Have you ever wanted to share your experiences as a safety practitioner with other peers, in a setting that encourages like-minded sharing of best practices and lessons learned? Here’s your chance: EHS Today’s Safety Leadership Conference is issuing a Call for Speakers for this year’s program.
Safety Leadership Conference (SLC) is the premier education and networking opportunity for environment, health and safety leaders. The 14th annual SLC will be held October 20-22, 2025, in Phoenix (Glendale), Arizona, at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Resort & Spa. The theme for this year’s conference is “Leading the Way: Empowering Safety Professionals to Become Tomorrow’s Safety Leaders.”
We need your participation to make this conference a success, so here’s how you can help move the industry forward: We’re seeking EHS professionals with practical experience in managing and leading safety operations at their companies or organizations. In particular, we’re looking for safety leaders who are willing to share best practices in keeping their workforces safe, as well as lessons learned in what works and what doesn’t. Our goal is to have a diverse roster of safety professionals speaking on the most current and compelling topics related to workplace safety.
Since this is a conference focusing on safety leadership, we give priority to speakers who are active safety professionals for companies or organizations. Submissions from consultants or vendors will only be considered if paired with a co-presenter who is an active safety professional at their company. We are also open to proposals for panel discussions involving two or more speakers.
We’re looking in particular (though not exclusively) for safety professionals from the following industries and sectors: construction, education, energy, engineering services, food & beverage, healthcare, manufacturing, oil & gas, public sector, transportation, or utilities.
In addition to keynote presentations, we will be offering sessions focused on four broad areas of safety excellence: Regulatory Compliance, Risk Management, The ROI of Safety, and Training & Engagement. Descriptions for each track follow. Each session will be 60 minutes in length, including introductions and Q&A, so prepare for 45 minutes for your presentation.
The deadline for proposals is February 21, 2025.
2025 Sessions and Topics
Regulatory Compliance
Speakers in this track offer their insights into what safety leaders need to know to ensure their organizations remain in compliance with the latest rules and regulations. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):
• What to do when OSHA investigates your company
• Workplace drug testing
• The changing regulatory climate and what you need to know
• Workers’ compensation
• Environmental requirements
• Using safety management systems and other technologies to improve compliance reporting
Risk Management
Insights and best practices on improving an organization’s safety culture, focusing on the role of safety leadership at both the local and organizational level. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):
• Establishing and maintaining a culture of safety
• The role of safety professionals in ESG (environmental, social and governance)
• Ergonomics
• Building effective safety teams
• Reducing musculoskeletal disorder injuries
• Wellness & Total Worker Health
• Use of safety data and analytics to predict and manage incidents.
The ROI of Safety
One of the most compelling features of SLC is the sharing of best practices (and sometimes worst practices) between safety professionals, including case studies of what worked and what didn’t. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):
• Transformational safety leadership: People, public trust and profits
• Best practices from past winners of EHS Today’s America’s Safest Companies award
• Survivor stories—aftermath of safety accidents
• Emergency management
• Implementation of new safety technologies
• Transportation and fleet safety case studies
• How to overcome complacency
• Business continuity
Training & Engagement
The effectiveness of any safety program relies on gaining the trust and buy-in of employees. The session will focus on emerging trends in safety management, focusing not only on physical safety but also psychological safety, mental health awareness, and other real-world concerns in the workplace. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):
• Developing and retaining talent
• Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) initiatives
• Mental health awareness
• The use of technologies (AI, microlearning, virtual reality) to enhance safety training
• Workplace violence
• Women in safety
• Suicide prevention
To Receive Preference in the Review Process, Proposals Should:
• Focus on how to create a safety culture in the workplace.
• Engage the audience in a highly creative or interactive way.
• Be applicable to safety professionals in various industries, at companies of all sizes.
• Provide practical takeaways attendees can either implement immediately or that drive robust discussions about new ways to improve operations.
Benefits of Speaking
As a speaker, you’ll receive one (1) complimentary full conference pass to Safety Leadership Conference 2025 (which includes full access to all activities and events within the event); your name published on promotional material, website, and program; recognition as a leader in your field; and a discounted conference rate for your colleagues. Note: SLC does not cover presenters’ travel expenses or accommodations.
How to Submit
If you are an EHS professional and would like to share your professional experiences and program successes with a larger audience, we encourage you to respond to our Call for Speakers. We particularly would like to hear from you if your company is a previous winner of the America’s Safest Companies award.
Click here to submit your proposal. Submissions will be evaluated by editorial staff members and chosen based on the topic relevancy and related speaker experience. We will be reviewing all applicants on their own merits. We encourage people of all types and experience levels—regardless of age, gender, race or title—to apply if you have a compelling story to share. Again, the deadline for proposals is February 21, 2025.
Can We Help?
If you have any questions on the form or process, you can contact Laura Winfield, content & event coordinator, at [email protected].