The Breakfast Club is a group of professionals withUpcoming:
Establishing a Workplace First Aid Response Program
This presentation includes the why and the step by step process for developing a program for your organization.
Presenter:
Michael Schweitzer, Director of Environmental Health and Safety
MAJORS PLASTICS INC.
mschweitzer@majorsplastics.com
Navigating Gas-Filled Structures and Natural Gas Safety: A Guide for Utilities and First Responders
This presentation explores gas-filled structures and natural gas safety, examining how these events occur, their risks, and their impacts on people and infrastructure. It will cover incidents caused by strikes on distribution systems, supported by a detailed case study and real-world scenario. The session will highlight the importance of system mapping for hazard identification, explain gas migration and its role in emergencies, and discuss the effects of these events on communities and response efforts. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to these risks and strategies for improving safety and emergency response.
Shane Docken 
Safety Manager and Hazmat Coordinator at Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD)
Shane Docken holds two bachelor's degrees and a master’s degree in Justice Administration and Crime Management. He is a Certified Safety Professional with over 10 years of experience in the construction industry. Currently serving as the Safety Manager and Hazmat Coordinator at Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD), Shane oversees safety initiatives for more than 850 employees within the gas and water utility sectors. In his role, he manages the Safety Program and leads the Hazmat Team at MUD. Before joining MUD, Shane owned and operated his own construction business, working with various companies throughout the Omaha metro area. He is a dedicated advocate for safety, with specialized expertise in excavation, confined space, and hazardous materials activities.
Preventing Musculoskeletal Injuries: Best Practices for a Healthier, Safer Workplace
Objectives:
- Define a Musculoskeletal injury, early signs and symptoms and its Impact at Work
- Discover effective strategies for MSK injury prevention
- Conduct an Ergo Risk Assessment
- Problem Solving-Q&A
The presentation will cover understanding musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, including their definition, early signs and symptoms, and the impact they can have in the workplace. Participants will explore effective strategies for MSK injury prevention, emphasizing practical approaches to reduce risk and promote worker well-being. Additionally, attendees will learn how to conduct an ergonomic risk assessment to identify and address potential hazards in the work environment.
Speaker: Kim Robinson, PT, DPT, earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2006. She currently serves as a physical therapist and business development manager at On-Site Solutions Physical Therapy, a company dedicated to transforming workplace healthcare and helping organizations eliminate barriers to injury prevention and physical therapy services.
Kim has 20 years of experience in physical therapy, with a deep focus on treating orthopedic conditions, managing pain, and delivering injury prevention solutions directly to employees. She specializes in designing customized injury prevention and musculoskeletal (MSK) injury management programs, specifically aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced in industrial settings.
Outside of her professional life, Kim is married and has one son. The family enjoys biking and running together, traveling, and having game nights.
Presentation: Trench Safety
Speakers: Gus Ochoa, NSCN Instructor and Matt Kelly, CS Shoring
Presentation: Flip the Script: Achieve Safety Success Through Emotional Engagement
Employee engagement enhances the climate of a workplace, which leads to a better culture. It also reduces staff turnover, increases productivity, and improves safety. This session will show you how to achieve sustainable employee engagement by reaching workers’ hearts and minds on an individual and emotional level.
Speaker: Jack Jackson
With his resounding voice and stature as a former letterman on his university football team, William “Jack” Jackson has a commanding presence at the front of a room. He is a gifted and motivational presenter, often the top-rated speaker in group sessions.
Jack’s career has included working in production, operations and safety at Johnson Controls for 19 years, followed by seeing Avanzar Interior Technologies, on the Toyota of Texas campus, through the safety phase of new construction. In addition to developing a safety program, he also developed a conditioning program to prepare team members to become industrial athletes.Coach Jack worked with two semi-professional football teams for 6 years and was named NAFL defensive coordinator of the year. Jack used his experience to develop a safety concept that teaches participants of his courses that “safety is always first.”
Presentation: Crucial Coaching and People Styles
Speaker: Ralph Lassiter, Ed.D., D. Min., SPHR
Ralph has served as president and managing principal of TouchStone Strategic Consultants LLC, a talent management and organizational development consultancy providing a full range of leadership development, strategic planning, change management, project management and succession planning services.
Ralph is a Sr Consultant - Adjunct for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and provides training for the Certificate in Safety Leadership Certificate brought to you by NSCN and UNO.
A visionary, trusted adviser to senior and executive leaders and nationally recognized facilitator, Lassiter has designed and delivered a variety of leadership programs to a range of clients in the private and public sectors across the United States. He has led strategic planning efforts for non-profits, public utilities, corporations and faith-based organizations across the country.
Presentation: Industrial Hygiene; Why Testing Matters
Speaker: Chris Reed, MS
Chris has been in the safety world for over 46 years, yeah, she is getting old!!! Chris spent the first 21 years in the United States Air Force, not flying jets but, trying to keep the military folks safe and healthy. Her military career trained her as an industrial hygienist (all things air, water, noise, IAQ, etc., etc.) as well as dabbling in radiation trying to keep the bases safe from those nasty radioactive materials, X-rays, and RF emitters. When she wasn’t practicing in the IH or radiation field she spent a considerable amount of time looking for and trying to reduce the amount of hazardous waste that naturally occurs when you have a super large organization. Once she decided to retire from the military, knowing she still had a lot to learn and tons of energy she was privileged to work for the Nebraska Safety Council, Inc., who is no longer in existence, for nearly 16 years. She learned so much about DOT Hazardous Materials and Dangerous Goods, NFPA Electrical, and she became an OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer – General Industry as well as a trainer for the National Safety Council’s Advance Safety Certificate. After traveling around the Great State of Nebraska, Chris grew very tired and needed a break, so she decided to opt out of the NeSC and head towards unknown places. After touring the US as a customer service representative for Galson Laboratories in California and an average fabric cutter for Joann’s (Ohio) and Hobby Lobby (N. Carolina), Chris decided she needed to get back to her occupational roots and took on a job at a nearby concrete company - Nebco, Inc. as the company Industrial Hygienist. She next headed to Iowa as the Director of Program Development and Training, then moved across a couple of states to Red Rocks Community College as the director of the OTI Education Center for a brief moment. Before making it back to the Great State of Nebraska Chris took on the position as the SME and Trainer for Compliance Solutions Occupational Trainers in Denver, CO. and while Colorado is beautiful Nebraska was called. So, she dropped everything and made her fourth trip back to Nebraska where Chris is now at the National Safety Council – Nebraska Chapter and once again training, consulting and doing the industrial hygiene gig for old and new companies across the state. Chris is very excited to be back in the state where she has spent over half her life; she truly believes she is a natural Nebraskan. She is once again back to “The Good Life”.
Presentation: Turning Safety Data into Action: How to Spot and Stop Risks Before They Become Incidents
Speaker: James Gill, Solution Engineer, SafetyReports
Every day, safety teams collect valuable data—inspection results, near-miss reports, hazard observations—but too often that data sits in spreadsheets or filing cabinets, disconnected from day-to-day decision-making. In this session, we’ll explore how to turn that information into actionable insights that prevent accidents before they happen.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Identify trends and recurring hazards hidden in their safety data.
- Use real-time reporting to prioritize corrective actions and allocate resources effectively.
- Engage frontline teams in proactive hazard recognition and reporting.
- Leverage predictive indicators to shift from reactive compliance to a culture of prevention.
We’ll share practical examples and success stories from SafetyReports users who have reduced incidents, improved compliance, and strengthened their safety cultures by putting their data to work. Whether managing a single site or multiple locations, attendees will walk away with a clear framework for spotting and stopping risks before they become costly, reportable incidents.
Presentation: Buried Alive
Speaker: Eric Giguere
Listen as Eric Giguere, a 49 year old former construction worker from Phelps, NY, shares his story of how he was buried alive while working in a trench. Eric explains the circumstances and events that led up to his accident and the profound effects it has had on him and his family for the last twenty one years. Eric speaks from the heart with a desire for the listeners to learn from his death defying safety message. He has a very genuine approach and the intent of his presentation is to prevent this experience from ever happening to anyone again. Eric explains how he is an average guy and a series of extraordinary events left him with an unbelievable story to tell. Once you have heard Eric’s story, damage prevention will be more important to you than ever before!
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Life for Eric Giguere only looked up. A capable worker with a good job and good pay, he married on September 28, 2002. Within a week, the newlyweds would be on their honeymoon. Six days after the wedding Eric went to work and looked forward to leaving for his honeymoon after his shift was over. That joy never came to be.
Eric had 5 years experience as a union laborer, and was two months into his first trenching project. The crew was installing a 12-inch water main. Eric got down into the 6.5 foot trench to inspect the pipe, and the trench walls collapsed. He was buried under several feet of soil. Eric panicked. He was unable to breath under the crushing weight. His fear began to subside and a feeling of warmth and comfort overcame him. Eric was dying.
He regained consciousness in the hospital where he learned of the quick action of his team to dig him out. The doctors told Eric he suffered permanent brain damage from the lack of oxygen. Despite the odds against any life other than one of permanent disability, Eric never stopped fighting to overcome what he was told was now impossible.
Eric is an average guy who had the typical attitude toward safety: "Accidents happen, but not to me". Until the one that nearly took his life. Now Eric's mission in life is to make sure the arrogance he had toward safety doesn't become yours. His message is simple and serious, “This can happen to you.”
Round Table Discussion on Safety