2023 EHS Conference Agenda

Craig Schmeisser, AFS EHS Division Chair

Conference Chair: Ryan Burke, OSCO Industries, Portsmouth, OH

Daniel Goldfarb, Wildlife Habitat Council, Valparaiso, IN

• Facilitating relations between industry, community, and Environmental NGOs
• Demonstrating community forestry to increase community and employee engagement 
• Share heavy industry pollution and Conservation/Biodeversity improvement projects

Chris Price, DOE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN



Dan Plant, Metal Technologies, Better Climate Program, Auburn, IN

Rollis Reisner, McWane Inc., Birmingham, AL

Bryant Esch, Waupaca Foundry Inc., Waupaca, WI

• Industry and DOE partner to reduce energy intensity by 25% over 10-year period
• Industry partners receive DOE technical assistance, tools, resources, and national recognition
• Introduction to the new DOE Energy Intensive Industries pilot program
• Panel: Real foundry perspective on the benefits of partnering with DOE

Brian Holland, Trinity Consultants, Dallas, TX

• Assessing risk in disproportionately impacted areas in the US
• Tools available for evaluating risk in EJ areas
• Case studies applying these tools to EJ issues and air permitting 

Bob Ribbing, Amsted Rail, Granite City, IL



Jeet Radia, McWane Inc., Birmingham, AL



Jenny Pappalardo, Charlotte Pipe, Charlotte, NC

• Current federal and state EJ drivers
• Range of current impacts (case studies)
• Future outlook
• What should foundries be doing

Moderator: Mike Lenahan, Badger Mining Corp., Berlin, WI



Zach Pine, Roberts Sinto Corp., Grand Ledge, MI



Tom Cobett, LightSpeed Concepts Inc., Strongsville, OH

Panel presentation highlighting two different technological advancements for the foundry industry.  Hear Learn about these novel technologies and the problems they are solving, and how they are benefiting both process and EHS performance.  Taking a unique approach to problem solving land unique and novel technologies! 

Todd Fein, Green Diamond Solutions, Chicago, IL

• Leverage current and future activities to increase rather than diminish your bottom
• Next generation financial modeling to properly allocate non-financial ESG factors into decision-making
• Methods to incorporate "soft" risk reduction benefits such as the following CapEx Justifications
  • Environmental justice, public perception, decarbonization, employee retention

Wesley Fleming & Nicholas McCreary Keramida Inc., Indianapolis, IN

• Calculating Scope 1 (direct) & Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions is typically achieved through basic calculations using commodity and utility invoices
• Scope 3 emissions are emissions associated with a company's value chain. Accounting for emissions from all aspects of the value chain can be extremely challenging, often requiring detailed information from your suppliers and customers
• This talk will cover various approaches to estimating Scope 3 emissions, including high-level screenings and in-depth assessments. KERAMIDA will provide real examples of Scope 3 emission calculations from the foundry industry

Paul Reusch, EPA, Chicago, IL

Moderator:
Ryan Burke, OSCO Industries, Portsmouth, OH

Panelists:
Environmental Speakers from metalcasting companies: Rod Reisner, Bryant Esch, Dan Plant, Bob Ribbing, Jenny Pappalardo

This session is for metalcasters only!  Are you a regulator, supplier, customer, or a consultant?  We appreciate you, but you are not welcome for this session!  You know what they say, “there are no dumb questions, only questions you shouldn’t ask in front of certain people!!”  This session is for foundry people to ask tough questions about anything Environmental on day 1 and anything Health and Safety on Day 2.  Make sure you fully understand the changing rules and reg’s or share some foundry best practices – anything EHS.  During this session you can feel at ease knowing what gets said here stays here!

Craig Schmeisser, AFS EHS Division Chair

• AFS EHS Committee Overview
• Recognition of AFS EHS Division Members in Attendance

Thomas Carey, Mercury Marine, Fon Du Lac, WI

Industry 4.0 concepts are generating much interest in manufacturing operations for predictive maintenance, assessment of process control, assistance in non-destructive evaluation of quality, and ultimately to make predictions about part quality.  EHS departments are also concerned with process control, systems maintenance, and reporting both internally and to regulatory bodies.  Thus, the same building blocks of data collection, organization and storage, visualization, analysis, and communication apply to EHS systems.  In this presentation, four case studies are presented.  Two are environmentally focused and impact Mercury Marine’s in-house smelting operation and die-casting operation.  The other two case studies are safety focused: an in-house 5S mobile application and in-plant ambient environment monitoring.

Carsten Nielsen, Norican Group, Taastrup, Denmark

With the rise of sustainability objectives, new regulations, and a labor shortage, EHS departments are pressed to achieve objectives with minimal tools. New technologies are improving and monitoring EHS Metrics in foundries. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can generate reports, notify departments when equipment needs to be addressed, and display information in user-friendly dashboards—all improve the effectiveness of an EHS department. Learn how foundries are using this technology towards sustainability, reducing energy consumption, tracking carbon emissions, monitoring baghouses, and more all from their IIoT. Work smarter and faster with the right tools.

Cris Proctor, Free Flow Technologies, Loves Park, IL
Brett Heinrich, Vedder Price, Chicago, IL

Anatomy of an Enforcement Action” will cover how the Federal Government (EPA and OSHA) as well as state governments determine and evaluate potential targets for enforcement. Our speakers will walk the audience through this process which is rarely discussed. Next, our speakers will inform the audience on how to best prepare for an inspection and how best to respond to a Violation Notice or Enforcement Action. Lastly, our speakers will take the audience through the settlement process with the Agencies as well as a discussion of the most effective strategies to best control the outcome.

Vaughn Baker, Co-Founder and President of Strategos International, Kansas City, MO

Gain new insight and guidance on prevention and response strategies your organization can use to prepare for workplace violence and active threat response. Learn the importance of using a non-linear response model rather than a traditional linear model and gain insight on how it can help you respond as these types of incidents increase in frequency and evolve in how they are perpetrated.

Air Quality - Jeet Radia, McWane Inc., Birmingham, AL



Water & Waste - Bryant Esch, Waupaca Foundry Inc., Waupaca, WI



Health & Safety - Brent Charlton, Metal Technologies of Indiana LLC, Auburn, IN

• AFS Division Individual Awards
• AFS Metalcasting Safe Year Awards
• Green Foundry Awards
• Innovation & Insight Awards
• Millionaires Safety

Check out exhibitors before next sessions

Jeff Hannapel, The Policy Group, Rockville, MD

Environmental issues continue to make headlines and pose challenges that can impact metalcasting facilities.  Hear from the AFS Washington office how the latest developments on environmental issues could shape the political and regulatory landscape and impact your operations.

Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office, Washington DC

As we wrap-up fiscal year 2023, it’s time to look back and take stock of what we learned from and about OSHA during this eventful year particularly related to current enforcement tactics and trends, and special initiatives.  We will also examine what to expect on new rulemakings going into 2024.

Director: Mike Lenahan, Badger Mining, Berlin, WI

Karen A. Lutz, TRC, Ann Arbor, MI

The ever-expanding universe of ESG/Sustainability information requests from investors, regulators and customers requires companies to implement rigorous reporting processes to keep pace. External disclosures based on decision-useful information with strong data lineage and governance systems build trust and confidence and align external reporting with internal benefits.  Choosing the appropriate standards and frameworks so that your external reporting meets the needs of your stakeholders is just the tip of the iceberg.  We will also cover effective processes to ensure a transparent and traceable, comparable but differentiating, ambitious but credible Sustainability report that creates value for your organization.

Panelists:
Safety & health speakers from metalcasting companies: Brent Charlton, Mickey Hannum, Mary Kay Crowley, Andrew Kress

Networking, time with exhibitors, Hors D'Oeuvres, and refreshments for all

Brent Charlton, Metal Technologies Inc., Auburn, IN

Mickey Hannum, McWane Inc., Birmingham, AL

• A review of human and organizational performance principles
• What does "accountability" really mean? Hint: It's not disciplinary action!
• Context as a factor in incident learning - does discipline solve the problem? 
• It's not just about safety and it's not just about hourly employees. We all create context for others

Jeff Rasmussen, M&H Valve, Anniston, AL

Jeff Heishman, Clow Valve, Oskaloosa, IA

Calvin Wildeboer, John Deere, Waterloo, IA

• Robotic applications implemented at Clow Valve and John Deere Foundry
• OSHA does not have specific robotic safety standards
• Learn the specific robotic safety requirements when installing robots

William Donovan, OSHA Regional Administrator, Region V, Chicago, IL

Gary Lescallet, OSHA Deputy Regional Administrator, Region V, Chicago, IL

• OSHA's compliance strategy and enforcement initiatives, including indoor heat stress
• Health and safety management systems and how the agency views them
• Alliance programs to benefit both OSHA and industry

Abby Ferri, CSP, ARM, Insurate, Inc., Minneapolis, MN

Kelly Franko, Seraphina Safety Apparel, Cortland, OH 

This session is for any stage of the inclusive PPE journey, learn more about the past and present of PPE fit, and identify strategies to impact the future. After this session, you’ll be able to:

• Understanding the challenge of fit through anthropometric data
• Identifying strategies for communication with the workforce, procurement, suppliers, and distributors with a focus on impacting limited awareness, access, and affordability
• Describe the impact of inclusive PPE on worker retention and becoming the employer of choice for emerging workers
• Identify innovative solutions in inclusive PPE and your next steps

Mark A. Lies, Labor and Employment Lawyer and Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago, IL

Adam R. Young, Labor and Employment Lawyer and Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago, IL

• OSHA's new generation of compliance officers and aggressive, enforcement-first strategies
• Limiting liabilities relating to contractors at multi-employer worksites, heat illness, and OSHA's latest enforcement programs
• How to manage OSHA inspections to limit liability for civil penalties and criminal prosecution
• How to address any citations that employers receive

Mary Kay Crowley, CIH, John Deere Foundry, Waterloo, IA

• Problems encountered with non-silica abrasive blast to remove resin-coated sand
• Review of alternative cleaning methods and controls evaluated
• Success! A cost saving cleaning method with reduced dust exposure and damage to equipment

Pete Buczek, WGS Global Services LLC, Davisburg, MI

• Who owns workers' compensation activity and claim management?
• Basic understanding of work comp and insurance cost structure is paramount!
• Best & worst practices to consider for compliance and cost savings

Kay Rowntree, Industrial Hygiene Sciences LLC, Waterford, WI

• Brief review of the current federal OSHA standard
• Michigan actions
• Washington and Oregon proposals
• California - Big changes with big impacts
• Federal OSHA actions