Equitable PPE Needs for a Diverse Workforce (Wednesday, October 18, 2:15-3:15 p.m. ET)

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Description

The first element of DEI is diversity. But what happens when an organization is strategic in their hiring efforts to attract and employ a diverse workforce, but does not consider equitable solutions for ensuring the safety of these workers? Join this session for a discussion on how Melanie Adams, founder of Embher, a FR-clothing company for women, stepped up to the challenge of creating a product to ensure women can work safely. We will also discuss how to consider and plan for equitable solutions in your workplace.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will:

Examine recent advancements and initiatives in creating a more equitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) landscape for all workers.
Analyze the challenges faced by women and other underrepresented individuals in accessing suitable PPE solutions, and explore how these challenges contribute to an inequitable workplace environment.
Utilize the insights gathered from Melanie's story and the discussions in this session to facilitate meaningful conversations within your organization about the importance of providing equitable PPE solutions for all workers and ways to implement such measures effectively.

Contributors

Katie Stryker, CIH

Katie is an assistant vice president of Risk Control at CNA. In this role, she is responsible for advancing technical skills and enhancing consultative services and resources within the workers’ compensation and auto lines of insurance coverage. Prior to this role, she was an industrial hygiene director at CNA, leading technical and consultative skill development in the field of occupational health and safety for the department. Katie is a certified industrial hygienist with over 15 years of professional safety expertise. She currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana and earned her Masters of Safety in Safety Sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelors of Science in Occupational Health from Purdue University.
Melanie Adams

Melanie is a proud Colorado native and spent 18 years working for a major oil and gas company in Denver. She had a variety of roles in Administrative, Permitting & Regulatory and Environmental, Health & Safety. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Colorado at Denver and a Master's degree in Environmental Policy - Natural Resource Management from the University of Denver. Melanie has long known about an industry problem facing women and after her departure from Corporate in 2019 has launched her company, Embher, one of the first brands of flame-resistant clothing (FCR) designed specifically for women. Having spent a lot of time in the field in scratchy, ill-fitting FRC that looks like men's wear, she decided to solve the problem and design her own comfortable and professionally appropriate FRC for women. She enjoys golfing, fly fishing, hiking and traveling with her husband Jamie.
Albert W. Moore II, MS, CIH, CPE

Albert is currently earning a PhD in Occupational Ergonomics & Biomechanics from the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Albert's research interests include exoskeleton adoption strategies and how exoskeletons impact productivity, work capacity, and interact with gender. Previously, Albert has worked as an Ergonomist, Industrial Hygienist, and Laser Safety Officer solving a broad range of health and safety issues in manufacturing, laboratory, and office environments. Albert now serve as Ergonomics Committee Chair with the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Albert is passionate about helping people design and sustain safe and healthy workplaces with systems thinking.

Thank you

Description

Contributors

Katie Stryker, CIH

Melanie Adams

Albert W. Moore II, MS, CIH, CPE