The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and grain industry trade publication Grain Journal are co-sponsoring a Safety Conference, which will address key safety issues facing the grain, feed and processing industries and includes time to network and visit safety equipment suppliers.
The day-and-a-half conference July 29-31 at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., is designed specifically for managers and directors, facility managers and key employees in the grain-handling, processing, milling and feed industries.
“The conference provides a unique opportunity to learn from the foremost industry experts on important safety issues we face today,” said NGFA Director of Safety and Regulatory Affairs Jess McCluer.
For example, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will affect operations for virtually all U.S. grain elevator operators, feed and feed ingredient manufacturers, and grain processors, as well as both food and feed import suppliers. To address this issue, Matt Frederking vice president of regulatory affairs and quality assurance from Ralco Nutrition, will focus on what the industry needs to know to comply with the new requirements.
Another session will address the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) rolling stock fall-protection policy directive. Anthony Goodeman, deputy director, FGIS Field Management Division, will discuss what led to the development of a FGIS-employee directive, which provides instruction on how to conduct a fall-protection assessment before working on top of a rail car
Full conference details can be found at safetycon2014.com, but at a glance, additional conference sessions will address:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Grain Handling Standard;
- Hazard analysis;
- Boot pits and other confined spaces;
- Communications, coaching, and goal setting;
- Best practices for incident investigation; and
- Regulatory changes.
In addition, before the safety conference officially kicks off, the NGFA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are hosting a free Food/Feed Defense Awareness Workshop, which will be conducted beginning at 8 a.m. July 29 at the same location. The workshop is aimed at helping managers and safety personnel of grain, feed and processing companies analyze potential vulnerabilities in their storage, manufacturing, handling and processing operations, and ways to establish or enhance their facility security plans.
“This workshop will be a great opportunity for participants to further expand their knowledge regarding food and feed defense, while giving them a hands-on demonstration on how to use a new FDA tool that allows facilities to create a customized security plan tailored to their individual facility,” said McCluer.
To attend the free Food Defense Awareness Workshop, a separate registration is required by no later than July 12. To reserve a spot at the workshop, simply send an email to Catherine Hart at hartc@battelle.org.
Meanwhile, early-bird registration for the safety conference is $325 per person, and is valid through July 12. Between July 13 and July 28 registration will be $360; onsite registration is $395. To reserve a spot, register online at safetycon2014.com/register/, or contact NGFA at 202-289-0873 or Grain Journal at 1-800-728-7511.
Participants at the safety conference also will be able to check out a tabletop trade show with more than 25 exhibitors showcasing the latest products, services and equipment to assist grain, feed and grain processing firms in enhancing safety, health and environmental practices in the workplace.
Food/Feed Defense Awareness and Facility Security Workshop
The NGFA and FDA Food/Feed Defense Awareness and Facility Security Workshop will provide members of the grain, feed, grain and oilseed processing, flour milling and other industry sectors with information on facility security and the tools and resources available to assess vulnerabilities and develop an effective facility security plan. It will feature a series of exercises on how to identify potential vulnerabilities where a terrorist or troubled insider could introduce harmful agents into th
e grain, feed or processing stream, as well as key elements to consider including in a facility-specific security plan.
Much of the July 29 workshop, which begins at 8 a.m., will be spent introducing the FDA’s new Food Defense Plan Builder Tool. However, there also will be a presentation on food/feed defense in general, as well as a regulatory update. During the remainder of the workshop, participants will be guided through a series of exercises using the tool in developing a facility-specific security plan; ample time will be provided for open discussions and questions throughout the day.
For additional information, see the full agenda at ngfa.org/FDAworkshop.
FDA’s Food Defense Plan Builder is a user-friendly tool designed to help owners and operators of food, feed and processing facilities develop a personalized facility security plan. The Food Defense Plan Builder is a desktop tool that, once downloaded from the FDA website, resides only on the user’s computer. FDA does not track or monitor its use and does not have access to any content or documents saved using this tool.
The Global MillerThis blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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