The sixth annual Safety Bootcamp for Brewers is where brewers, managers, and owners come to learn effective, doable safety solutions. This bootcamp is about working safely using good sense, planning, hazard understanding, and the right equipment. Attendees leave the course with great new tools for preventing workplace accidents and injuries. Many are low- to no-cost solutions.
Our diverse instructional team brings together some of our industry’s most knowledgeable experts. Subjects range from basic safety principles to the full range of common brewery hazards. We provide hazard prevention and protection strategies for physical, chemical, ergonomic, psychosocial, and biological hazards. Our leaders keep you focused on your needs with a visually-rich multimedia presentation and live stage demonstrations. Find out what all the buzz is about with Safety Bootcamp for Brewers!
Learning Objectives:
- Describe what safety is and learn what drives a successful safety culture
- Master the art of hazard assessment and creating standard operating procedures
- Take home no-nonsense solutions for common problems, including: electrical and mechanical hazards, walking and working surfaces, manual lifting and forklifts, chemical safety and PPE
- Drill deep into special brewery hazards like boilovers, dry hopping volcanos, pressure and vacuum failures, mental well-being, and emergency action
- Earn a certificate of completion – important compliance documentation
About the Speakers
Rachel Bell, Safety Specialist
CANarchy
Rachel Bell has worn many different hats in the craft beer world. She has an MA in Anthropology with a focus on Ancient Brewing and has worked in operations, packaging, taproom, private events, marketing, and most importantly: safety. She believes that taking care of the people who make your beer ultimately makes your beer (and the world) better. She has previously worked at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City, and von Trapp Brewing in Stowe, Vermont. She currently co-chairs the Brewers Association (BA) Safety Subcommittee and sits on the BA Technical Committee.
Colleen Brents, Health and Safety Consulting
Antea Group
Colleen Brents, PhD, AEP, completed her studies at Colorado State University in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences through the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) Mountain and Plains Education Research Center (MAP ERC). Her research focused on occupational injuries among craft brewery workers in Colorado. Now she works in international health and safety consulting at Antea Group, where she conducts ergonomic assessments, evaluates and develops ergonomics and safety programs, and helps global companies improve their health and safety.
Andy Clearwaters, Safety Manager
Bell's Brewery
Andy Clearwaters is the leader of safety for Bell's Brewery based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has been working as a safety professional for over ten years and is certified through the American Society of Safety Professionals. He is an active member of the Brewers Association Safety Subcommittee and has been a speaker at Safety Bootcamp for three consecutive years. When not working, Andy is an avid traveler, cook, beer lover, and outdoorsman.
Abby Ferri, Senior Risk Control Consultant
Gallagher
Abby Ferri, CSP is a Senior Risk Control Consultant for Gallagher. She is based in Bloomington, Minnesota and provides risk management solutions for multiple industries, including manufacturing, construction, real estate, hospitality, education, and health care. She is the Vice Chair of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)/International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Z590.6 Technical Report Committee on Guidance for the Fit and Selection of Personal Protective Equipment and Apparel Available for Women.
Larry Horwitz, Head of Brewing
Ten20 Craft Brewery
Larry Horwitz is a professional brewer and brewery consultant who has worked in the brewing industry since 1992. He has worked in major U.S. breweries and engineered, built, and operated brewpubs and microbreweries throughout the country. He studied at The Ohio State University and is a graduate of both the American Brewer's Guild Brewery Science and Engineering Program and the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) Malting and Brewing Science Program where he was chosen as a William R. Hipp scholarship recipient.
Larry is a former Brewers Association (BA) board member, and he currently serves as the Co-Chair of the BA Technical Committee. He is past president of MBAA district Midwest, and district Philadelphia, and a former MBAA Board of Governors representative. Additionally, he is currently a board member of the Kentucky Guild of Brewers, and is past board member for the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, having worked with the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware guilds. He sits on the judge panels for the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, and teaches courses on brewing, judging beers, and sensory analysis. He enjoys anything that involves beer and food together, collects stainless as a hobby, and loves to brew beer, drink beer, and talk about beer.
Larry is currently Head of Brewing for Ten20 Beer Exchange in Louisville, Kentucky.
Tony McCrimmon, Safety and Industrial Hygiene Professional II
Brewery Safety Consulting; Denver International Airport
Tony McCrimmon is a certified Occupational Health and Safety Technician and Safety and Health Specialist. He is a project Safety Manager at Denver International Airport, has been safety manager for three power plants, a refinery, an electrical contractor, DOE Uranium cleanup, and industrial construction companies. He is a HAZWOPER Hazardous Material Level IV Specialist and Incident Commander.
Tony is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Outreach trainer. He has guided and is also certified to train the following programs: HAZWOPER and response, lock out tag out, confined space entry, incorporating contractors into facility work, hazcom, electrical safety and Arc Flash, hazard recognition, and creating employer specific hazard and safety training. His specialties include gas detection, breathing air, rescue, and safety equipment application, use, and repair.
Before focusing directly on safety, Tony worked with many industries and production facilities as a Technical Applications Specialist in process control and safety. He managed the Anheuser Busch gas detector program and was Western North America Regional Manager for Rae Systems gas detectors.
As a member of Brewers Association (BA), Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA), and Colorado Brewers Guild, he volunteers on the safety committees. He's been involved in brewing for 30 years on Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and World Beer Cup (WBC) competition teams, and coached safety at hundreds of breweries in 50 states and D.C. Several homebrew club friends used his advice to become safe brewing professionals. He has presented at many Craft Brewers Conferences and other craft industry events, and for other industries as well.
Matt Stinchfield, Safety Ambassador
Brewers Association
Matt is the Brewers Association (BA) Safety Ambassador, member of the BA Safety Subcommittee, and a frequent speaker at conferences, state guilds, and webinars. He is lead instructor for the OSHA-funded Hazard Reduction Practices for Cleaning Draught Beer Lines course and the annual Brewery Safety Bootcamp at the Craft Brewers Conference. Currently, Matt is writing the book on brewery safety for Brewers Publications, shooting for a late 2022 release. In his spare time, he forages mushrooms and wrangles trout.
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