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Dive into an engaging, hands-on conference with area experts, exploring a wide range of safety and health topics. Learn how to minimize worksite incidents, meet OSHA standards, and strengthen your organization's safety culture.

Safety Day is perfect for safety managers, HR professionals, maintenance teams, front-line supervisors, and anyone eager to enhance their safety expertise. Whether new to your role or a seasoned employee, this event offers up-to-date information on the latest industry safety topics, valuable networking opportunities, and practical experience in implementing key standards and concepts.

Don't miss this chance to advance your safety knowledge and connect with industry peers!
 

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2024 Event Highlights

 

AI and Technology in Environmental, Health, and Safety

A brand-new topic for Safety Day! In this session, you’ll learn how artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology can revolutionize your EHS practices, automating up to 75% of daily administrative tasks, enhancing training engagement, and minimizing paperwork.

 

CBD, Delta 9, THC, and More

This new session will demystify the various components of hemp-based products, explaining their similarities and differences. 

 

Beat the Heat

OSHA has launched a new National Emphasis Program for heat stress. Join this session to learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of heat stress and discover effective strategies to prevent heat-related injuries and illnesses.

 

Stress and Burnout in the Workplace

Unlock the secrets to a healthier workplace and discover the key factors in stress and burnout, and how workplace dynamics contribute to each. 

 

2024 Safety Day Schedule

7:15 - 7:45 a.m.  |  Check In and Breakfast

7:45 - 8 a.m.  |  Welcome

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8 - 8:45 a.m.  |  Keynote Speaker

Between the Lines: My Safety Story

Presented By: Kellen Schmidt,
Distribution Operations Blue Hat, Xcel Energy, Shorewood, MN
We often think it will never happen to us—until it does. One afternoon, while waiting at a stoplight, Kellen's life changed forever. His story is a powerful reminder not to take anything for granted and highlights the profound impact of distracted actions. With heartfelt sincerity, Kellen will connect with every person in the audience as he shares his journey and the important work he does today to inspire change in others.

8:45 - 9:05 a.m.  |  Break

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9:05 - 10:35 a.m.  |  Breakout Session #1

OSHA Update

Presented By: Mitzy Wright,
Area OSHA Director 
Stay updated with the latest developments from OSHA in this informative session. We'll cover new national and local emphasis programs, proposed standards, and recent policy changes. You'll also have the chance to ask questions, learn how compliance officers get to sites, and understand the process after an inspection. Additionally, we'll discuss key compliance programs such as the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), Partnerships, and Alliance.

The Power of Mentoring

Presented By: Marya Wilson,
Principal, MW Advising
In today's fast-changing world, mentoring your employees is crucial for both their success and the success of your organization. Join us to learn how coaching and mentoring can strengthen relationships and help your team perform better than ever.

Active Threat in the Workplace

Presented By: Tom Gunderson,
CVTC Adjunct Instructor, Former Deputy - Pierce County Sheriff's Department
We hear it on the news all too often. Employees and customers have been wounded or lost their lives. Nobody wants to be caught in a threatening situation, yet it could happen to you. Be prepared. Put yourself in a position to know how to respond. This session will provide you with response options if you ever encounter an active threat in the workplace. 

How to Run Effective Safety Meetings

Presented By: Rich Stangl,
CVTC Safety Trainer
Discover a recommended meeting format for productivity and engagement, and explore key training areas crucial for workplace safety and compliance. Whether forming a new committee or enhancing an existing one, you will walk away with actionable strategies to empower your safety committee and improve workplace safety.

10:35 - 10:55 a.m.  |  Break

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10:55 - 11:55 a.m.  |  Breakout Session #2

Harnessing AI and Technology in EHS

Presented By: Cory White,
Sales & Safety Specialist
Discover how artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technology can revolutionize your EHS practices, automating up to 75% of daily administrative tasks, enhancing training engagement, and minimizing paperwork.

Safety Inauguration

Presented By: Matt Lind,
CVTC Safety Trainer
Congratulations on starting your new role as the safety lead at your company! Now that you're here, what's next? In many organizations, the safety role often falls to one person, requiring you to hit the ground running. However, understanding everything from the start can be challenging. This session is tailored for those new to safety or seeking fresh insights into building and sustaining a robust safety program. You'll explore innovative ideas, practical techniques, and essential concepts, gaining a comprehensive understanding of OSHA's role in developing a safety program.

Hearing Prevention in the Workplace

Presented By: Melinda O'Meara,
Hearing Instrument Specialist
This session will provide information regarding advised rules and regulations for hearing PPE in the workplace and local protection options for you and your organization. 

Decoding Hemp: A Guide to CBD, Delta 9, THC, and More

Presented By: Rich Stangl,
CVTC Safety Trainer 
Did you know cannabis is legal in Wisconsin? This session will demystify the various components of hemp-based products, explaining their similarities and differences. We'll cover products such as CBD, Delta 9, Delta 10, THC, THCA, and more, providing a clear understanding of this complex "alphabet."

11:55 a.m. - 1 p.m.  |  Lunch/Door Prizes

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1 - 2 p.m.  |  Breakout Session #3

Improving Workers' Compensation Outcomes

Presented By: Ron Aplin,
Lawyer, Aplin & Ringsmuth, LLC
Join us for a true-to-life worker's compensation claim study for human resource and safety professionals. This session will offer actionable strategies to help you improve your organization's loss experience with Wisconsin workers' compensation claims.

Ergonomics in the Workplace

Presented By: Bill Swanson,
CVTC Safety Trainer
Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with understanding interactions among humans and other elements within the workplace. This session will cover tools, techniques, and resources that help employers optimize the interaction between the work environment and the worker, leading to fewer injuries and illnesses in the workplace.

Fall Protection Connectors: Review and Updates

Presented By: Rich Stangl,
CVTC Safety Trainer 
Join us to explore the latest updates to the ANSI Z359.14 standard for self-retracting lifelines, including the shift from Class A & B to Class I and II. Stay informed on these important changes and their impact on safety and performance!

Change Management for a Safer Workplace

Presented By: Connie LeCleir-Meyer,
CVTC Leadership and Organizational Development Trainer
Navigating change in the workplace is challenging. In this session, you'll learn about the fundamentals of change management and its impact on safety and productivity. Discover ways to foster a culture of continuous improvement by equipping yourself with the skills needed to promote a safe and resilient workforce.

2 - 2:20 p.m.  |  Break

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2:20 - 3:20 p.m.  |  Breakout Session #4

Stress and Burnout in the Workplace

Presented By: Julie Bates-Maves,
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout
Unlock the secrets to a healthier workplace! Discover the key factors in stress and burnout and how workplace dynamics contribute to each. Learn practical strategies to support your employees and create a more productive work environment.

Maximizing Your Time - Working Smarter

Presented By: Connie LeCleir-Meyer,
CVTC Leadership and Organizational Development Trainer
There are not enough hours in the day. That leaves us to decide how to make the most of our hours! In this session, you'll learn the importance of time management to enhance safety and productivity in the workplace, including what steals your time and saves your time and how to create a plan to prioritize and control your time for a safer work environment.

Beat the Heat: Protect Your Workforce from Heat Stress

Presented By: Bill Swanson,
CVTC Safety Trainer
Heat stress is a critical issue where the body struggles to cope with excessive heat, leading to heat cramps, exhaustion, rash, and heat stroke. Every year, thousands of workers suffer from heat-related injuries on the job. To combat this, OSHA has launched a National Emphasis Program to safeguard employees in high-hazard industries from indoor and outdoor heat hazards that can cause serious illnesses, injuries, or even death. Join this session to learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of heat stress and discover effective strategies to prevent heat-related injuries and illnesses, ensuring a safer work environment for all.

Navigating OSHA and Consensus Standards

Presented By: Matt Lind,
CVTC Safety Trainer
Did you know employers must follow nearly 1,000 OSHA standards to ensure a safe and healthy working environment? These regulations span many aspects of the industry, but OSHA also relies on consensus standards—guidelines developed by other groups to reinforce its mission. Join this session to learn how OSHA incorporates these consensus standards and why your organization may be required to follow them. Gain valuable insights on navigating inspections and enforcement, ensuring compliance, and ultimately creating a safer workplace.

3:30 p.m.  |  Event End

 

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Scott Gooch, MPAS, PA-C

Scott Gooch is a Physician Assistant (PA) in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) employed by Marshfield Clinic Health System's Occupational HealthWORKS in Eau Claire, WI, since 2020. He has been a PA for over 23 years, with the first 17 in emergency medicine and the past six in OEM. His previous position was the Medical Administrator for Medcor, operating an onsite medical clinic for the Fluor/Novo-Nordisk facility in Clayton, NC, over a 14 million person-hour project to build a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical factory to produce diabetes medications. Besides providing the onsite treatment of injuries and illnesses, he supervised the operation of the site's drug and alcohol testing program. In three years, he and his team conducted over 8,000 urine drug screens plus several hundred breath alcohol tests for pre-employment, random, annual, reasonable suspicion, and post-incident tests. He is strongly interested in community health and safety volunteering with Eau Claire County Emergency Management, the Northern Wisconsin All-Hazards Incident Management Team, and the Eau Claire.

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Rich Stangl, CVTC Safety Trainer

Rich Stangl has over 16 years of occupational safety and fire/emergency services experience. Stangl spent nearly four years as the Safety Director at Global Finishing Solutions in Osseo, working extensively within the regulations of the general (29 CFR 1910) and construction industry (29 CFR 1926). He worked within the Army Corps of Engineers EM-385 regulations on various U.S. defense sites and managed fleet safety and driver qualification as applicable to the Department of Transportation Regulations (49 CFR). He has also coordinated all environmental activities relevant to the Wisconsin DNR and EPA Regulations.

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Matt Lind, CVTC Safety Trainer

Matt Lind has experience creating and implementing company policies and procedures that meet government regulations and codes, including initial creation, updating, re-evaluating, pre-visit planning, post-visit action planning, and follow-up. Matt offers a background in chemical and hazardous materials and Department of Transportation regulations for drivers and vehicles.

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Connie LeCleir-Meyer, CVTC Leadership & Organizational Development Trainer

Connie is an experienced leader with over 35 years of experience in electronics manufacturing, legal, health insurance, healthcare, education, and training. She has held leadership positions in human resources, customer service, production management, corporate training, and project management. Her skills include soft skills training, public speaking, facilitation and coaching, project management, team building, leadership development, and learning management. She has a bachelor's degree in organizational management and communication and a master's in adult education and distance learning.

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Ron Aplin, Lawyer, Aplin & Ringsmuth, LLC

Ronald S. Aplin is a 1983 University of Wisconsin Law School graduate with over 40 years of experience in private practice defending Wisconsin worker's compensation claims. During his career, he founded the Wisconsin Association of Worker's Compensation Attorneys and the Wisconsin Council of Self-Insurers (WCSI). He created the Worker's Compensation Seminar at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007 and taught the course as an adjunct professor for 15 years. He is a frequent presenter on worker's compensation claims, most recently at the two-day WCSI Worker's Compensation College in Green Lake in 2023.  Aplin is "of counsel" to the law firm he founded in 2005, Aplin & Ringsmuth, LLC, and resides in Milwaukee.

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Julie Bates-Maves, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Julie Bates-Maves is a clinical mental health counseling professor at The University of Wisconsin-Stout. Her expertise is in teaching about and treating trauma and substance use disorders. 

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Cory White

Cory White brings 12+ years of safety, health, environmental, energy, and sustainability expertise from several industries, including construction, medical devices, explosives, and plastics. Cory has helped 45+ businesses comply with OSHA and EPA regulations, prevented $23,000,000+ in potential fines, and added $400,000+ to his client's bottom line. Cory focuses on assisting EHS professionals through the use of technology. Cory graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a bachelor's in Environmental Public Health. He then received his master's in environmental, health, and safety management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

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Speaker, Credentials

Bio

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Mary Bauer, Compliance Assistance Specialist

Mary Bauer is the Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) in the Eau Claire area OSHA office. She has a bachelor's degree from UW-Eau Claire and holds CSP (Certified Safety Professional) and CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist) certifications. She was a Compliance Officer in the Eau Claire area for 20 years and has been the CAS for 17 years. Mary provides general information about OSHA standards and compliance assistance resources. She responds to requests for help from various groups, including small businesses, trade associations, union locals, and community groups.

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Mitzy Wright, Area OSHA Director

Ruth "Mitzy" Wright is the Area Director of the Eau Claire OSHA office. She guides and mentors her staff, ensuring they understand expectations and holding them accountable for meeting the agency's mission. Mitzy has been with OSHA for over 15 years, beginning in 2007, when she was hired as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO). In 2014, Mitzy was promoted to Assistant Area Director. Before joining Federal OSHA, she was an Occupational Safety and Health Officer with the Minnesota State Plan. Mitzy has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial/Business Management and a Master of Science in Risk Control Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

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Melinda O'Meara, Hearing Instrument Specialist

Melinda O'Meara is a licensed hearing instrument specialist and tinnitus provider. She has been helping the Chippewa Valley Community for over 11 years.

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Holly Hassemer, CVTC Dean of Academic Development & Services

Holly Hassemer is the Dean of Academic Development & Services at Chippewa Valley Technical College. She oversees CVTC's English Language Learning program, which provides free English instruction for adults and is a former English language teacher.

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Erica Christensen, CVTC Behavioral & Social Sciences Instructor

A graduate of Iowa State University in Ames, IA, studying Sociology, Erica Christensen worked as a Police Dispatcher for the University. After completing her undergraduate studies, she continued in emergency dispatching, which led to a discovered passion for law enforcement resiliency and crisis response. She completed her Master of Arts in Psychology from Adler University with a specialization in Military Psychology, which she utilizes as an active volunteer for the Minnesota Air National Guard, supporting families through deployments and reintegration for over seven years and is a trained resiliency educator through the Air Force providing mindfulness classes and diversity training for local units. Erica started with CVTC as an adjunct psychology instructor in January 2022 and accepted a full-time faculty position in January 2023.

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Jeremy Enger, CVTC Automation Engineering Technology Instructor

Jeremy is an Electronics (AAS) graduate from Minnesota Southeast Tech College, boasting over 20 years of experience in the electronics maintenance field. Throughout his career, Jeremy has undertaken diverse roles, ranging from providing field service on office equipment to expertly conducting circuit board troubleshooting and repair in PCB manufacturing plants. Notably, he spent 12 successful years as a System's Technician at 3M in Menomonie before joining CVTC in March. At CVTC, Jeremy's expertise was focused on control systems, where he excelled in troubleshooting, optimization, and preventive maintenance. Not to mention, he actively contributed to technician training initiatives, nurturing the skillsets of aspiring professionals over the past couple of years.

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Speaker, Credentials

Bio

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Tom Gunderson, Former Deputy, Pierce County Sheriff's Department

Tom Gunderson from River Falls is married with two daughters and five grandchildren. His work experience spans 29 years as a deputy with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, where he spent most of his career as a patrol sergeant and investigator. During his time at Pierce County, he trained to be a firearms and vehicle contacts trainer, a canine handler, and was a founding member of the tactical team. He continued his career at the Chippewa Valley Technical College, where he taught in the Criminal Justice Program and in the Police Academy for nine years until retiring in 2022. He teaches firearms and tactical response in the police academy and provides active threat training as an adjunct instructor with CVTC. In their free time, he and his wife enjoy traveling by motorcycle and spending time with their grandchildren.

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Marya Wilson, Principal, MW Advising

Marya Wilson, PhD is the Principal and Organizational Dietician for MW Advising. Marya has an extensive business and industry career in manufacturing, information management, telecommunications, ISP, and the Silicon Valley, CA semiconductor industries at the companies 3M, Imation, Pentagon Technologies, and various others. She is also an educator in higher education. She teaches organizational leadership and behavior, operations management, quality management, training and development, and sustainable management. Marya serves the manufacturing, service, higher education, non-profit, and government sectors. She brings first-hand knowledge to the learning experience and a clear understanding of the underlying emotional processes that drive behaviors and create individual and team success. She has a BA in Psychology, an MS in Management Technology, an MA in Human Development, and a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems.   

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Kellen Schmidt, Distribution Operations Blue Hat, Xcel Energy, Shorewood, MN

Kellen Schmidt was an electrical lineworker for Xcel Energy from 2010-2021. His passion and commitment to work zone safety made him a powerful influencer in Minnesota. His efforts helped change the Ted Foss Move Over Law to include utility workers in 2019. In 2021, a semi-truck ended his lineworker career and kept him out of work for a year and a half while he struggled with the effects of the accident. He returned to work in 2022 as a blue hat safety advocate helping remove silos between corporate and field employees and bring them together to ensure safety.

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Bill Swanson, CVTC Safety Trainer

Bill Swanson brings over 30 years of manufacturing and industry expertise to CVTC. His journey has spanned various roles, from line production technician to management positions. Bill's most recent role was a 13-year career at 3M in Menomonie, WI, where he specialized in Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security.

Outside of work, Bill is a family man, married with two boys. They enjoy camping, ice fishing, and outdoor activities in Northwestern WI. And, of course, they're die-hard Green Bay Packers fans.

2024 Event Sponsor

This year, Safety Day is proudly sponsored by the Western Wisconsin Safety Council.

western wisconsin safety council

Maps & Parking

Where to Find Us

This event will be held at the CVTC Energy Education Center located in Eau Claire.

CVTC Energy Education Center
4000 Campus Road
Eau Claire, WI 54703

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Parking Information

All CVTC parking lots surrounding the Energy Education Center will be available for FREE parking during the event.

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