Event Announcement: The Energy Wheel

Please join us on March 23 at The Basement in Brimfield for the next ASSP McKinley Chapter Technical Meeting, featuring a special presentation by Christopher M. England, CSP, CHMM, Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety at Fortrex. Christopher will be discussing the Energy Wheel, an energy-based hazard recognition approach to controlling high risk work. Energy-based hazard recognition involves using a tool called the Energy Wheel to guide pre-job safety meetings and scanning dangerous work environments. The wheel is intended to be used to prompt the brain to consider some hazards that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Chris is a seasoned and transformational EHS leader with more than 30 years of experience advancing safety excellence, environmental stewardship, and sustainability across global, complex industries. Currently Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety at Fortrex, he oversees EHS programs for over 14,000 employees across 275+ North American sites. His career spans leadership roles in chemical manufacturing, particle physics, water technology, and mining, delivering measurable improvements through data‑driven, performance-based strategies. Recognized for aligning EHS strategy with business objectives, Chris has led integrations, championed sustainability initiatives, and implemented global management systems, including SIF programs and leading‑indicator frameworks. He holds CSP, CHMM, Six Sigma Green Belt, and ISO 14001 Lead Auditor credentials, and has been honored with major industry awards, including NAEM’s 30 Over 30 and multiple NIOSH Mine Safety & Health Innovation Awards.

Join us for dinner, networking, and conversation at:
The Basement – Brimfield
March 23, 6:00pm–8:00pm
Please register on our Events Page.

The Kitty Hawk Chapter has graciously invited the McKinley Chapter to attend a virtual technical meeting on January 22 from noon-1pm EST. Thom Kramer, P.E., CSP will be presenting on the ANSI Z359 fall protection standard. The Teams link will open at 11:45am with the presentation starting at Noon.  No registration is required, and the Teams information is provided below. 

Thursday January 22^nd, 2026             

Noon-1pm (Teams opens at 11:45am)

ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Standard

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 250 862 560 572 90

Passcode: F2VL2hK9

Dial in by phone

+1 937-396-5107,,142872664# United States, Dayton

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 142 872 664#

Thomas E. Kramer, P.E., CSP, is a managing principal for LJB Inc. in Dayton, OH. Thom has 25+ years of experience and holds a B.S. and M.S. in Structural Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. In 2006, Thom earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Miami University in Oxford, OH. 

An ASSP member since 2001, Thom serves ASSP in numerous roles.  Most recently, Thom served as an At-Large Director on the board and is currently a member of the finance committee. Previously, Thom was the Vice President for the Council on Professional Development and chair of the Professional Development Conference planning committee.  Thom serves on three ANSI/ASSP committees – Z359 and Z590.3 and is ASSP’s alternate on ANSI/ALI A14 committee.  He is the Chair of the ANSI/ASSP Z359 full committee.  Finally, Thom serves as president of the International Society for Fall Protection and has planned symposiums for ISFP on three different continents since taking office in 2010. Thom has presented at ASSP chapters around the world and for other organizations within the safety profession. (ASSP.org)

On Friday October 10, 2025 beginning at 10am, John Adams, ASP, Complex Safety Manager, will provide the McKinley ASSP Chapter with a technical tour of Case Farms, Inc. Canton Facility.

Case Farms was founded by Thomas R. Shelton in December 1986. After gaining over 23 years of management experience in the poultry industry, Mr. Shelton realized his goal of owning his own company and purchased a small family-owned poultry operation in Ohio.  The Company was called Case Egg & Poultry and included a processing plant in Winesburg, Ohio, a hatchery in Strasburg, Ohio, and a food distribution facility in Akron, Ohio. In its first year of operation, Case Farms processed 135,000 chickens per week, had 140 team members, and produced 22 million pounds of poultry products.  The Canton complex comprises a processing plant, a truck garage, and a hatchery a mile down the road from the plant.  Today, we process about 176,000 per day totaling about 2 million a week.

A core component to Case Farms’ quality commitment is to ensure the welfare and health of our chickens. All chickens are farm-raised cage-free and fed a diet that is predominantly corn and soy-based with no added hormones. We follow the National Chicken Councils’ poultry welfare guidelines and all our locations are routinely audited to ensure compliance. Specially designed environmental management and disease prevention programs help ensure the health and well- being of the birds in our care.

Case Farms is committed to the highest quality product making every effort to surpass our customers’ expectations. Quality starts with our grower’s desire to produce a superior bird and continues as the driving force in our processing facilities. Working in conjunction with USDA Food Safety Inspection Services, our Quality Assurance Departments follow internal HACCP and Food Defense programs to ensure a safe and high-quality food product for the consumer.

Employees are our most important asset, and their safety is of paramount importance. Providing a work environment, and culture, that ensures our employee’s safety and health is a top priority at Case Farms. This commitment to safety is shared by all employees and is rooted in the belief that safety can be managed, and incidents can be eliminated.

To join us, please sign up on our events page.