BWC Adds New Seminars to Safety Congress Line up Print E-mail
Special focus given to emergency management, terrorism preparedness, among other topics

Friday, March 25, 2005

COLUMBUS – While the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Ohio Safety Congress and Expo with an eye on the past, it certainly is not sacrificing another long-standing tradition of producing new, innovative classes for attendees.

Therefore, BWC has introduced a host of new sessions among the 150 seminars that will be offered during Safety Congress between March 29 and March 31 at the Columbus Convention Center.

“The face of workplace safety is constantly changing,” James Conrad, BWC’s administrator and CEO, said. “By adding new seminars, we can help Ohio businesses and their workers address these challenges head on. Hopefully, by partnering together, we can prevent working Ohioans from being injured in a job-related accident and send them home safely at the end of the workday.”

Among the new seminars are:

Dealing with an Aging Work force – This presentation will identify key areas where problems may surface with an aging work force and provide a variety of strategies to use. (Tuesday, March 29 at 1 p.m.);

Crystal Methamphetamine: The Farm Connection – This session will provide an overview of methamphetamine manufacturing, how distribution and abuse are rising and how farm equipment is stolen or tampered with to help facilitate its production. (Wednesday, March 30 at 10:30 a.m.);

Emergency Planning and Preparation – This two-part session will examine the preparation of the Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency as it dealt with destruction caused by a 2003 tornado. (Wednesday, March 30 at 1p.m.);

School Terrorism Preparation – This session will teach attendees how to prepare, prevent and respond to a terrorism event by using lessons learned from the deadly school siege in Beslan, Russia in September 2004. (Wednesday, March 30 at 1 p.m.);

Illegal Drugs on the Street – This seminar will examine what emergency medical personnel should expect when responding to a drug-related incident such as an overdose, fire or explosion. (Thursday, March 31 at 9:15 a.m.);

After 75 years and over 150,000 attendees, Safety Congress is the second largest occupational safety and health event in the nation. With more than 150 hours of educational sessions and 200 exhibitors, professionals are exposed to cutting edge workplace safety information.

For additional information on Safety Congress, including information on seminars, continuing education, the expo area or advance registration information, please visit BWC’s Web site at ohiobwc.com, or call 1-800-OHIOBWC. Attendees also can register onsite.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jeremy Jackson, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, at (614) 752-7558, or Emily Hicks, (614) 728-6197

EVENT CONTACT: Julie Darby-Martin, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, at (614) 466-8634, or Michelle Francisco, (614) 644-7042