Attendees of the Chicagoland Safety, Health and Environmental Conference, hosted at Northern Illinois University's Naperville campus Sept. 17-20, experienced many learning opportunities. Participants heard from and met professionals from many different OSH areas, explored the expo hall to see new products, and experienced basic to advanced training sessions. 

Sponsored by ASSP’s Greater Chicago, Northeastern Illinois and Three Rivers chapters and many other partners, the conference boasted more than 75 sessions on topics such as active shooter preparation, disaster preparedness, distracted driving, industrial ergonomics and auditing.

Concurrent sessions allowed attendees to delve deeper into OSH issues and topics. For example, a session titled “Safety and Wellness Integration: Managing the Big Picture,” delivered by John Schumacher, compared workers’ compensation and health insurance, and explained their differences when it comes to safety and overall employee well-being.

Mike Anders presented the session, “Preparing for an Active Shooter in Your Workplace.” The former local police officer detailed how safety professionals can develop an action plan to prepare their workplaces in the event of an active shooter event.

The conference’s keynote speech was delivered by Keith Bardney, lead consultant and coach for KYB Consulting and Coaching, and author of Creating a Zero-Incident Culture. The next conference is scheduled for Sept. 16-19, 2019.