygiene teams, organizations can improve employee safety and reduce overall workers’ compensation costs.

Session 4: Accountability
Mastering CAB Reports: Driving Safer Scores and Influencing Driver Behavior
Speaker: Austin Doyle, Safety and Loss Control Specialist II

Safety leaders play a critical role in managing risk and compliance. This session will demystify CAB (Carrier Analysis and Behavior) reports, helping safety directors and managers understand what the data means, how it impacts your company’s safety scores, and practical strategies to improve performance. Learn actionable techniques to interpret key metrics, manage scores effectively, and influence driver behaviors that lead to safer operations and stronger compliance outcomes.

Session 5: TBD

Your final call to visit with vendors before the end of the conference.

Session 1: Spirit 4 Safety
Got the Spirit of 2026?
Speaker: Peggy S. Peterson, Bureau Chief, IOSHA - Consultation and Education

We'll go over what it takes to create an effective Safety Professional in today's workplace. If your expectations are as clear as mud, if you have found the world of safety overwhelming, or if you have been afraid to ask OSHA, what the heck? It is time to seek old school back to basic solutions with a sense of wonder and awe that will work. Care, because it matters. Collaboration, to make a difference. Holding people Accountable, and having the Courage to stand up for what is right.   

Session 2: Collaboration
High Expectations
Speaker: Kirk Dighton, Safety Manager D.C. Taylor Co., Owner/Consultant, Imperial Safety Solutions LLC

In 2017, OSHA initiated the Walking Working Surfaces Standard for General Industry. Many business owners and general industry safety professionals do not have a clear understanding of the expectations that businesses have for protecting employees and contractors who must go to the roof for work duties. Let’s have a clear discussion of the standard and hear about best practices for protecting personnel from falls from height.

Session 3: Care
Sick Building Syndrome
Speaker: John Conyn, Adjunct Professor, Kirkwood Community College

This session provides practical understanding of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and how indoor air quality impacts worker health, productivity, and facility operations. Topics include key symptoms linked to poor ventilation and chemical exposure, common odor and contaminant sources found in industrial environments, and how HVAC performance, chemical storage, and mold contribute to building-related health effects. Attendees will learn prevention strategies aligned with OSHA, EPA, and CDC guidance, how to assess factory spaces using air-quality tools and inspections, and how to manage hazards such as VOCs, exhaust, moisture, and process-related emissions. The session concludes with actionable steps for identifying issues early, correcting root causes, documenting findings, and maintaining a healthy, safe manufacturing facility.

Session 4: Accountability
Medical Aspects of Respirator Use
Speaker: Jeffrey Westpheling, MD, MPH, Board Certified Occupational Medicine Physician, Probity Medical Services, LLC

This presentation highlights the important role medical evaluation plays in respiratory protection programs. We will discuss OSHA medical requirements, the medical clearance process, and common testing procedures such as spirometry, EKGs, and chest X-rays. By understanding these medical aspects, participants will see how proper evaluation supports worker health, safety, and long-term respirator compliance.

Session 5: TBA