Safety Conference

Turning Safety Standards into Daily Practice

*THE CONFERENCE IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT*
Please contact Mary Rapp at [email protected] to be added to a waitlist.

Space is still available for the Safety Awards Dinner for $100 per person. This includes dinner and drinks. To secure your spot for just the dinner, please contact Mary Rapp at [email protected]

The FMA Safety Conference brings together safety leaders and manufacturing professionals to focus on turning safety standards into daily practice. Designed for those responsible for driving measurable safety performance, the conference delivers actionable insights on workplace risk reduction, regulatory compliance, and the effective implementation of safety systems on the shop floor. Attendees will gain practical strategies for workforce engagement to build sustainable safety practices, while reconnecting with industry peers and celebrating excellence through the presentation of prestigious Safety Awards.

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Event Details

Safety Conference

Date

May 12-13, 2026

Location

Marsh & McLennan Agency

20 N Martingale Rd Ste 100

Schaumburg, IL 60173-2412

Reserve a Room

Registration

Registration for this event is not currently open.

Sessions

Session Name

Time (CT)

Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Registration

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Program Introduction

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

7,200 Volts Later: The Shortcut That Changed Everything!

Bill is living proof that one moment can change everything. After surviving a 7,200-volt electrocution, he transformed his experience into a mission to inspire change and elevate the importance of safety in every task. His compelling story challenges audiences to rethink shortcuts, embrace safe practices, and make safety personal. Attendees will hear the latest fatality and severe injury statistics. They will learn the top reasons why employees get hurt at work, and what they can do to minimize those injuries.

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Morning Break

10:15 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.

Ice Breaker

10:20 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Saving Your Safety Culture With No-Blame Accountability

Blame suffocates culture. The solution is positive accountability. This presentation will give audiences the know-how to diagnose blame within their own work cultures, highlighting the common causes of blame and the misconceptions that allow it to thrive, as well as the tools to cut it out of your organization. Start curating the positive accountability necessary to strengthen your operations and enhance safety.

11:15 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.

Lunch

12:05 p.m. - 1:05 p.m.

When Steel Moves: Preventing Material Handling and Rigging Injuries in Metal Fabrication

Material handling incidents involving cranes, forklifts, suspended loads, and shifting steel bundles continue to cause severe injuries in the metal fabrication industry. Recent incident reports show workers being struck by falling beams, pinned by shifting loads, or injured during lifting operations involving cranes and forklifts. This presentation examines the common failure points in rigging and material handling operations, including improper load control, unstable lifting configurations, and workers positioning themselves in dangerous zones around suspended loads. Using real-world case examples, the session will demonstrate how existing safety standards and best practices can be translated into practical shop-floor behaviors.

1:05 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.

Beyond the Checkbox: Real-World Safety Strategies that Work

Too many safety programs focus on compliance optics over real impact. This session delivers actionable strategies and measurable goals drawn from firsthand client experience, giving attendees practical tools they can implement immediately to drive safety performance that truly matters.

1:55 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Afternoon Break

2:50 p.m. - 3:05 p.m.

Managing Risk Where People and Machines Interact

Focuses on identifying, evaluating, and mitigating hazards at the task level in automated and robotic work centers. As human operators increasingly work alongside automated systems, effective risk management requires collaboration across safety, engineering, operations, and third-party industry resources. This presentation is a case study using these principals and offers guidance on this process.

3:05 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Cutting Through the Hype: Practical AI for your SMS to Help Reduce Risk, with Examples From Other Industries

With so much hype and attention on AI, this presentation will show how real-world AI systems are being built on top of Safety Management Systems. Drawing from real world examples in the steel manufacturing and other industries, attendees will learn how AI is helping teams spot risk earlier, guide decisions, and disseminate safety data more effectively. The goal of the presentation is not to show theory but to give practical takeaways that can help safety professionals realize operating value from AI, while at the same time, not falling victim to inflated expectations about AI.

4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Closing Remarks

4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

FMA and CNA Safety Awards Dinner

Come for the awards, stay for the connections, and leave with unforgettable memories. Join us for a choice dinner, and the presentation of the annual Safety Awards. This is your chance to meet the winners, as qualifying companies take home their well-earned Awards.

$0 with conference registration. $100 guest fee (includes dinner and drinks).
To register for just the Awards Dinner, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 815-399-8775.

Location:
Weber Grill Restaurant
1010 N Meacham Rd.,
Schaumburg, IL 60173