Ten University of Tennessee System safety officers held their semi-annual meeting at the UT Space Institute on Oct. 26 and 27 hosted by Wes McMinn of Tullahoma, UTSI facilities director and safety and health officer.

The safety officers discussed topics of common interest related to campus safety and health. Three guest speakers presented information on safety training, biosafety procedures, and policies of the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA).

“This was the first time this statewide group has met at the Space Institute, and it was a pleasure to have them on our campus,” McMinn said.

Also attending from the Institute was of Manchester, a technician and machinist who also works part time for McMinn on safety related projects. From other campuses were:

Jim Pulliam, UT Chattanooga safety officer, and Lisa Gladden, UTC, Pulliam’s assistant safety officer with a specialty in safety training; Connie Baskette, UT Knoxville, executive director, Office of Retirement Services and the acting UT System safety officer, nominal chair of the meeting; Susan Fiscor, UT Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville, safety officer; John Shanks, UT campus safety officer, Judy McGee, UT, director, UT Office of Risk Management, and Margo Castronovo, UT, Baskette’s Administrative Services assistant, and Ted Council, UT Martin safety officer.

Two other safety officers not attending were Mark Smith, UT Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, and John Bossier, UT Health Science Center in Memphis.

Guest speakers were Robin Trundy, biological safety officer with the UT Office of Research, who spoke on biosafety regulations and procedures; Donna Heath of the SkilSoft Corporation, who talked about web-based safety training opportunities, and Kevin Duke of TOSHA, who reviewed current and future areas of TOSHA regulatory emphasis.