On October 31, 2009, 18-year-old Alex Balluff became the victim of a hit-and-run drunk driver while walking with college friends in Duluth.
Alex and his mother, Debbie, will be sharing the story of his recovery from a traumatic brain injury and how his experiences have encouraged and promoted education about the dangers of impaired driving as the keynote presentation at Bemidji State University’s ninth annual Northern Minnesota Safety Conference.
The conference will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. April 8 at Bemidji’s Evangelical Covenant Church. The keynote presentation begins at 8:40 a.m. Registration for the conference, which includes lunch, refreshments and conference materials, is $99. Advance registration is required by April 1.
The Northern Minnesota Safety Conference will benefit anyone looking to develop or improve their knowledge of contemporary safety issues. Business owners, managers, safety professionals and staff all will find breakout sessions to help improve safety awareness.
This year’s breakout sessions, which include topics such as ladder safety, employee and management communications, signage requirements and heat stress, are scheduled as a result of feedback and requests from attendees at last year’s conference.
For the first time, this year’s safety conference will include a component on health care, presented by Lynn Maltais, an assistant professor of nursing at BSU.
The conference also includes exhibition space for vendors and businesses to display safety equipment, materials or services. Attendees can also win door prizes, including a free admission to the May 6-8 Minnesota Safety and Health Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The Northern Minnesota Safety Conference is presented by Bemidji State University, Optivation, Knife River Materials, Central Boiler, Potlatch, Ottertail Power Company, Polaris Industries, Norbord, North Central Door Company and Sanford Health.
Contacts
• Optivation; (218) 755-4900, optivation@bemidjistate.edu
• Kris Williams, coordinator of industrial training, Optivation; (218) 755-4901
Links
• Optivation
• Northern Minnesota Safety Conference schedule
• Registration