Greetings everyone. This is Dave. I'm always curious, when folks are looking for a career path, what are they going to be looking at? With my career, I've got experience in the area of safety, health loss control, engineering, human behavior, and a few other interesting things. But what about those who are young and looking for a future? What are they to do?

One of the ways that we can explore what's good for the order and what's a good return on your investment in time and opportunity for the future, would be to explore the area of safety and health. Let's get more specific.

Take for example, the Grenfell disaster in the UK back in 2017, which took over 70 lives. That experience taught us many things about engineering, life safety, loss control, as well as politics and how communities deal with safety.

If you'd like to consider a possible career in safety and health, loss control, engineering, process safety, fire protection, any of those areas, at next week's professional development conference and exposition, there'll be more than 200 educational sessions. I'll take a look at 20 of those—quickly—so that you can get an idea whether you're really interested in this field—or if you are interested in the field—it may help you discern what you might take time out to listen to, attend, and participate in. Here we go!

Tuesday morning's “A New Blueprint for Improving Safety & Mental Health in Construction” offers practical leadership strategies to drive cultural and safety improvements in high-risk industries.

5008 "Integrating NFPA Standards for a Complete Electrical Safety Program” deepens understanding of the NFPA 70E “Workplace” and NFPA70B “Maintenance” standards to assure effectiveness.

“Applied Ethics for EHS” focuses on real-world ethical dilemmas and frameworks to assure professional integrity and success in any organization.

Workplace Mental Health Investment” advocates for making mental health a core element of safety strategy in high-stress environments.

“EHS Strategies for PFAS in the Workplace” covers health risks, costs, prevention, and regulation of long-term PFAS exposure.

"Implementing the New ANSI Z490 Standard” offers guidance on applying the standard to build effective safety, health, and environmental training systems.

6005 “Forever Chemicals: PFAS Laws & Health Impacts” explains the health and societal risks of PFAS, related regulations, and PPE implications.

6007 "Preventing Serious Injuries & Fatalities” presents practical human and organizational performance principles to prevent high-consequence events. 

6009 “Risk Assessment Superpowers” discusses the development of complex, dynamic risk assessments, a core skill for EHS professionals.

6072 “Decision-Making & AI: Architecting the Safety & Health Risk Management System” explores building systems that support AI, enable deep analysis, and enhance risk management and incident reduction.

7003 “Environmental Health & Safety Professionals: Are You Sustainability Leaders” explores the growing link between Environmental, Social, and Governance and EHS roles.

7004 “OSHA's Hazard Communication Final Rule of 2024” explains recent updates as well as alignment with GHS.

7007 "The U.S. Army's Approach to Blast Overpressure” explains how issues are identified and strategies developed to meet Department of Defense guidance. 

7008 “Integrating AI to Improve Safety Performance” introduces AI future-facing technologies.

"Workplace Violence Prevention Programs” reviews emerging regulatory trends, legislation, and best practice prevention strategies.

7014 "How Employee Engagement Creates Organizational Learning” explains how strong safety cultures rely on trust and communication, with worker involvement fueling innovation and performance.

“ANSI B11.26 Functional Safety Update on Machine Safety Controls” covers national safety design standards and their integration into manufacturing and industrial environments.

7018 “Robotics in the Workplace” focuses on the safety benefits and new hazards introduced by robotics in the workplace.

Finally, there's a session on "Mental Health, EHS and the "Safety Profession" you don't want to miss. The Wednesday session will address what you can do to be of help in this critical area.

So when you have a moment to step outside of those educational sessions, where will you head? Over to Mighty Line's booth number 1861, which is near the Society of Safety Professionals' Main Exhibit as well, in the Expo area. In addition to learning more about "The World's Most Durable Stripe," the 50-mil beveled-edge tape that Mighty Line is so well-known for, take time out to learn about their OSHA, ANSI, and ISO-themed safety signs. 

We'll see you soon on the next edition of Mighty Line Minute.