VPPPA Gears up for a Robust 2025 Safety+ Symposium
The 41st annual Safety+ Symposium will bring together safety and health professionals for four days of training, networking, and celebration Aug. 11-14 in St. Louis.
- By David Kopf, Stasia DeMarco
- Jul 16, 2025
The Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA) will host its 2025 Safety+ Symposium from Aug. 11 to 14 at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, Mo. The event will mark the 41st Safety+ Symposium and brings together environmental, health, safety, and sustainability professionals from various industries to share best practices and strengthen workplace safety and health programs.
Participants can expect a mix of educational workshops, keynote presentations, and peer networking opportunities. The agenda includes technical sessions, site tours, and activities tailored to frontline workers, safety managers, and organizational leaders alike. Safety+ also includes community-building experiences such as a fun run, golf tournament, and a night at the ballpark, designed to encourage connection and collaboration beyond the conference floor.
Educational Agenda
The 2025 Safety+ Symposium will feature a comprehensive educational agenda covering a range of current issues in workplace health and safety. The schedule includes more than 100 breakout sessions, keynotes, and workshops aimed at providing EHS professionals with practical guidance.
Sessions will address topics such as serious injury and fatality (SIF) prevention, heat stress management, and electrical safety, including updates on NFPA 70E standards and arc flash risks. The agenda also covers the use of emerging technologies, with presentations on AI-based safety analytics, wearable systems for forklift speed control, and motion analysis tools for functional movement screening.
Leadership, safety culture, and communication are key themes throughout the program. Several sessions will explore strategies for engaging frontline workers, closing gaps between management and employees, and using accountability without blame to improve safety practices. Other presentations will focus on methods for effective change communication and ways to improve new-hire safety orientation.
The symposium will also offer technical sessions on high-risk topics including trenching safety, combustible dust hazards, and lithium battery risks. Workshops on incident investigation techniques, contractor management, emergency response planning, and industrial hygiene basics are included in the agenda.
For those focused on regulatory requirements, the program features sessions on OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program, contractor oversight, and compliance with current heat stress and silica standards. Experts from OSHA, private industry, and safety consulting firms will lead the educational offerings.
By combining discussions of longstanding hazards with emerging safety issues and technologies, the 2025 Safety+ Symposium will provide attendees with a detailed look at the challenges and approaches shaping workplace safety today.
VPPPA’s Keynote Speakers
The 2025 Safety+ Symposium kicks off with an inspiring keynote by leadership and teamwork expert Mark Denton on Tues., Aug. 12, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Denton’s presentation, “Together We Triumph,” draws on his gripping experience leading an amateur team to success in the world’s toughest around-the-world yacht race.
Through an edge-of-your-seat multimedia journey, Denton will reveal practical strategies for thriving amid adversity and constant change. Key takeaways include galvanizing teams around a shared purpose, playing to individual strengths, and setting intelligent, incremental goals. Denton will share how data-driven decisions and continuous adjustments helped his crew mitigate risk, along with the importance of self-aware leadership that creates psychological safety where creativity and feedback flourish.
A highlight of Denton’s message is empowering frontline team members to experiment and innovate, challenging mindsets to achieve breakthrough performance. He distills his journey into three cultural factors, rooted in shared values, purpose-driven leadership, and empowered teamwork, that any organization can embrace to overcome obstacles and reach extraordinary outcomes.
Then, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thurs., Aug. 14, Mike Massimino, former NASA astronaut and bestselling author, will present the Symposium’s closing keynote.
Massimino is a veteran of two space shuttle missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope, completing four spacewalks to help extend the life of the historic observatory. He was the first person to send a tweet from space and has since continued his work in science, education, and public outreach.
He currently serves as Senior Adviser for Space Programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and as a professor at Columbia University. He is also a frequent contributor to television, appearing on news and talk shows, as well as in a recurring role on The Big Bang Theory.
Massimino’s keynote will address the importance of teamwork, resilience, and leadership in high-pressure environments, drawing on his unique experiences in space and beyond. His remarks will close out the 41st annual Safety+ Symposium.
Networking and Other Activities
Attendees can look forward to a dynamic lineup of networking events and engaging activities designed to spark connections and celebrate safety excellence.
The Grand Opening Welcome Reception, scheduled for Monday, August 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., will transform the exhibit hall into a bustling hub where attendees can network with peers and explore the latest innovations in personal protective equipment, technology, and safety solutions. More than 150 vendors are expected to exhibit.
Tuesday evening brings a special celebration: the Ballpark Village Tailgating Party on August 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. This event commemorates VPPPA’s 40th anniversary with food, drinks, and entertainment at the heart of St. Louis’ Ballpark Village, providing a casual environment to strengthen industry relationships. Following the tailgate, attendees can head to Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers baseball game from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., offering a fun-filled evening under the lights.
On Thursday, August 14, regional connections will take the spotlight during the Regional Meetings, held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. These meetings allow participants to connect with their Regional VPPPA Boards, learn about regional updates, and discover opportunities to volunteer or engage locally.
Beyond networking, Safety+ offers enriching activities to round out the experience. The Scholarship Golf Tournament tees off on Monday, August 11, supporting the VPPPA scholarship fund, which awards four $3,500 scholarships annually to students pursuing degrees in environmental, health, and safety fields. Players can enjoy snacks, beverages, and an awards luncheon after their round.
Early risers can join the 5K Fun Run/Walk on Monday, August 11, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., promoting wellness and camaraderie before the day’s sessions. Meanwhile, those looking to deepen their professional involvement can participate in Special Government Employee (SGE) Training on August 9–10, which provides VPP participants the chance to assist OSHA with onsite evaluations. The deadline to register for SGE training is July 15.
With a robust schedule of events, Safety+ 2025 promises to blend education with celebration, ensuring attendees leave with fresh insights and lasting professional relationships. For more information, visit VPPPA’s Safety+ Symposium website at https://safety.vpppa.org.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.