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September 20, 2001

50th Health and Safety Conference, Sept. 26 - 27

TUMWATER - Washington employers and workers will devote two days next week to improving workplace health and safety as they gather in downtown Seattle for the 50th Governor's Safety and Health Conference.

An estimated 4,000 people are expected to attend this year's conference, held Sept. 26 and 27 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The agenda includes sessions on workplace violence and air-travel safety. Both presentations will address, in part, the recent terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. Other events include the annual forklift rodeo, workshops on health and safety and the presentation, by Gov. Gary Locke, of 43 lifesaving and humanitarian awards.

This year's keynote address will be given by Charlie Morecraft, a former Exxon refinery worker who was critically burned in a refinery accident and has since gone on to be a motivational speaker and one of the leading authorities on workplace safety.

Washington state began holding health and safety conferences in 1949 after President Harry Truman summoned industrial and labor leaders and local officials to Washington, D.C., challenging them to cut in half the 2 million workplace injuries that were occurring each year. Since then, Washington has held 49 such conferences, alternating between Spokane and Seattle.

Wednesday afternoon will be devoted to safety workshops covering various industries, including agriculture, chemical and petroleum, construction, forest products and maritime. An aerospace panel will deal with air travel safety. Thursday's sessions cover such issues as violence in the workplace and emergency preparedness, which will instruct people on how to become self-sufficient for at least three days following a disaster.

The cost for the conference is $75 at the door. Registration begins at 7 a.m. Wednesday, 7:30 on Thursday morning. The conference is sponsored by the Governor's Industrial Safety and Health Advisory Board and the Department of Labor & Industries.

Conference at a Glance

Wednesday, September 26, 2001

Time	Event	Location
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Cyber Café	Room 615
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Registration Exhibits Open	Level 4 Lobby Exhibition Hall
8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.	Cubicle Yoga for Computer-Related Symptoms	Room 602/603
8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.	School to Work: A Safety and Health Perspective	Room 608
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.	"No Zone" Presentation	Exhibition Hall
9:30 a.m. to Noon	General Session Opens Color Guard Washington State Patrol	Rooms 6ABC
	Welcome Addresses Gary Moore, Director, Department of Labor & Industries
	John Workland, President, Governor's Industrial Safety and Health Advisory Board Lifesaving Awards
	"The Charlie Morecraft Story" Keynote Speaker: Charlie Morecraft:
Noon to 5:00 p.m.	4th Annual Forklift Rodeo	Exhibition Hall
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Implementing Ergonomics for Employers	Room 611
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.	OSHA Recordkeeping Workshop	Room 618
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Industry Panel Workshop	Room 602/603
	Aerospace Panel	Room 605/606
	Accident Prevention Panel	Room 616
	Agriculture Panel	Room 604
	Chemical and Petroleum Panel	Room 613/614
	Communications Panel	Room 609/610
	Construction Panel	Room 608
	Electrical Utilities Panel	Room 617
	Food and Beverage Processing Panel	Room 6E
	Forest Products Panel	Room 6C
	Health Care Panel	Room 620
	Maritime and Waterfront-Related Activities Panel	Exhibition Hall
	Metals Panel/Automotive Panel (Forklift Rodeo)	Room 619
	Mines, Quarries, Cement and Mineral Aggregates Panel	Room 612
	Natural Gas Panel ® Public Employees Panel	Room 6A
	Vehicle and Fleet Panel	Room 607
3:15 p.m.	28th Poletop Rescue Competition	Freeway Park

Conference at a Glance

Thursday, September 27, 2001

Time	Event	Location
7:00 a.m. to Noon	Cyber Café	Room 615
7:30 a.m.	Registration Exhibits Open	Level 4 Lobby Exhibition Hall
8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.	Blockbuster Sessions (First Presentation)
	Fleet Safety: Don't Let a Vehicle and a License Be Your First AND LAST Step	Room 6A
	Violence in the Workplace	Room 6D
	Responding to an Emergency	Room 6B
8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.	Industry Panel Workshops	Room 605
	Electrical Utilities Panel	Room 610
	Vehicle and Fleet	Room 616
8:00 a.m. to Noon	Implementing Ergonomics for Employers	Room 619/620
8:00 a.m. to Noon	OSHA Recordkeeping Workshop	Room 611
8:00 a.m. to Noon	"No Zone" Presentation	Exhibition Hall
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.	WISHA Rules Renaissance	Room 602/604
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.	Industry Panel Workshops	Room 611
	Forest Products Panel	Room 614
9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.	Blockbuster Sessions (Second Presentation)	Same
11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.	Blockbuster Sessions (Third Presentation)	Same
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.	Conference Luncheon Speaker Don Werner	Room 6E
	Awards, Poletop Rescue Competition
	Past Service Awards
	Grand Prize Drawing
2:00 p.m.	Conference Ends

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