Nearly 20,000 people will converge on San Diego this month for the National Safety Council's 90th Annual Congress & Expo, a conference and trade show for safety and health professionals from the United States and around the world. Attendees will hear about the latest industry issues, learn about hundreds of new products, hone their professional skills and network with their peers from around the globe during the eight-day event.

Hard-hitting speakers like John Henshaw, assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and Dave Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for Mine Safety and Health, add to the highlights of this year's Congress, which runs October 4-11. Also invited to speak are Mexico's President Vincente Fox and Christie Whitman, administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As of early September, Fox and Whitman had not been confirmed as speakers.

While the workshops and seminars will run the gamut of safety and health issues, presentations focused on post-September 11 issues are expected to be big draws this year. NSC spokesman Joe Larkin points to two sessions in particular: One Year Later - How Safe are the Skies?, which features safety professionals from the Airline Pilots Assn. discussing the improvements and safeguards developed since the September 11 tragedies; and Emergency Preparedness - Is Your Business Ready?, which outlines the necessary elements for a comprehensive emergency response plan.

Larkin expects a third session, Communication & Motivational Techniques to Improve Safety, to draw a large crowd, as well. The session will show participants how to put more passion and energy into their safety message and develop techniques to motivate themselves and others.

"It's a topic that's always been important, but it's being brought to the fore more often," says Larkin.

All three sessions will be held Tuesday afternoon, October 8, under the "Blockbuster Sessions" heading. In addition, over 200 technical sessions cover everything from chain saw safety to mine health issues, and NSC's Professional Development Seminars focus on attendees' overall safety efforts.

"This is the largest safety and health conference in the world," says Larkin, adding that the purpose of the Congress is straightforward: "It's to raise awareness of the importance of safety … We try to educate safety and health professionals and constantly raise the level of safety in America."

The NSC has 37,000 member companies, which send employees of all levels to the yearly Congress & Expo. Last year's event, held just two weeks after September 11, saw a sharp decline in attendance, but Larkin expects the numbers to be up this year. The anticipated 20,000 figure is in line with turnout over the last few years, excluding 2001.

For the second year, the Congress will feature an Hispanic Forum, aimed at addressing the safety and health issues in America's Hispanic communities. Last year, the Forum identified the major problems facing Hispanic workers and their employers; this year it will focus on equipping community-based and Hispanic-serving organizations with the tools to better address safety, health and environmental issues.

The Hispanic Forum is a response, in large part, to the fast-growing Hispanic population in the United States. In addition to language barriers, Hispanic workers face underdeveloped re-sources in their communities and on the job, according to NSC. The joint sponsors of the Hispanic Forum are the National Safety Council, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pan American Health Organization, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Over 800 companies from 60 countries will exhibit their products and services during the Expo, held at the SanDiego Convention Center.