Be Part of the Region’s Premier Safety & Health Event! 

BKN | Adaptability is the New Change
George Carroll, Motivational Keynote Speaker
8 am – 9:15 am, All Levels

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, change is no longer an occasional event—it’s a constant. The key to long-term success isn’t just managing change but mastering adaptability. Recent Gallup research highlights that 70% of US employees have reported experiencing disruptive change within their organization in the past year, with 20% citing a large or very large extent of change. Adaptability is the new competitive advantage, allowing individuals and organizations to stay ahead of the curve, innovate, and lead with confidence.

B01  | Beating Chronic Burnout
George Carroll, Motivational Keynote Speaker
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

Burnout is more than just exhaustion—it’s a state of physical, emotional, and mental depletion that affects performance, motivation, and overall well-being. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 44% of U.S. employees feel burned out at work, 45% feel emotionally drained, and 51% feel “used up” at the end of the workday. In today’s fast-paced world, the constant demands of work, life, and responsibilities can leave us feeling drained and overwhelmed. Moving through burnout requires a strategic approach that prioritizes mindfulness, self-awareness and sustainable productivity habits.

B02 | A Rope Eggventure
Brad Warr/Chris Carlsen, ROCO Rescue
10:30 am – 2:30 pm, Intermediate/Advanced

20 Students Max – Intermediate to Advanced Level Training Required
Every October Roco Rescue hosts Roco Rescue Challenge where some of the best rescue teams in the country square off to find out who is the best. The highlight of Challenge is the Yellow Brick Road where teams move a victim through a pre-determined path that is impossible to complete. In this session, precision and smoothness will be put to the test as teams will move an Egg through a mini–Yellow Brick Road. Will your path end up scrambled, or will you finish sunny side up?

B03 | REPEAT: Fall Protection: Protecting Workers at Heights (Demonstration)
Joe Walch, 3M
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

This session will focus on the importance of fall protection. It will provide an overview of fall protection standards, hazard recognition, a review of fall arrest systems available, and a live demonstration. Fall protection has topped the list of OSHA’s top ten violations for many years. Protecting workers at heights takes constant training.

B04 | REPEAT: Process Safety Applications in Oil and Gas Operations
Robert Nocco, Chevron
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, Intermediate

This session will provide an overview of the Process Safety Elements, including OSHA and EPA requirements. It will cover a practical overview of process safety management aspects in oil and gas operations. Using examples, participants will understand how fits into PSM fits other worksite safety and EHS programs.

B05 | The Fallacies of HOP: Rethinking What It Really Means for Safety
Scott Gaddis, Intelex Technologies
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, Intermediate/Advanced

Human and Organizational Performance, or HOP, has been gaining much attention in the safety field, and for good reason. It shifts the focus away from blame and zero incidents and instead encourages learning, understanding context, and building systems that support people in doing their best work. For many of us, it’s been a refreshing and even necessary evolution in how we think about safety. However, as a long-tenured safety professional with over 35 years of practice, it’s troubling to see some safety practitioners throw away good, solid fundamental tools that mitigate risks and focus all their attention on managing via HOP. Like any big idea, HOP has brought some confusion. As more organizations embrace HOP, it’s common to misunderstand or overstretch some of its core messages. I’ve seen it happen: people assume that we don’t need accountability if we’re not blaming anyone. This misunderstanding leads to the assumption that if “error is normal,” we can stop investigating root causes or exercising preventative risk mitigation. Sometimes, HOP gets treated like it’s here to replace everything we’ve built in safety over the last few decades—and that’s where the trouble starts. It’s not Safety I or Safety II it’s a blend of both. This session is meant to clarify things. I will unpack a few of the most common fallacies I’ve encountered in how HOP is applied and ideas that sound progressive but can undermine safety performance if we’re not careful. I will explore five in particular: 1. The belief that accountability no longer matters 2. Overemphasis on system failure without balancing personal responsibility 3. Dismissing traditional safety tools like behavior-based observations or job hazard analysis 4. Treating HOP like a program rather than a way of thinking 5. Assuming that talking about HOP means we’ve “done” the work of culture change The goal here isn’t to criticize HOP—it’s to protect it. The ideas behind it are powerful, but only when we apply them thoughtfully. If we water them down or use them to avoid the tough conversations about expectations and follow-through, we’re doing a disservice to the people we’re trying to protect. I’ll share examples from my experience regarding what’s worked, what hasn’t, and where I’ve seen organizations lose their footing. I will facilitate discussion about how to bring HOP principles to life without ignoring the fundamentals of effective safety leadership, such as structure, consistency, engagement, and, yes, holding people to a high standard. This session is for professionals who want to make HOP work in the real world—not just as a concept, but as a daily practice that improves safety outcomes and strengthens culture. Whether attendees are new to HOP or have been doing it for a while, they will learn what it takes to do it well.

B06 | Lessons Learned from Columbine
Don Moseman, NDSC
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

Join us for a powerful and deeply personal presentation from a first responder who was on the scene during the Columbine High School attack. Drawing from firsthand experience, the speaker shares the lasting emotional and psychological impact that the tragedy had—not only on the victims and community, but on the first responders who rushed in that day. Through candid storytelling and professional insight, this session explores the behavioral health challenges that emerge in the aftermath of mass violence, including trauma, survivor’s guilt, and post-traumatic stress. The presentation highlights how critical mental health support, peer connections, and resilience training are for emergency personnel, law enforcement, and communities affected by crisis. This moving discussion offers both a historical reflection and a call to action: to care for the caregivers and ensure that those who run toward tragedy receive the same compassion and healing they help provide to others.

B07 | Drug Identification in ND
Phillip Worley, Dunn County Sheriff Department
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

A discussion about the different types of narcotics, the usages, the effects on the body, and North Dakota law.

B08  | Communicating through Change: Proven Strategies to Navigate Change with Ease
Ryan Bouda/Samantha Bouda, LEAP Training and Coaching
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

Change can either strengthen or strain a safety culture—depending on how it’s led. This session explores the neuroscience of change and equips leaders with tools to guide their teams through uncertainty with clarity and confidence. Participants will learn an 8-part change framework to reduce resistance, maintain trust, and keep people aligned through transitions. Whether it’s a new safety process, leadership shift, or organizational restructure, you’ll discover how to set the stage for success, engage hearts and minds, and ensure change supports, not disrupts, your safety mission.

B09 | Driver Qualification: It’s More Than Driver’s License Verification
Ryan Pietzsch, NSC
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death at work. Non-fatal crashes are also a leading cause of injury at work and often result in expensive worker compensation claims, increased vehicle insurance premiums, and lost productivity. If you have employees who drive in the course of their work, they’re considered fleet drivers, regardless of who owns the vehicle they operate. Also, you only need one vehicle to be considered a fleet. How are you measuring driver performance? How are you qualifying your drivers to represent your organization? In this presentation we will discuss the Fleet Maturity Model where you will be able to see where you are in your fleet safety journey and identify goals for improved driver performance.

B10 | OSHA 7500 Introduction to Safety and Health Management
Dale Robinson, Construction Education Foundation OSHA Training Institute
10:00 am – 5:00 pm, All Levels

This course covers the effective implementation of a company’s safety and health management system. The course addresses the four core elements of an effective safety and health management system and those central issues that are critical to each element’s proper management. This course is an interactive training session focusing on class discussions and workshops. Upon course completion students will have the ability to evaluate, develop, and implement an effective safety and health management system for their company.

B11 | TENORM Awareness & Refresher Training
Kurt Rhea, Radiation Pros
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, Basic/Intermediate

Whether you are new to NORM/TENORM or have years of experience, this Awareness & Refresher class will help you understand what’s hot and what’s not! Is it dangerous to work around TENORM or not? What kind of PPE do I need? And what do the regulators have to say about TENORM? Come find out what really matters when it comes to radioactivity in oil and gas, mining, and water treatment! TENORM Refresher certificates are available upon request after successful attendance at the class.

B12 | Lockout/Tagout: Utilizing Technology for Controlling Hazardous Energy
Scott Stone, Rockford Systems
10:30 am – 12:00 pm, All Levels

Traditional methods of creating lockout tagout procedures can take hours of back-and-forth, highly inefficient work on multiple devices. During this session, learn how LOTO Software can take the hassle out of building LOTO procedures and provide a platform for on-going compliance through periodic inspection management. A member of the Rockford Systems Team will be providing a software demonstration that will include the development of an equipment specific LOTO procedure, locking out a piece of equipment through a mobile app and conducting a periodic inspection. This session will also provide a clear roadmap with steps to implement a successful and sustainable LOTO program and a discussion on common mistakes to avoid that can derail your lockout initiative.

B13 | Human Performance Improvement (HPI), Common Error Traps and HPI Tool Use
John LaFrance, Idaho National Laboratory
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, All Levels

This presentation delves into some of the most common human error traps, such as inaccurate assumptions, limited working memory, miscommunication, and complacency. It outlines how Human Performance Improvement (HPI) tools can be utilized to prevent errors and enhance resilience. The presentation also features the analysis of many case studies from an HPI perspective, identifying error traps and determining which tools could have been employed to prevent the incidents. Additionally, the presenter shares valuable insights and experiences from his extensive career in the health and safety field, engaging the audience with thought-provoking questions to foster learning and reflection.

B14 | From Silence to Success: Building a Culture of Psychological Safety
Ryan Bouda/Samantha Bouda, LEAP Training and Coaching
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, All Levels

A strong safety culture starts with the courage to speak up and the confidence to listen. This session explores psychological safety as the foundation for safety, accountability, and continuous improvement. Participants will examine the three essentials of a psychologically safe culture: speak up, listen up, and follow up. Through stories, research, and practical tools, leaders will learn to model inclusion, encourage open dialogue, and respond constructively when concerns are raised. By creating an environment of trust and respect, you’ll strengthen both team morale and safety outcomes.

B15 | Flipping the Leadership Pyramid: Serving First to Lead Safety Forward
Scott Gaddis, Intelex Technologies
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, All Levels

Safety leadership is often defined by control, policy, and oversight—commanding structures that aim to ensure compliance. But the truth is, the most powerful safety cultures aren’t built on authority alone. They’re built on trust, humility, and service. In this keynote address, Scott Gaddis, author of “From Participation to Partnership: A Journey to Safety at the Frontline,” challenges leaders to fundamentally rethink their role in safety by flipping the traditional leadership pyramid and embracing a model of servant leadership that puts people, not power, at the center of safety transformation. Throughout a 36-year career leading safety organizations across multiple industries, Scott has walked worksites, coached executives, listened to frontline workers, and studied what truly makes safety stick. What he’s discovered is that compliance may win short-term battles, but connection wins the long-term war. Rules and systems are essential, but unless those systems are supported by relationships—authentic, human, and humble—real progress stalls. This keynote explores a bold yet practical idea: safety leaders must be willing to invert the organizational pyramid. Instead of being at the top giving orders, leaders must position themselves at the bottom, supporting, enabling, and championing those who do the work every day. It’s a concept rooted in servant leadership, but refined for the safety world a world where outcomes are measured in lives protected, incidents prevented, and cultures changed. When leaders flip the pyramid, the message to the workforce is clear: “I work for you.” That shift creates space for vulnerability, accountability, and shared purpose. It also builds the kind of safety environment where workers don’t just follow rules—they believe in the mission, take ownership, and look out for one another. Why This Message Matters Now Today’s workforce is changing. Generational shifts, economic pressures, and the rising importance of mental health, inclusion, and transparency mean that the old ways of leading are no longer effective—or welcome. Workers want to be heard, respected, and involved in decisions that impact their well-being. They don’t want a boss who checks boxes they want a partner who listens and acts. If safety leaders don’t adapt, they risk becoming irrelevant in the eyes of those they’re meant to protect. In this new reality, safety success is less about compliance metrics and more about cultural momentum. Leaders who adopt a servant posture—those who listen before acting, ask rather than assume, and coach rather than command—are the ones seeing breakthrough improvements in engagement, risk ownership, and injury reduction. Scott will share personal stories and pivotal lessons from the field, including moments where he got it wrong—and how those moments taught him to get it right. He’ll walk attendees through how he’s learned to shift from being a safety enforcer to a safety enabler, and how that shift not only improved results but deepened his connection to the people he served.

B16 | REPEAT: Turn Your Supervisors into Superstars! The Essential Skills They Need to Achieve Success
Chris Ross, SafeStart
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, Intermediate

The best workers are often promoted to supervisors, and that can be a challenge—“We lost our best welder and now we have our worst supervisor.” Organizations need skilled and talented supervisors to achieve desired results in safety, quality, production and performance. Managers, supervisors and safety professionals must align in order to achieve organizational goals. That requires supervisors to have effective skills in communication, employee engagement and hazard assessment, as well as the ability to navigate the social change required to manage their former peers. This session will demonstrate the importance of managing the human factors that affect safety, quality and performance at individual and organizational levels. Attendees will gain practical insight into how supervisors can play a more active role in workplace safety.

B17 | Leaders Create & Maintain The Culture
Kevin Miiller, ITCB Consulting
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, All Levels

With over 30 years in management and leadership, repeated high growth rates in <5 years, and incredible insights from confidential interviews/surveys in my consulting business, I have realized key insights that influential leaders understand. Leaders have been conditioned to look at the bottom-line dollars-and-cents, which inadvertently creates a mindset where you can just tell people what to do and get phenomenal results. As we work our way up in companies, we develop and perfect our management skills but usually lack leading skills. Understanding why people follow leaders and leadership goals, will empower you to transform your workplace culture. Your workplace culture is the greatest long term strategic advantage that any organization can have. It allows you to attract, retain and motivate the best. Once you establish your amazing workplace culture, you and your team will have a work life that you look forward to on Monday mornings.

B18  | Outsourced, Contracted, or Uncontrolled Risk? Strategies for Effective Contractor and Supplier Management
Wyatt Bradbury, Avetta, University of Alabama, Birmingham
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, All Levels

Outsourcing and utilization of contractors continues to be a practice on the rise throughout many organizations. Although, outsourcing is often though to reduce risk by putting it on “specialists” to perform the work, some new challenges may arise for the business. This presentation will review what ISO 45001-2018 and ANSI Z10-2019 require with regard to outsourced and contractor operations. The presentation will then review hazards created by outsourcing work and the business risks that result from those hazards. Finally, the presentation will share methods and strategies used to control those hazards and reduce risk throughout the organization while engaging and supporting contractors who are performing work on behalf of an organization. Strategies discussed will include contractor management programs, contractor safety leadership programs, contractor procurement specifications (as written by HSE), qualification considerations including compliance, safety maturity (using the NSC Safety Maturity Index), and organizational culture, and appropriate levels of engagement for contractor parties.

B19 | Understanding your Workers’ Compensation Coverage Requirements
Nicole Spoor, WSI
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, Basic

This session will address the evolving nature of today’s workforce and the importance of understanding workers’ compensation coverage in North Dakota. Attendees will gain clarity on legal obligations, coverage options, and employer liabilities, especially when working with contractors and operating across state lines.

B20 | The 101’s of NFPA 70E and the OSHA Guidance
Kam Alipour, Cintas
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, Basic/Intermediate

We will explore NFPA 70E from a 101 viewpoint and learn some of the best practices around, key changes over the years, who is responsible for what, the difference in FR and AR along with proper selection and care and much more! We will also discuss the OSHA guidance around electrical safety in the workplace from November 2024 and key documents. After this session you should have a good working knowledge of what your Electrical Safety Program should have in it when it comes to PPE, Clothing and training requirements and learn of any possible gaps in your current program so you can start filling them.

B21 | Coworker in Crisis
SIM ND, UND
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, All Levels

Mental health challenges in the workplace are increasingly recognized as a critical issue that impacts employee well-being, productivity, and safety. Yet, many employees and managers feel uncertain or unprepared to offer support when a colleague is experiencing a mental health crisis. This hands-on session will provide participants with the essential skills and knowledge needed to offer effective mental health first aid to coworkers in distress, fostering a supportive, compassionate, and resilient workplace environment.

B22  | REPEAT: A Proven Injury-Free Safety Culture Development System
Chris Rockwell, Workplace Learning System
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, Basic/Intermediate

Discover how diverse organization from King’s Hawaiian to Valvoline to Miller Electric Tool Company to Mazda Toyota are eliminating injuries through a unique workplace safety culture development system. This session will explore the basic building blocks of the positive workplace safety culture approach to eliminating all injuries, which can be applied to any manufacturing environment. We will address the key aspects of an effective safety culture, including: Safety as a Core Value, Safety360 Leadership, SafetyFirst Individual Habits and Behaviors, Safety Action Teams, Care Management and Cultural Development. You will learn how to apply two safety system tools (the SafetyMyVoice and the Safety360) to develop effective communication and employee support at your organization – key issues facing any manufacturing leader who wants to eliminate workplace injuries. Injury freedom is achievable! We can show you how.

B23 | “Math is hard?” – Ron Burgundy
Brad Warr/Chris Carlsen, ROCO Rescue
2:45 pm – 5:00 pm, All Levels

30 Students Max – No prior training needed
Knowing and understanding are two different things. This short session will use the newest load cell technology, the Harkin Radix to help answer the age-old rescue question, “Am I about to break something?” Participants will get hands on at ground level for a lighthearted dive into the power our systems are capable of creating. Rated G for families.

B24 | Worker Fatigue And Ergonomics: What Your Body Is Telling You
Crystal Nelson, Fargo Ergonomics
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, Basic

This session explores the relationship between ergonomics, fatigue, and overall worker well-being. We will begin by reviewing the meaning and importance of ergonomics and how designing work environments to fit people helps reduce strain and improve efficiency. Participants will then learn to identify what fatigue is and how it develops over time. We will examine common sources of physical and mental stress that impact our bodies throughout the workday, as well as become familiar with the signs and symptoms that signal fatigue is setting in. Finally, we will explore practical strategies and ergonomic solutions to prevent fatigue, helping workers stay healthy, productive, and energized throughout their day. By the end of this session, attendees will have a deeper understanding of how to recognize, manage, and prevent fatigue through ergonomic awareness and proactive workplace adjustments.

B25 | Shift Work: How to get your Best Sleep while Shift Working
Amber Haas, Sanford Health
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, All Levels

When your work schedule rotates you through days, afternoons and nights, your sleep begins to suffer, taking you from the needed 7-8 hours of good sleep to less than 6 hours of fragmented sleep. In this session you will learn how that can affect your physical and metal health, lead to workplace safety issues and the dangers that come along with that.

B26 | REPEAT: Difficult Times, Difficult Conversations
Chris Ross, SafeStart
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, Intermediate

Even in the best of times having difficult conversations and managing conflict can be tough. Confronting an employee who doesn’t follow the rules, talking to a colleague who bad-mouths you, addressing poor performance—these are tense interactions. And when there are authority issues (like in situations with pilots and co-pilots, or surgeons and nurses) the stakes can be even higher. Discomfort around unpleasant interactions leads to ineffective strategies, like delaying the conversation, rushing to judgement, putting others on the defensive and skirting the real issue. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Having difficult conversations is a skill that can be learned and practiced. Attend this session to discover how resolving problems through skilled communication can build relationships, enhance creativity, boost engagement, develop organizational learning loops and increase performance.

B27 | Resilient Pathways: Understanding Trauma and Cultivating Effective Coping
Dr. Geri Wolff, Hope Therapy Center
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, All Levels

In today’s high-stress environments, trauma and chronic stress often go unrecognized—yet their effects can quietly shape how we think, feel, and perform. In this engaging and insightful session, Dr. Geri Wolff, DBH, OTR/L, draws on nearly three decades of clinical and behavioral health experience to help participants understand trauma’s hidden impact on the mind and body. Attendees will learn how trauma affects the nervous system, behavior, and workplace functioning—and gain five practical, evidence-based coping strategies that can be applied immediately to reduce stress and restore balance. Dr. Wolff will also introduce a transformational framework for resilience and long-term wellbeing, empowering individuals and organizations to build healthier, more supportive environments where people can thrive. This session offers practical tools, professional insight, and renewed hope for anyone seeking to strengthen resilience, improve emotional well-being, and foster a culture of psychological safety.

B28 | Building a Positive Safety Culture
Andrea Jensen, NDSC
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, All Levels

Have you ever asked yourself these questions…What is safety culture? Does my company have a safety culture? How do I gauge my safety culture? If you have this session is for you. In this class we will explore what safety culture is, how to identify if your culture is positive or negative, and how to work towards improving your safety culture.

B29 | WSI’s Ergonomic Grant Program: How Can It Help Your Company?
Randy Wegge, WSI
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, All Levels

From office workers with sedentary jobs to physically demanding jobs in construction or the oil patch, and everything in between…we all deal with ergonomics at our workplace in some way or another. This session will give you a better understanding of WSI’s ergonomic grant program and show you how you can put it to work for you in your workplace. Some of the topics covered will be an overview of the process, program eligibility, key components of the program, grant award levels and Q & A. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the program and the benefits of participating.

B30 | Understanding the 2023 NFPA 70B: Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance
Joe Schommer, RESA Power
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, Basic/Intermediate

Understanding 2023 NFPA 70B: Standard for electrical equipment maintenance. How to administer safer, more reliable, and efficient electrical preventive maintenance programs. In 2023, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70B shifted from a “Recommended Practice” to a “Standard” containing mandatory language for the development, implementation, and operation of an electrical maintenance program Electrical Maintenance Program (EMP). We believe this change will provide practical safeguards, helping protect people and support more reliable electrical systems. It closely aligns with NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, which indicates that even if equipment is installed properly, it may not be safe to work on unless it is “properly maintained” per the manufacturer’s instructions or industry consensus standards.

B31 | What’s Wrong with Wilma?
SIM ND, UND
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm, All Levels

Using high-fidelity simulators, purposeful debriefing, and deliberate practice techniques, learners will have a hands-on opportunity to manage 3 different kinds of female patients. Learners will be confident recognizing signs of a stroke, managing an opioid overdose, and using a team-based approach to CPR with an AED.

B32  | Safety Program Evaluation – Using Proven Techniques to Measure Success
Chris Ross, SafeStart
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Intermediate

Safety professionals conduct training or create programs designed to create change and provide value to their organizations. In today’s world, training solely for the sake of training is not acceptable. Training and program content must provide value and benefit – both to the learner and to the organization. Research suggests that as much as 90% of training resources are spent on the design, development, and delivery of training events that yield 15% on-the-job application (Brinkerhoff, 2006). And surprisingly fewer than 20% of organizations even measure whether learning is used on the job (Filipkowski 2015). Currently, many safety professionals are putting most of their resources into the part of the training process that produces the lowest level of business results. They are spending relatively little time on the pre-training and follow-up activities that translate into the positive behavior change and subsequent results (Levels 3 and 4) that organizations seek, let alone providing value to their organizations. it is helpful to review traditional approaches to measurement. One method commonly used is simply the “gut-level” feeling that this particular training course (or intervention) is valuable and worthwhile; reasoning that participants must be learning a lot, therefore creating value for the organization. While there may be some truth to this anecdotal approach, it is hardly compelling to management. We will review Don Kirkpatrick’s (four level) and Jack Phillip’s (fifth level) training evaluation model. Additionally, we will explore evaluation methodologies including Success Case Method and Return on Expectations.

B33 | Contractor Pitfalls
Nicole Spoor, WSI
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Basic/Intermediate

This session will provide an overview of North Dakota’s workers’ compensation laws as they pertain to independent contractors, general contractors, and subcontractors. The goal is to clarify legal responsibilities, coverage requirements, and common misconceptions to help employers remain compliant and avoid liability.

B34 | How Much Risk is Too Much Risk?
Dennis Snodgrass, NDSC
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Basic

How often do managers overlook risky behavior in an effort to simply get the job done? What potential impact can that have on a workforce? This session helps identify risk takers and the cost of bypassing hazards with a real-world case study.

B35 | REPEAT: Human Performance Improvement (HPI), Common Error Traps and HPI Tool Use
John LaFrance, Idaho National Laboratory
4:00 – 5:00 pm, All Levels

This presentation delves into some of the most common human error traps, such as inaccurate assumptions, limited working memory, miscommunication, and complacency. It outlines how Human Performance Improvement (HPI) tools can be utilized to prevent errors and enhance resilience. The presentation also features the analysis of many case studies from an HPI perspective, identifying error traps and determining which tools could have been employed to prevent the incidents. Additionally, the presenter shares valuable insights and experiences from his extensive career in the health and safety field, engaging the audience with thought-provoking questions to foster learning and reflection.

B36 | De-Escalation for Supervisors
Don Moseman, NDSC
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, All Levels

Some professions require people to come in contact with people in stressful situations. De-Escalation Training is a method to prevent potential violence. Individuals are shown how to use purposeful actions, verbal communications, and body language to calm a potentially dangerous situation. Your safety and the safety of others is the highest priority. Attendees will learn both verbal and non-verbal clues and techniques to reduce the risk of violence.

B37  | Artificial Intelligence Foundations
Lynette Borjeson Painter, Bismarck State College
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Basic

This session introduces the foundational concepts of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants will gain an understanding of how AI works, discover practical applications, and examine key ethical considerations. This session aims to build awareness, encourage informed decision-making, and highlight opportunities to safely integrate AI technologies.

B38 | Grinding Safety (weld finishing)
Leland Vetter, Weld Inspection Services
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, All Levels

Abrasive finishing is widely used in welding and machining. Learn about the safety involved using the different abrasives to achieve the finish desired. We will cover grinding, sanding, polishing, and other finishing methods.

B39 | Understanding Your WSI Numbers: Turning Data into Action
Jim Ash, WSI
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, All Levels

This session will help employers make sense of the workers’ compensation data available from Workforce Safety & Insurance. Participants will learn what key WSI metrics—such as experience rates, incident reports, and claim trends—really mean and how they impact premium costs and safety performance. The session will walk through how to access and interpret myWSI reports, identify injury patterns, and use that information to drive targeted safety improvements. By the end, attendees will be equipped to turn WSI data into practical actions that reduce injuries, control costs, and strengthen their overall safety culture.

B40 | Hand Safety 101
Doug Bohl, Ansell
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, All Levels

Hand Safety 101 will talk about the nuts and bolts of gloves, choosing the right glove for the right job and helping you build a hand safety program with worker buy-in and compliance.