2023 TT&S Conference Opening Day Speakers

TT&S is excited to announce the opening day speakers for our 2023 Annual Conference!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:  Tuesday, February 14, 2023 @ 2 pm

Carissa Swenson

Executive Director of the Broadband Association of North Dakota

Carissa Swenson has been involved in the rural broadband industry for eleven years as a cooperative director and consultant.  Then in August 2022, she was named the Executive Director for the Broadband Association of North Dakota (BAND).  She has earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and Business Education and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology.  She has spent most of her life in towns with populations less than 500, so she understands rural!  She is passionate about the rural broadband industry and loves the opportunity to share the success stories of the members she serves.  She and her husband Doug have two sons and live in Bismarck, ND.

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OPENING SESSION: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 @ 2:45 pm

Cybersecurity Threats - New and Lingering Threats Everyone Needs to Know

Nathan Heinert 

IT Analyst at ND State and Local Intelligence Center

Nathan Heinert is a cyber threat analyst for the North Dakota State & Local Intelligence Center (NDSLIC). He is a graduate of the Bismarck State College (BSC) Telecom program and will be graduating this year from Bismarck State with a bachelor’s in Cyber Security. Nathan has worked in cyber security for National Information Services Cooperative (NISC) and North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT). His current mission for the NDSLIC is producing and disseminating cyber intelligence to help protect the residents and critical infrastructure of North Dakota.

Be sure to visit the TT&S website to register for the conference today. There's still time!

Register online at https://www.ttsafety.com/annual-conference/attendee-registration/

Conference Countdown: Ham and Pickle Rollups

Visions of ham and pickle rollups danced in our heads.

 

It was not Christmas time – no, it was TT&S conference planning season. And Melanie and I were five pages deep into a banquet menu from the Bismarck Hotel and Conference Center, choosing entrees and appetizers for the conference.

 

“How about Mexican pinwheels this year for an appetizer?”

 

“Ooh, the chicken bruschetta sounds amazing.”

 

“Everyone always loves the jumbo shrimp cocktail, and if we pair it with the pulled pork sliders, it should be a good combination.”

 

We drooled over those pages for a good forty-five minutes, bringing to mind comments about the food from previous years, trying to anticipate food allergies or specific diets, and conscious of pairing a variety of tastes and textures together.

 

This type of behind-the-scenes moment happens a lot this time of year, with every little detail about the conference fretted over and questioned. 

 

A million questions get asked every year on every nuance of the event with some changes as new pieces are introduced: Do you think people will like this buffet or that buffet? Who’s going to officiate the games? Do we have enough prizes?  And on and on, until the details are pinned down.

 

We draw on Melanie’s vast experience with conference planning frequently. She’s the real brains behind this operation, and I get to jump in every once in a while to add my two cents.

 

Point being: we’re working really hard on this conference. And we’re excited to see you there!

 

And, yes, there will be ham and pickle rollups.

 

Feb 1st to April 30th: OSHA 300A Form Posting Requirements

 It's the new year, and everyone's mind is on the posting requirements for the OSHA 300A log.

Well, maybe not, but we're here to make it simple for you to know what's required.

The OSHA 300A log is a form that includes key information about the previous year, including number of work-related injuries or illnesses within the company, some basic information about those incidents, and total number of employees as well as total hours worked by all employees.

You can access the form at the following link, which also includes the 300 and 301 forms:

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/OSHA-RK-Forms-Package.pdf

The 2022 completed form, including a signature from a company executive, must be posted somewhere conspicuous, such as where labor law posters are displayed, from February 1st to April 30th of this year.

Last year, I conducted a training on OSHA Recordables and the OSHA 300A log. This training can be found at the following Vimeo link:

 https://vimeo.com/698185884/c144648069

However, if you have any questions about the forms, whether an injury or illness would be considered a recordable, or any related question, please feel free to reach out.

 

New Year, New Blog

Welcome to our blog!

For the past few years, TT&S has put together a quarterly newsletter. In 2023, we've decided to transition to a blog instead. With the blog format, we can send you updates to safety requirements, as well as timely safety reminders, as soon as they become relevant to you. We can also more easily share a blog post on our social media sites, hopefully to achieve more reach with our safety-focused content.

Another feature of the blog is the comment section. This allows for dialogue about the content. Anyone can ask a question or express their thoughts about the post, and we can provide responses if there are specific questions.

You can expect the same great content that TT&S has delivered over the years through the newsletter, but without the restrictions in space and the need to conform to a specific publishing schedule.

We appreciate feedback on the new layout and any suggestions for types of content that will be the most useful for you.