One week left to submit a proposal for VPPPA's 2027 Safety+! Call for Workshop Proposals is right around the corner with submissions due October 1, 2026 for consideration. Workshop themes include: -Leadership: From the C-Suite to the work floor, what does it mean to be a safety leader? -Journeys: Share lessons learned or momentous accomplishments in your personal or worksite's journey toward improved safety. -Culture: What knowledge, skills and tools can improve safety culture for a multigenerational and multilingual workforce? -Specializations: Share insights, challenges or trends facing construction, PSM, industrial hygiene, electrical and small business. Ready to submit a proposal? Visit safety.vpppa.org/call-for-wo… for more information! #safetyplus27

Take a journey with us! Our Journey Toward Safety Excellence program provides mentoring support, analysis, and resources to help workplaces achieve safety and health excellence. The Journey is designed to support any company, site, or organization looking to enhance their safety and health programs. Whether you're aiming for VPP or just wanting to improve your current safety and health processes, the Journey Toward Safety Excellence has a path for you. Learn more: vpppa.org/journeys/

Happy trails, Nashville! We are off to the races for VPPPA's 2027 Safety+ Symposium in Indianapolis August 22-25. Call for Workshop Proposals is right around the corner with submissions due October 1, 2026 for consideration. Workshop themes include: -Leadership: From the C-Suite to the work floor, what does it mean to be a safety leader? -Journeys: Share lessons learned or momentous accomplishments in your personal or worksite's journey toward improved safety. -Culture: What knowledge, skills and tools can improve safety culture for a multigenerational and multilingual workforce? -Specializations: Share insights, challenges or trends facing construction, PSM, industrial hygiene, electrical and small business. Ready to submit a proposal? Visit safety.vpppa.org/call-for-wo… for more information! #safetyplus27

Join us for our webinar, Rethink the Drink, on Tuesday September 22, 2:00-3:30 ET. Rethink the Drink is a presentation that explores the impact alcohol can have on mental health and suicide risk. The construction industry, in particular, experiences high rates of substance misuse and has a prevalent culture of alcohol use. The goal of this presentation is to raise awareness about the effects of alcohol so participants can make informed decisions about their mental and physical health. We also aim to reduce the stigma around seeking help by encouraging open conversations about substance use and mental well-being. Rethink your relationship with alcohol. Whether it's cutting back, setting limits, or finding healthier coping mechanisms, small shifts can lead to big changes. It's never too late to rethink the way we view alcohol. Whether for yourself, a loved one, or your community, awareness today can save lives tomorrow. Register here: bit.ly/4yESOwS

A great way to close out our Keep Work Moving Feel Good Fridays series. At Safety+, Catamount Consulting’s Alicia and Jason led an interactive Stretch & Flex session that included muscle and nerve mobility, balance system activation, nervous system priming, and brain-body connection work. The group brought great energy, thoughtful questions, and lots of engagement. Thank you to everyone who joined in, moved with us, and helped make this series such a strong finish. #FeelGoodFridays #KeepWorkMoving #VPPPA #SafetyPlus2026 #CatamountConsulting #IndustrialAthlete #Ergonomics #WorkplaceSafety

Today, and every day, we remember.

Congratulations to our Chair's Award of Excellence winners, announced during VPPPA's 2026 Safety+. This award is presented directly from the VPPPA Chair to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the association's mission and community.

Thank you to the MITER Brands Team for attending VPPPA's 2026 Safety+ Symposium! We appreciate Matt DeSoto for being a part of our CEO panel alongside U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor Dave Keeling. Hearing about the benefits of VPP from the C-Suite provided valuable insight.

VPPPA wishes everyone a happy—and safe—Labor Day in the United States. America is built by our front-line workers, and we celebrate their efforts today—and every day.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and we are excited to highlight a webinar with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on September 8, 2:00 - 3:00 ET. Join Programs Manager Erin Miles for Talk Saves Lives: Construction. This new program has been adapted for the construction industry, providing risk factors, warning signs of suicide, and strategies to help prevent it. Talk Saves Lives: Construction is designed for construction workplaces, unions, and other audiences working with the construction industry. After attending, participants will be able to: -Describe the impact of suicide in the construction industry -Recognize suicide warning signs -Provide examples of how to approach someone you're concerned about -List ways to seek and offer support and resources for yourself and others September 8 is also 988 day, intended to raise awareness for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Anyone can call, text, or chat 988 anytime, 24/7. It connects users with a skilled, caring, and non-judgmental 988 counselor who will listen, help with savety planning when needed, and connect them with additional resources. Register today: bit.ly/4x9SK7h

Nashville, thank you for everything! It’s time for VPPPA's 2026 Safety+ to hit the road again. Just because the sun is setting on this year’s symposium doesn’t mean we’re too far yonder. We’ll continue working 9-5 on our journey towards safety excellence. Don’t forget that our 2027 symposium is just getting started: workshop proposals for next year’s show are open until October 1 2026. Happy trails, we’ll see you next year in Indianapolis! #safetyplus2026

Saddle up for #safetyplus2026 Day 2! Today we have a variety of breakout sessions to learn from. Don't miss the Opening General Session at 9:15 in Delta Ballroom A. Download our app or view the full schedule here: bit.ly/4clhGkH

Find your seat and get excited: VPPPA's 2026 Safety+ will be landing soon in Nashville! Just a few more hours to go until the premier safety symposium kicks off in Music City. We’ve rounded up a herd of workshops, exhibitors, and industry professionals for this year’s conference in our journey towards safety excellence. Travel safe, and see you soon! #safetyplus2026 View full Safety+ 2026 Agenda: bit.ly/4gYmqiO

We're ready for #safetyplus2026, are you? With 60 workshops and deep dive sessions, networking events, 140 exhibitors, eight innovation stations, and six live demonstrations, there are many opportunities to learn and explore all aspects of occupational health and safety. Temperatures in Nashville are expected to be in the mid-90s outside during your visit, However, meeting rooms will be cooler, so pack accordingly. View our full agenda to make the most of your visit: bit.ly/4lITZGy

Two simple movements can make a big difference in how your body feels during the day. This week’s Feel Good Fridays: Keep Work Moving installment demonstrates: Lumbar extension — helping reverse prolonged forward bending and sitting Cervical retraction — helping bring the head back into better alignment after hours spent looking forward or down Both can be done at home or at work and can help improve posture, support better alignment, and reduce discomfort associated with prolonged positions. The goal is simple: give your body movement that your workday may not provide. Attending Safety+ in Nashville? Come move with us in person. Join Catamount Consulting for one of our Stretch & Flex sessions on Monday, August 31, in Demo Area 4 --11:40-12:00 PM and 2:40-3:00 PM. #FeelGoodFridays #KeepWorkMoving #Ergonomics #Posture #MovementAtWork #WorkplaceWellness #SafetyPlus2026 #VPPPA #CatamountConsulting #PeopleFirst #sponsor

Strings For Hope is coming to VPPPA's Safety+ Symposium in Nashville, TN! Strings For Hope is a program that equips survivors of substance use disorder, domestic violence, and human trafficking to pave their path towards economic autonomy. Utilizing secondhand musical strings, the Work Development Program creates beautifully handcrafted jewelry. Sales directly fund the Work Development Program, providing survivors with new skills and keeping material out of landfills. At #safetyplus2026 there will be an opportunity for attendees to sort donated guitar strings for the program. Additionally, there will be a pop-up shop onsite to purchase jewelry. Learn more: stringsforhope.com/

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety & Health Dave Keeling is excited for VPPPA's 2026 Safety+! Are you? We are so excited to see Dave and 2,000 of our EH&S friends next week in Nashville! Haven't registered for #safetyplus2026 yet? Register today: safety.vpppa.org

LAST CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! Enhance your experience at VPPPA's 2026 Safety+ Symposium. Connect with safety professionals and help make the event memorable for fellow attendees. Volunteer opportunities include: -Exhibit Hall Doors -Self Check-in Kiosks -Session Monitors Learn more ways to have an impact at #safetyplus2026 today: bit.ly/4wLRsza

Movement at work looks different for everyone. Some workers sit for most of the day. Others walk, climb, lift, reach, or repeat the same task for hours at a time. In every case, the body can benefit from more movement variety and opportunities to recover. This week’s Keep Work Moving toolbox talk helps teams look at three common work patterns: -Seated work in offices, vehicles, or equipment -Multidirectional work in construction, warehousing, and mining -Repetitive work in manufacturing and assembly Use it to start a conversation about what your team does repeatedly, which positions they hold the longest, and where small changes like microbreaks, position reversal, balance work, or task variation could help. A job can involve plenty of activity while still providing very little movement variety. Keep Work Moving. Attending Safety+ in Nashville? Put it into practice with us! Get moving with the Catamount Consulting team during Stretch & Flex, Monday 8/31 11:40-2:00 PM and 2:40-3:00 PM in Demo Area 4. #FeelGoodFridays #KeepWorkMoving #ToolboxTalk #Ergonomics #WorkplaceSafety #MovementAtWork #SafetyPlus2026 #VPPPA #CatamountConsulting #PeopleFirst

Join us August 26 for this prerecorded webinar on emergency preparedness with Senior EHS Leader Jason Desler of PIP Global Safety and Rob Daleman of FacilityOS to learn how to assess workforce impact, improve communication during fast-moving situations, and make more informed decisions when conditions change. Saumya Arora, Product Marketing Manager with FacilityOS, will be available to answer any of your questions during the presentation. Thank you to FacilityOS for sponsoring this webinar. You can find them at Booth #614 at VPPPA's Safety+ Symposium in Nashville, TN August 30-September 2. Register here: bit.ly/4zpGpOD