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

More information to come.

Speaker: Cody Byrns

As many of us understand, life is truly a roller coaster ride. We all face our highs and lows, and some of us encounter unexpected turns. We sometimes find ourselves getting burned by life’s difficulties, and these burning moments can often leave us scarred. Cody Byrns shares his personal experience of how his life suddenly changed while he was stopped at a red light and rear-ended; he was severely burned and almost left for dead. He speaks on his life-altering experience, on the importance of focusing, and on what really matters in life. Through his story, Cody gives analogies of the fires that life’s challenges bring – whether in our personal lives or our careers – and how that same fire can temper our lives to make us stronger. Prepare to experience an engaging presentation that will uplift and propel you to live your life to its fullest potential.

About Cody Byrns: 

Cody is a keynote speaker, performer, best-selling author, and life coach. Life threw him a curveball back in 2013 with a horrific accident that left him scared, both physically and emotionally. Countless surgeries and hurdles later, he's on a mission - spreading inspiration, hope, and recovery wherever he goes. His scars don't define him; instead, they're a testament to resilience and the power of overcoming. Cody is all about living a life of freedom, unchained from the bonds of scars - let's break free together.

Enjoy refreshments while exploring our vendor exhibits.

Session 1: Creating a Safety Net: How Employers Can Support Mental Health and Save Lives
Presenter: 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 2: Excavation (Details to be announced)

Presenter: Darren Smiley, Adjunct Instructor, Kirkwood Community College

Session 3: Industrial Hygiene 101: An Overview of Key Concepts and Strategies

Presenter: Jennifer Holiday, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Terracon

This introductory Industrial Hygiene 101 course provides an overview of the fundamental principles and practices used to identify, evaluate, and control potential health hazards in the workplace. Participants will gain knowledge of key concepts such as occupational exposure limits, exposure monitoring methods, hazard recognition, control strategies, and relevant regulatory requirements, equipping them with a foundational understanding of industrial hygiene practices to protect workers’ health and safety.

Session 4: DATA-Driven Results - Cases for Wearable Safety Tech

Presenter: Aanna Hoch, COSS, Director, Partner Ecosystem at MakuSafe

Wearables can go beyond biometrics and fitness, gathering data that's relevant to employee safety and focused on experiences and exposures, rather than the employee themselves. Cases shared will show how data about environmental hazards, slips/trips/falls, strain and exertion, ergonomic concerns, and near-misses, is enabling quantifiable reductions in claims and incidents. You'll learn how real-time safety intelligence can be provided to safety leaders in an easy-to-understand format before incidents happen, and how leading indicators to hazards and risks help companies proactively reduce incidents and workers' compensation claims, avoiding losses.

Session 5: Safety Walk-In

Presenter: Floyd Sauter, Adjunct Instructor, Kirkwood Community College

The doors are open to your safety queries! You can direct the breakout session in the following topics: Lockout/Tagout, Fall Protection, Scaffolding, Crane Operator, Forklift Operator, Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, or add your own topic. The breakout session(s) will be led by OSHA-Authorized instructors employed by Kirkwood Community College, a host site for Great Plains OSHA Education Center, Independence, MO. Typical questions may include employee and employer responsibilities, training requirements, recordkeeping needs, qualifications, competencies, inspections, operations, and storage. Come with a question, leave with an answer.

Take a break and explore our vendors.

Speaker: Ken Wagner

In the pursuit of performance excellence, your culture – the organizational ecosystem – is the backdrop for what is possible. Organizational culture can either enhance or inhibit safety, performance, engagement, retention, and loyalty. This complex ecosystem shapes norms, the way work is approached, and how people relate to each other. These have direct effects on strategy execution and business success. 

While organizational cultures often emerge organically, leaders have the responsibility to be intentional in cultivating an environment that fosters engagement and achievement. Most leaders and managers face the same question, “How do I get people to give their best efforts in their jobs and to the organization?” Managing employee performance is the single most difficult thing to do if you don’t understand the science of behavior. However, leaders can cultivate highly motivated people that are inspired to achieve excellence. 

Guided by insights drawn from behavioral science, this discussion will highlight practical strategies for building an organizational culture of safety excellence.

About Ken Wagner: 

Dr. Ken Wagner, founder of Daylight Advisory, brings 25 years of experience as an organizational consultant and trusted coach. Ken specializes in leadership and strategy execution, helping create world-class cultures, through intentional leadership.  At the heart of Ken’s approach lies the guiding thread of behavioral science. He has a global presence spanning over 25 countries within six continents, across a spectrum of private and public industries. He holds a Doctorate in Cognitive & Behavioral Psychology.

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

Speaker: Brad Puck

Brad shares his story of successes and failures in his leadership journey. He will explain how he learned the soft skills needed to function in the workplace and the hard lessons learning the difference between a leader and boss. The intention is that the audience will be able utilize the lessons he learned to improve their leadership skills and inspire the people they lead.

About Brad Puck: 

Brad Puck has been in the construction industry for 32 years holding multiple positions from an apprentice in the Sheet Metal trade to ownership of his own Stainless-Steel Fabrication/Installation shop. Along the way, the construction industry has been great to him, providing numerous opportunities for advancement, a way to express his creativity and earn an excellent living.

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

Session 1: Rehashing Cannabis in the Workplace - What's the Same, What's New in 2025
Presenter: Chris Iverson, M.D., Occupational Medicine Specialist, University of Iowa Healthcare

Cannabis in the workplace continues to be a relevant issue affecting employers of all shapes and sizes. This lecture aims to cover the medical background accompanying cannabis use, while also posing questions and challenges that accompany maintaining a safe working environment in 2025.

Session 2: Root Cause Analysis

Presenter: To be announced

Session 3: You've Performed an Ergonomic Assessment - Now What?

Presenter: Caley Ploessl, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist, Balanced Fitness & Health

So you have performed your ergonomic assessment, now what? How do you translate that information into actionable workplace improvements instead of a collection of numbers? The ultimate goal of ergonomics programs is to minimize employee injuries and enhance overall well-being and performance. Completing an ergonomic risk assessment is just an initial step. The crucial follow-up involves utilizing the data to drive outcomes. This session will teach you a simple ergonomic assessment and then equip participants with the ability to identify what changes need to be made to reduce the risk of an injury on the job site.

Session 4: "High" Expectations

Presenter: Kirk Dighton, MS Paramedic, Imperial Safety Solutions

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. Training objectives include identifying fall protection expectations for personnel employed in General Industry based upon the Walking Working Surfaces Standard 1910.28 Subpart D, and understanding and clarifying terms temporary and infrequent for required fall protection on elevated surfaces including roofs. 

Session 5: Surviving an Environmental Inspection & Current Enforcement Trends in Iowa

Presenter: Dayton Wright, E.I.T., Consultant, Trinity

Trinity Consultants is pleased to serve the Safety and Environmental Compliance industries of Iowa by offering a 50-minute technical session on current enforcement trends and how to prepare for an environmental regulatory inspection or audit. Trinity will highlight recent state and federal enforcement initiatives that are important to facility personnel responsible for managing day-to-day safety and environmental compliance activities.

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

Session 1: Regaining Confidence When It Has Been Shaken
Presenter: Celina Peerman, Ph.D., The Peerman Group

Moments of doubt can shake our confidence, but they also provide an opportunity to grow stronger. This session will explore practical strategies to rebuild confidence, navigate uncertainty, and lead with resilience. Learn how to turn challenges into opportunities for growth and restore belief in your abilities. Training objectives include Identify opportunities for growth when confidence is shaken, reflect on strategies to rebuild resilience and clarity and apply actionable steps to restore confidence and lead effectively.

Session 2: Safety and Health is NO ACCIDENT

Presenter: Peggy Peterson, Bureau Chief, Iowa OSHA - Consultation and Education

Be part of this presentation by Peggy Peterson, Bureau Chief for Iowa OSHA Consultation, Education, and COOP Programs. Her focus will be on creating a safe working environment for your employees, it doesn't happen by accident. It's an intentional and ongoing effort to build awareness, establish safety work rules, and constantly monitor working conditions, such as: safety equipment, physical hazards, material handling, and the body mechanics of repetitive movement. This includes everyone making a safety culture effective.  

Session 3: Recognizing and Addressing Substance Use Disorders in the Workplace
Presenter: Kelsey Montross, MHA, Director of Clinical Operations and Outreach, University of Iowa Healthcare

This training session equips employers with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify potential substance use disorders in employees, distinguish between casual substance use and a serious issue, and how to approach the topic with sensitivity and professionalism. Employers will learn how to have a constructive conversation with an employee about a potential substance use problem, as well as how to guide them toward the appropriate resources for treatment and support. This session aims to foster a supportive work environment where employees can receive the help they need while maintaining a healthy, productive workplace.

Session 4: The 3 "D's" of Defensive Driving - A Virtual Approach to Driving Safely

Presenters: Josh Webb, Robert Gillespie, and Jason Paul; CoAxiom

Learn how the advantages of interactive web simulations—including heightened user engagement, ease of distribution, efficient scalability, and ease of access—can be leveraged to deliver more effective safety training to a mass audience. We'll explore and discuss this new technology's productive possibilities and its possible broader consequences for safety programs in fields like driver safety training. Included is an illustrative sample simulation that instructs participants in the process of vehicle pre-inspection and the three D's of driver safety: Dedication, Detection, and Defensive Driving.

Session 5: Safety Walk-In (Continued)

Presenter: Floyd Sauter, Adjunct Instructor, Kirkwood Community College

The doors are open to your safety queries! You can direct the breakout session in the following topics: Lockout/Tagout, Fall Protection, Scaffolding, Crane Operator, Forklift Operator, Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, or ask your own topic. Come with a question, leave with an answer.