Presentation of the Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Award during DIOSH Day.  Photo courtesy of DIOSH.

Health and safety is a crucial part of any business or organization. From 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on March 5, the Peoria Civic Center will be the host to the annual Downstate Illinois Occupational Safety & Health Day, which brings together nearly 20 health and safety experts and also a number of groups from around the area.

This is the 23rd annual DIOSH Day. It brings together many groups, such as government agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, consulting firms and some private industries.

Using this single day event to touch base, to educate and to inform local professionals about current and new technologies and information is crucial for the ever fluctuating world of safety and health.

“The best practices and the technologies that are out there in health and safety are always advancing and always improving,” Tim Kelly, head of marketing for DIOSH Day, said. “The activities around health and safety across the nation and even across the state can change from year to year or every five years or so. There’s a different focus all the time.”

“So, really educating the local professionals and informing them and helping them comply and understand the guidelines out there and also the technology that’s available [is crucial],” Kelly added. “It’s really important to helping grow and continue to protect our employees.”

There is not one main area of health and safety that is the focus of the event. A wide variety of advancements in all categories is instead talked about. Subjects like industrial hygiene (the practice of protecting an employee’s health), work place safety, and behavioral based safety, which is meant to empower employees to do better, are touched upon.

The event is also open to everyone. No matter what your business or organization and whether it is big or small, there is something new and appropriate for everyone, Kelly says.

“I think the conference really does appeal to all businesses,” Kelly said. “I think it appeals to just about everybody, but the smaller businesses do benefit quite a bit more. They lack the resources and information sometimes that’s necessary to really get out there.”

DIOSH Day particularly helps with networking and forming relationships with health and safety professionals. This helps smaller organizations to get better ideas and to grow in their own health and safety programs.

Smaller businesses might not have these networks, though, which is too bad because Kelly thinks networks are the most important aspect of health and safety. The more connections you have and the more people you know, the stronger your knowledge base, Kelly says.

Great ideas come from everywhere, Kelly believes. To be able to ask different organizations, some of them being government agencies, questions is the best part of the event, Kelly added. It allows groups to get an idea of what is going on in the health and safety realm from an Illinois standpoint.

“The conference is really designed to appeal to our downstate health and safety professionals,” Kelly said. “The smaller businesses I think it’s important for them, and the best aspect for them is that they get an opportunity to find out what’s new, what’s going on in the health and safety world, and then also how can we do better.”

A full brochure and program of the event, along with additional information regarding DIOSH Day and how to register for it, can be found at www.dioshday.com. People can also call 877-346-7432 for more information.