Tuesday, March 26
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MPPA Board of Directors Meeting (Open to MPPA Board members only)
1:00-2:00 p.m. MPPA Membership Meeting (Open to all registrants)
2:00–4:30 p.m. Manufacturing & Safety Focused Presentations
6:00–8:30 p.m. Networking Reception/Dinner
Wednesday, March 27
8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Manufacturing & Safety Focused Presentations
Tentative Manufacturing & Safety Focused Presentations
Bringing Occupational Safety and Health into the 21st Century: Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs
Scott Shimandle, USDOL/OSHA – Allentown Area Office
The presentation will review the components of what OSHA believes makes an effective safety and health management program. The discussion will include a review of the core elements and associated action items. The presentation will be presented in an open forum concept to allow attendees to share examples of what is already being implemented, the program element successes and/or program element challenges.
Safesite – Innovative Safety Application Designed for Workers’ Comp
Craig Nunnelley
Safesite is an innovative way to streamline your safety processes by conducting meetings, inspections, and more through a mobile device. With instant access to the data from these actions, you can clearly identify trends, gaps and make changes to control exposures on the plant floor and in the field. Paired with our Workers’ Comp program, you gain access to our safety professionals that help navigate the application, ways to control exposures and best practices with the application. In this presentation we will cover how we have helped companies take their safety program to the next level and how it benefits them, and their employees, in many ways.
NFPA 660 Update
Dave Johnson, North American Höganäs Co.
NFPA 660: Standard for Combustible Dusts is currently in its second draft phase and the plan is to have the final standard issued in 2024. This presentation will provide an overview of the draft standard including a review of the individual chapters with focus on the chapter on Combustible Metals.
Atomization and Dealing with Hazardous Dust
George Bernhard, Consarc Corporation
This presentation will discuss the hazards that metal powders and vapors present to personnel and equipment during the melting and atomization process. Real world examples and lessons learned will be shared on how these risks are eliminated and mitigated. The focus will primarily be on the vacuum melt gas atomization process and considerations in the melting and vacuum pumping systems, including both combustible dust in confined space/vacuum pumps and safety considerations with revert powder melting.
Specialized Powder Conveyance and Filling Solutions
Nelson May, Gerhart Process Solutions
The intricate dynamics of material handling for explosive metal powders within a process environment will be explored. The presentation will delve into the nuanced safety aspects, emphasizing the critical importance of not only adhering to established protocols but also implementing advanced technologies for risk mitigation. Topics covered will include specialized filling solutions and detailed insights into the processing stages, ensuring a thorough understanding of safety measures for individuals involved in handling explosive metal powders in complex process environments.
Crucible Usage and Best Practices
Jeremy Fischer, Vesuvius USA
This presentation will talk about crucible usage and introduce some crucible basics, including the types of crucibles available and when each type is used. There will be a focus on the importance of proper installation, crucible choice for specific applications, common mistakes made, and common crucible failure modes. The goal of this presentation is to shine a light on an often overlooked piece of the process and provide everyone with ideas on how to increase the lifetime and throughput of their crucibles while increasing overall knowledge of a product that is essential for many foundries.
GE Vernova’s Digital Solution to Level 3, Proficy
Lee Jellum, GE Vernova
An overview of what Proficy can do for the manufacturing industry and how data analytics, MES, and ML work with Proficy solutions.
Level 0, Level 1, and Level 2 solutions
Steven Lutz, North American Höganäs Co.
A short overview of how NAH utilizes Level 0, Level 1, and Level 2 controls and a few examples of how it is seamless to management and operations.
CISA ChemLock Program
Nicolaus Goebeler, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency/USDHS
A free, voluntary chemical security program for any business with dangerous or potentially dangerous chemicals or powders. The program provides training, drills, exercises, security planning resources, and onsite security assessments and assistance.
Plant Incidents
MPPA Safety Awards Presentation