ReMA’s Safety and Environmental Conference (ISEC) is the most comprehensive source of up-to-date information and guidance concerning safe operations and environmental compliance in the recycled materials industry. Environmental health and safety (EHS) and operations professionals from across the industry shared lessons learned, best practices, and more.
“This conference was about making connections, discussing experiences and impactful educational sessions,” says Ryan Nolte, Ph.D., ReMA’s director of safety outreach. “Having the opportunity to engage others in recycling to discuss common issues and potential opportunities for improvement is invaluable for attendees’ personal and professional development.”
The conference took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, between June 4-6. One of the key highlights this year was the free four-hour course, Hazard Recognition: Fire Safety and Prevention, presented by the ReMA safety team. The course was developed to assist employees, team leads, supervisors, plant managers, and senior leadership in understanding hazards associated with fires in recycling and materials recovery facilities (MRF) environments. The goal was to teach attendees ways to potentially control these hazards to prevent significant fire losses.
“For the event, we try to make sure that EHS and operations professionals at all levels share their experiences with each other and have plenty of opportunities to network,” said Jerry Sjogren, ReMA’s senior director of safety “You want to hit it out of the park so that people walk away and say, ‘Wow, you know, I got a lot out of that. I’m coming back for the next one.”
Some of the other safety and environmental topics covered at this year’s conference include:
- Workplace Violence / Active Shooter
- Radiation Detection and Handling for Recyclers
- Equipment Inspection including Hands On Demonstration
- Current DOT Enforcement Activity including Hands On Demonstration
- Rail Car Incident Review and Inspection Best Practices
- Electric Vehicle Review
- Safety Orientation for Recyclers Conceptual Framework and Resources
- Focus Groups on Topics TBD
- Fire Safety and Prevention (the OSHA Grant Class)
