VPPPA Reg 2&3 Breakout Session Highlight - Lithium Batteries in Your Community, What You Need to Know

Are you attending the VPPPA Region 2 & 3 Conference next week?

Be sure to check out Rich & Brenda's presentation on May 21st!

3:15 pm - 4:00 pm Breakout Session 2; Cocoa Suite 4

Lithium Batteries in Your Community, What You Need to Know by Rick Foster & Brenda Wiederkehr/Access Compliance LLC

"Lithium battery use is growing rapidly, along with their use in electric vehicles (EVs). Lithium battery use is expanding at a very rapid pace and affecting our daily lives in both a positive and productive way; however, when there are new technical advances in our lives, the mass production advances will always outpace the safety, health, and environmental impacts. Some examples of these new products from our history include the use of lead, asbestos, mercury, PFAS, fluoride, talc, tobacco, etc. Most of these examples have an even greater impact when they are involved in an extreme heat (Fire) environment. Lithium batteries are no exception to this impact and are now a part of this list of examples.

Rick began his career with OSHA in 2010 as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) in region 2 (Albany, New York). Rick also worked for OSHA as a CSHO in Region 9 (Honolulu, American Samoa, Guam, and Saipan) for seven years before returning to the Albany OSHA office in 2017, and he was the Assistant Area Director for OSHA in Region 2 before his retirement in 2020. Rick has over 40 years’ experience as a safety professional, with most of that as the Corporate Safety Director.

Brenda’s life and work experiences offer a customer more than 30 years of hands-on knowledge of occupational safety and health programs, including more than 30 years of managerial experience in leadership, communication, organization, analyzing and problem-solving skills. As such, Access Compliance and its affiliates are able to identify various occupational health, medicine and safety needs within a variety of industry settings."

https://www.vppparegion3.org/conferenceagenda2025/may21