Employee health and safety issues will be a major theme at Polyurethanes Conference 2002, scheduled for Oct. 13-16 in Salt Lake City. This year's conference will focus on safety practices and safe handling guidelines to a greater extent than ever before, according to the Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry (API), the event's sponsor.

More than 70 technical papers will be presented in 13 sessions, making this year's conference one of the broadest ever. "This year's sessions are designed with the objective of helping companies and individuals improve their awareness of environmental issues," says Dick Mericle, executive director of API.

The Environmental, Health and Safety session will review API's model respiratory program, which complies with OSHA's current respirator standard for protecting workers from exposure to chemicals. Other presentations will focus on the importance of reporting, compliance, product disposal and community relations.

A special session on plant security will also be offered, featuring a panel of representatives from the FBI, White House and the American Chemistry Council. Protecting facilities from terrorist attacks will be covered, as well as ensuring employee safety through evacuation procedures in case of an event.

For more information about API and Polyurethanes Conference 2002, call (703) 741-5656, or visit the API Web site at www.polyurethane.org.