The first of three fall 2022 ISRI Safety and Environmental Conference (ISEC) sessions will feature a panel discussion on a major concern to recyclers: lithium-ion batteries.
“We had a very productive fall board meeting [in October],” explains Cheryl Coleman, ISRI vice president of sustainability. “During several of the sessions, members expressed concerns about lithium-ion battery management.”
First Session
The first session of the fall ISEC is “Lithium-Ion Batteries: Safe Handling, Storage, Recycling and Transporting.” It will be virtual from 2 to 4 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Nov. 3. ISRI’s Safety Team has secured four dynamic, knowledgeable speakers for the event: Michael Hughes, corporate vice president of safety at Casella Recycling; Eric Frederickson, managing director of operations at battery recycling and stewardship program Call2Recycle; Richard “Bo” Bodo, director of learning and development at battery recycler Li-Cycle; and Bill Keegan, president of recycling management firm Dem-Con.
“What is your first reaction when faced with a lithium-ion battery fire?” asks Bodo. “For many, the brain takes over and simply reacts, often with the wrong extinguishing methods. With an understanding of how a lithium-ion battery works and what causes a thermal event, you can prepare your mind to react appropriately.”
Second Session
The virtual fall ISEC continues Thursday, Nov. 10, beginning from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT with “PFAS Update,” featuring a briefing on the group of chemicals known as PFAS by David Wagger, ISRI’s chief scientist and director of environmental management. From 3 to 4 p.m. EDT on Nov. 10, “OSHA Update” will feature Micah O’Shaughnessy, regulatory project manager, KPA, and Shawn Smith, product director, KPA.
Third Session
The virtual fall 2022 ISEC wraps up on Thursday, Nov. 17, with two sessions. From 2 to 3 p.m. EDT, “Near-Miss Program Best Practices” will be presented by Eric Archbold, ferrous group safety manager for metals recycler OmniSource.
“‘You really don’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you are!’ is the statement I’ve been sharing with my division all year,” Archbold says. “I’ve been sharing it because we’ve had a lot of incident reports … and it is something that could be considered a ‘negative.’ I feel, however, that having the number of alerts we’ve had is a very positive thing. It gives us an opportunity to identify potential cultural issues and manage them.”
The final fall ISEC presentation, “Combustible Dust,” will be from 3 to 4 p.m. EDT on Nov. 17. Speaker TBA. Learn more about the virtual fall ISEC and register here. Contact Tony Smith, ISRI vice president of safety, if you need additional information.
