NIOSH Prevention through Design

Abstract: the keynote presentation will provide a relevant history of PtD, highlight work by NIOSH and others, provide no-cost PtD educational resources covering key construction features and trades, and summarize both the “Priority” and the “Process” of PtD.  A summary of key resources and accomplishments will be provided. In addition, the presentation will demonstrate by means of hard numbers the powerful advantages of PtD methods and their ability to amplify the impact by construction professionals.

Short Bio

Mr. Bach is a professional engineer serving at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, as the coordinator for the Prevention through Design (PtD) program. He is certified in industrial hygiene and safety. After gaining his engineering degree at Syracuse University, Mr. Bach served as an active duty Bioenvironmental Engineering officer with the U.S. Air Force in Colorado, Turkey, Italy, and Pennsylvania. In 2002 he became a regional industrial hygiene manager for Naval Healthcare New England. In 2004 Mr. Bach moved to Germany to serve with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an environmental project manager and the industrial hygienist for European operations. In 2007, Mr. Bach became the overall Health and Safety Manager for the Army Corps of Engineers in Europe. From 2014 to this date, Mr. Bach’s work has focused on PtD with NIOSH.

We need to move from Risk Management to Risk Elimination or Moving from Risk Management to Risk Elimination?

Abstract: The keynote presentation will focus on honest conversations on the value of PtD including case histories here in the US and overseas. Blunt examples of how several current practices provide “killing conditions” to workers and owners long after construction is done will be discussed. How firms can use PtD to increase efficiency and, indeed, profit while realizing a safer project by default will be demonstrated. An emphasis will be placed on how Ptd not only supports a “safety thing” but also a good business practice. The presentation will be supported with numerous examples of PtD applications that firms have already incorporated leveraging the need for their competitors to step up and embrace a philosophy to succeed.

Short Bio

Mr. Lyons is the Regional Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager for Total Facility Solutions, a company of the Exyte Group. For many years, he has worked for some of the largest construction firms in the US and with substantial experience working with Department of Defense. He is Board certified as an Occupational Health and Safety Technologist and Certified Safety Professional. As a result of his long-term advocacy and advancement of health and safety in the design and construction industry, Mr. Lyons is the recipient of multiple awards, including the 2018 IRMI Words of Wisdom (WOW) Award and 2001 IRMI Gary E. Bird Horizon Award. Mr. Lyons was a past chapter writer for the American Society of Testing of Materials and for the recent American Society of Safety Professionals’ Construction Safety Management and Engineering. He is Past president of the Hudson River Valley Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers. His current focus aside from PtD is helping bring awareness to suicide in the construction industry.

Opportunities and Challenges for PtD Education

Abstract: If designing out hazards is a powerful way of making our construction sites and other workplaces safer, shouldn’t all engineers receive training on occupational safety and on preventing injuries through design? This presentation will focus on how PtD can be an excellent way to address topics included in engineering program criteria that are frequently not given sufficient attention, including engineering ethics, social sustainability, integrated design and construction, life-cycle perspectives, public policy and leadership. 

Short Bio

T. Michael Toole is the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Toledo. Previous employment includes serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps, management positions with a publicly traded homebuilder and a multidisciplinary engineering firm, and Associate Dean of Engineering and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Bucknell University. Mike received his B.S. from Bucknell and his Masters and Ph.D. from M.I.T.  He is a professional civil engineer, a member of NSPE, a Fellow in ASCE, the Chair of the Ohio Engineering Deans Council, and hosts www.designforconstructionsafety.org.