A BIG DAY FOR OHIO’S SMALL BUSINESSES Print E-mail
Small Business Day at the Ohio Safety Congress & Expo aims to meet the needs of smaller employers

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

COLUMBUS- Small businesses make up over 99 percent of the nation’s employers. In fact, Ohio alone is home to more than 800,000 small businesses.

To help those employers understand the importance of workplace safety, Wednesday, March 30 the Ohio Safety Congress & Expo will host Small Business Day. To celebrate the contributions made by Ohio’s small employers, BWC will offer several classes geared towards small business.

“Because small businesses are such a large part of Ohio’s economy, we’ve aside an entire day to address their unique needs,” said James Conrad, BWC Administrator and CEO. “Over the years, BWC has worked hard to dialogue with these employers and understand their concerns. It’s our hope that as a result Ohio’s small businesses will be the safest in the nation.”

A variety of seminars will help small businesses reduce costs and improve workplace safety. The class OSHA Myth Busters for Small Business will help employers learn the truth about their responsibilities as a small employer. Additionally, the session Critical Incident Stress Management will address the dos and don’ts of responding to crisis and trauma in the workplace. Also, Store Security and Safety and Safety is a Team Sport are other small business sessions offered on Small Business Day.

Small employers can also enjoy the inspirational words of Charlie Morecraft, former Exxon Corporation employee and workplace accident survivor. Morecraft will speak at 3:30 p.m. on Small Business Day.

Employers who cannot attend Safety Congress on Small Business Day have the opportunity to attend small employer focused sessions on two other days:

--Tuesday, March 29- Workshop: Practical Safety Tips for Small Business and Transitional Work Programs for Small Business
--Thursday, March 31- Fighting Compensation Fraud: Why Bother? and OSHA’S VPP and SHARP Programs

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 and advance registration, call 1-800-OHIOBWC. Attendees also can register onsite.

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Media contact: Jeremy Jackson, BWC, (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