2022 GAM Safety Conference and Awards Luncheon

The 2022 GAM Safety Conference and Awards Luncheon will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center at 2000 Convention Center Concourse near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 23, starting at 8:30 a.m. For information on directions and parking, please visit the Georgia International Convention Center (“GICC”) website at http://www.gicc.com/.

GAM’s Safety and Health Network has planned an extremely informative program that will be of significant value to those within your company with responsibilities for workplace safety, including plant managers and front-line supervisors.

We would like to extend special thanks and recognition to GAM Associate Member Fisher Phillips LLP in Atlanta (https://www.fisherphillips.com/) for sponsoring this year’s Conference.

You may find the following agenda useful as you make your plans to attend. We will keep our members updated regarding COVID-19 protocols in place at the GICC, which will be based on conditions at the time of the Conference.

REGISTRATION – NORTH LOBBY – 7:00 A.M.

GENERAL SESSION – SALON 3 – 8:30 A.M.

WELCOME REMARKS

Mr. Michael Roberson, Chair, Safety and Health Network

Propex Operating Company, Chattanooga, Tennessee

GAM CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS

Rick Hooper, GAM Chairman

Shaw Industries Group, Dalton

FEATURED SPEAKER

“Building a Sustainable Safety Culture”

Ms. Denise Rice

President and CEO

Peak Performance Inc.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Denise Rice is President and CEO of Peak Performance, Inc. a workforce training and consulting company helping manufacturers achieve operational excellence in a continual pursuit of cost reduction and efficiency improvement using the most modern and advanced manufacturing strategies, equipment and processes. She spent almost three decades in manufacturing for Corning Inc. and has held plant operations positions in four different facilities. Peak Performance operates the The Smart Factory Institute, located inside the Volkswagen Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In this presentation, Ms. Rice will discuss the critical elements in reinvigorating and maintaining a strong safety culture. At the core of any safety program is the culture that an organization cultivates. Hear best practices on how to create a strong safety culture that has staying power even as your organization changes.

WORKSHOPS

Three distinct workshops will be featured. Each will be 50 minutes in length. The workshops will be repeated at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The workshops are arranged so that registrants with specific areas of interest can attend two of the three during the course of the morning.

WORKSHOP A – SALON 3

SESSION I – 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

SESSION II – 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

“Sounds Good, Doesn’t It?”

Ms. Hilarie Warren

Director

Georgia Tech OSHA Training Institute Education Center

Atlanta, Georgia

Hilarie Warren, MPH, CIH, currently manages the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center at Georgia Tech, one of the first OTI Education Centers in the national network of occupational safety and health training organizations authorized by OSHA. She enjoys helping companies translate regulatory requirements and move into implementation by providing opportunities for training attendees to share best practices and stories.

Listen up! This presentation will provide practical instruction in evaluating and controlling occupational noise. You will understand the appropriate management strategies needed to conserve hearing in the workplace by the end of the lecture.

WORKSHOP B – ITALIAN SUITES

SESSION I – 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

SESSION II – 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

“Safety Says: ‘You Can Pay Me Now or You Can Pay Me Later’”

C. Todd Ross

Managing Partner

Ross, Handelman, Nestale & Goff, LLC

Augusta, Georgia

Todd Ross received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994 from the University of Georgia and his law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 1997. After graduation from Mercer, he was inducted into the Order of the Barristers. Mr. Ross is very active with the Georgia Association of Manufacturers, representing several members of the Association and being a regular presenter at the Workforce / Plant Management Seminar in June each year. Mr. Ross’s law practice specializes in insurance defense litigation, workers’ compensation defense and premises liability defense. He also serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General defending workers’ compensation claims on behalf of Georgia’s Attorney General.

Safety always comes with costs. You can pay those costs to prevent accidents and injuries or you can pay them after accidents and injuries occur. One is cheaper than the other. This presentation will review the costs incurred after an accident. Mr. Ross will review the obvious and known costs as well as dig into the hidden costs incurred post-accident. Certainly, those costs include money, but they also include human capital, property damage, lost production time and low morale. Can one single accident really cause a business to shutter after being open for over 50 years? Yes, it can. With an appropriate respect for privacy, Mr. Ross will review that very claim and other specific examples of actual workers’ compensation claims that occurred right here in Georgia.

WORKSHOP C – KENYAN SUITES

SESSION I – 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

SESSION II – 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

“Managing and Disciplining Safety Risk Takers:

A Cornerstone of an Effective Safety Program”

Mr. Ed Foulke

Partner, Fisher Phillips LLP

President, Fisher Phillips Safety Solutions, LLC

Atlanta, Georgia

Ed Foulke is a partner in the Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Metro offices of Fisher Phillips. He is the former co-chair of the firm's Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group. He is also the President of Fisher Phillips Safety Solutions, LLC. Prior to joining Fisher Phillips, Mr. Foulke was the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. Named by President George W. Bush to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), he served from April 2006 to November 2008. During his tenure at OSHA, workplace injury, illness and fatality rates dropped to their lowest levels in recorded history. For more than 30 years, Mr. Foulke has worked in the labor and employment area, focusing on occupational safety and health issues, workplace violence risk assessment and prevention, whistleblower protection, and accident and fatality prevention. He is recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities on occupational safety and health and is a frequent keynote speaker and lecturer on workplace safety, leadership development, and other labor and employment topics.

Overview:

Without a disciplinary component as part of your enforcement policy for legal discipline of employees who disregard safety obligations, the possibility of using the unpreventable employee misconduct/isolated incident defense – “even though the employer maintained an effective safety program the cause of an accident was the unsafe act of the employee” – is unlikely. This program will provide participants with a roadmap for developing and “institutionalizing” an effective enforcement strategy, including infraction discipline that could be the missing ingredient to your existing program.

Learning Objectives:

• Write a comprehensive, clear and fair legal discipline policy for workers who disregard safety

obligations that will stand the scrutiny of all parties including unions and OSHA;

• Identify the key components that must be included in your legal discipline strategy for workers

who disregard safety obligations; and

• Determine which departments such as legal, human resources, communication, safety and

management should be involved in developing and implementing your legal discipline strategy

and policy for workers who disregard safety obligations.

LUNCHEON AND AWARDS PRESENTATION – SALONS 1-2 – Noon

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND APPRECIATION

Edwin G. Foulke Jr., Esq.

Partner, Fisher Phillips LLP

LUNCHEON ADDRESS

“The Power of Positive Leadership”

Mr. Alex Demczak

The Jon Gordon Companies

Alex Demczak is a former SEC quarterback for the Missouri Tigers. He graduated with a degree in Communication and a minor in Business. Alex is an inspiring communicator, facilitator and trainer who challenges businesses, schools, sports teams and non-profits to maximize their potential and make a difference. He is the author of Thrive U, an inspirational book collecting stories from 100 collegiate and professional athletes from around the country. Alex is a top keynote speaker and trainer for the Jon Gordon Companies, delivering keynote addresses and conducting training programs in order to help leaders transform their teams and change the world. He has worked with some of the most successful companies across various industries, including The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, Veterans United Home Loans, OneCoast Retailers, O’Shea Builders and many more. Alex’s mission is to help people increase their performance, enhance their leadership and maximize their lives.

As a leader, you will face numerous obstacles, negativity, and tests. That’s why positive leadership is essential! Positive leadership is not about fake positivity, it’s what makes great leaders great. Being a positive leader is not just a nice way to lead; it’s the way to lead if you want to build a great culture, unite your organization in the face of change and adversity, develop a connected and committed team and achieve superior results.

AWARDS PRESENTATION

Rick Hooper

Michael Roberson

Clay Jones

Cindy Thomas

During lunch, a “Safety Performance Award” will be given to each plant that has no lost-time injuries and a recordable injury incident rate below 3.1 (the most recently confirmed average for manufacturing). The “First Place Award” will be given to the plant with no lost-time accidents and the lowest incident rate, with ties broken based on greater number of work hours. The awards will be presented by GAM Chairman Rick Hooper of Shaw Industries Group; Chair of the GAM Safety and Health Network Michael Roberson of Propex Operating Company; GAM Vice President and General Counsel Clay Jones; and GAM Corporate Secretary Cindy Thomas.

DOOR PRIZES

At the conclusion of lunch, a drawing will be held for several door prizes. Winners must be present to claim their prize.

VENDOR TABLES

GAM is offering to its Active and Associate members, as well as vendors to our companies who are not members, the opportunity to set up a table in the North Lobby area for this year’s Conference. If you know vendors who might be interested in this opportunity, please share this announcement with them so they can sign up. There will be a $100 setup fee for each vendor table.

This Annual Safety Conference and Awards Luncheon is intended for all GAM member companies, as well as manufacturers interested in GAM membership and promoting workplace safety, not just those that are being recognized for their safety records. We certainly hope that all interested companies including GAM members will be represented at the 2022 Conference.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Georgia Association of Manufacturers