Attendees and exhibitors at VPPPA's annual national conference are meeting inside the sixth largest U.S. convention facility, which recently hired a new director for its Public Safety Department.
VPPPA's annual national conference apparently has dodged most of the Hurricane Harvey bullet. Now, thousands of attendees from VPP companies are in downtown New Orleans to learn, network, and share their expertise.
The city's guidance for securing construction material in anticipation of heavy rain includes covering electrical equipment from exposure to the weather; securing netting, scaffolding, and sidewalk sheds; and also suspending crane operations and securing crane equipment when wind speeds reach 30 mph or greater.
Attendees at VPPPA's annual national conference got their first look at the exhibit floor during an Aug. 29 reception inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in downtown New Orleans.
"It is a pleasure to recognize Cintas for its company culture that promotes excellence in workplace safety and health," said MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman. "Implementing best practices for increased worker safety exemplifies a true commitment among management and staff at this facility."
It will take place 1-4 p.m. Aug. 28 in New Orleans. The agency wants stakeholders to provide new ideas on three subjects: overall VPP process and flow, corporate/long-term participant involvement, and Special Government Employee activities.
Hundreds of occupational safety and health professionals will be traveling to New Orleans to attend Safety+ at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. It takes place Aug. 29 through Sept. 1.
OSHA said it is "seeking to reshape VPP so that it continues to represent safety and health excellence, leverages partner resources, further recognizes the successes of long-term participants, and supports smart program growth." The agency anticipates holding a second meeting in conjunction with VPPPA's Safety+ annual conference in New Orleans.
"There is a lot of momentum behind VPP nationally and in the states," said Mike Maddox, VPPPA's executive director. "Few issues bring labor and management – and Democrats and Republicans – together like VPP."
The 2017 investments unveiled Jan. 23 include more than 200 new high-definition security cameras and signage in 20 hotspots, more than 100 new license plate readers deployed citywide, and a 24/7 command center from which the cameras, license plate readers, and other technology will be monitored.
VPPPA's regional conference calendar is packed in late spring and summer next year, starting with the Region IX conference in early April.
New Orleans is a very popular destination and Louisiana is in VPPPA's Region VI, the biggest region, which encompasses Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Both the host employer and the staffing agency may be held responsible for safety violations, Norman R. Deitch, OHST, explained during a session at the conference.
The expo at this year's VPPPA Annual National Safety & Health Conference opened Monday for a 5-7 p.m. reception that gave attendees the chance to corral PPE manufacturers' representatives about their safety problems and issues. Having the opportunity to sample fish and chips, several pizza varieties, chicken and beef tostadas, and a chili bar made it particularly worthwhile for attendees, who filled the expo floor's aisles and kept exhibitor personnel busy for most of the two-hour reception
The VPP trail blazed by Indiana in 1995, when the Indiana Department of Labor successfully codified VPP into law by a state statute, has been followed by Virginia and may soon be traveled by other states, Courtney Malveaux, VPPPA's government affairs counsel, reports.
Thousands of safety professionals are gathered here at the Gaylord Palms resort for the 2016 VPPPA Annual National Safety & Health Conference, a not-to-be-missed chance to learn the ropes of all things VPP: applying, audits, Special Government Employees, and why the VPPPA's national conference is such a high-energy experience
"The conference lasts four days, but the knowledge and experiences last a lifetime," as the VPPPA says its in its pre-show documents explaining why the #VPPPA32 conference is worthwhile for attendees.
On Aug. 30, there eight hours of presentations devoted to construction safety topics divided into morning and afternoon sessions in the Sun C Ballroom.
The best and brightest 2016 shows include NFMT 2016, which takes place in March 2016 in Baltimore, followed by AIHce 2016, ASSE's Safety 2016, NFPA's Conference & Expo VPPPA's national conference, WEFTEC 2016, and the 2016 National Safety Congress & Expo.
Presenting at VPPPA31, Pat Furr helped to shine a light on proper confined space rescue planning.