Some big names will be coming to the Windy City. The Congress kicks off Monday morning with appearances by Janet Froetscher, President & CEO of the National Safety Council, Kent McElhattan, Chairman, Board of Directors of the National Safety Council, and Jeff Woodbury, Incoming Chairman, Board of Directors, of the National Safety Council.

Highlighting the morning opening session will be a talk by Captain Mark Kelly, Commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s final mission.

Next up on Monday is the Executive Forum: (10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.). The title: “Leveraging the Big Picture — Seizing Opportunities by Identifying, Minimizing and Managing EHS & Enterprise Risk.” Talking about seizing leverage will be three executives: David Shipman, President of Firmenich, Inc., Mark Vergnano, Executive Vice President, DuPont, and Greg Hale, Vice President and Chief Safety Officer for The Walt Disney Company, who will also double as moderator. A Q&A session will follow.

Day two of the Congress & Expo gets underway Tuesday, October 1, with “The Human Side of Injury Prevention.” Two of the safety field’s most charismatic speakers team up to teach the “soft skills” side of the business — Professor Dr. E. Scott Geller, noted psychology educator from Virginia Tech University, and Charlie Morecraft, who survived horrific burn injuries in a workplace calamity to go on to a series of nationwide tours bringing out the emotional depth that makes so many EHS professionals passionate about their careers.

From the guffaws that always accompany the Geller-Morecraft teaming, the Congress gets serious with the Occupational Keynote on Tuesday (12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m.) titled, “The Future of Workplace Safety and the Impact on the Safety Profession.” Attendees will hear from Paul O’Neill, former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA; and Dr. John Howard, Director, NIOSH.

A town hall discussion with experts discussing how the hidden epidemic of prescription drug overdoses and fatalities are hurting company bottom lines and making workplaces less safe will be held Tuesday (2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.). Speakers: Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Terry L. Cline, Commissioner of Health for the state of Oklahoma; and Constantine J. Gean, MD, MBA, MS, FACEOM, Regional Medical Director for Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Wednesday, October 2, features a highlight presentation: “Safe 4 the Right Reasons,” by Dale Lesinski, Vice President, DiVal Safety Equipment. Dale’s message answers the “why” question — why employees need to value their personal safety on and off the job.

Throughout the days of the Congress & Expo will be scores of educational sessions and hours to tour the latest in safety and health products and service.

Expo Dates and Hours: Monday, September 30 — 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, October 1 — 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m; and Wednesday, October 2 — 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.