Now in its fifth year, the 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 will 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 the industry’s most knowledgeable experts. Subjects will range from basic safety principles to the full range of common brewery hazards. We will also discuss hazard prevention and protection strategies for physical, chemical, ergonomic, psychosocial, and biological hazards. There’s a ton of information to learn and our instructors will keep you focused on your needs. Join us for this fast moving and valuable safety event.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe what safety is and define the responsibilities of the employer and the employee
- Learn the drivers of safety culture and how to strengthen and communicate them
- Master the art of hazard assessment and creating standard operating procedures
- Be able to identify and avoid workplace hazards of any sort
- See safety as a positive, attainable key value in workplace and business embetterment
Video Part 2:
About the Speakers
Rachel Bell, Marketing/Administrator, Brewer, Safety Manager
Hopkins Brewing Company
Rachel Bell has worked in the craft beer industry for the past six years and has done pretty much everything from marketing to brewing funky, ancient beers. She has a BA and MA in Anthropology from Georgia State University and loves how beer has evolved for thousands of years but still has the power to bring individuals and communities together. Safety has become one of her biggest passions in the industry, and she is currently co-chair of the BA Safety Subcommittee and sits on the BA Technical Committee. Before taking her current position at Hopkins Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, Rachel worked at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia; Kiitos Brewing in Salt Lake City; and von Trapp Brewing in Stowe, Vermont.
Chris Bogdanoff, Head Brewer
Heroes Restaurant and Brewery
Chris Bogdanoff is a pub brewer and safety nerd from Southern California. He is Head Brewer for Heroes Restaurant and Brewery in historic downtown Riverside, California. As most small brewers do, he wears many hats, but safety is absolutely his favorite. Chris began working with the BA Safety Subcommittee in 2016 and currently co-chairs the subcommittee. He volunteers for the BA because he has personally seen and experienced many unsafe work practices in small breweries and wants to work to fix that. He hopes to educate brewers and promote safety by sharing his experiences, close-calls, and lessons learned. "It doesn’t matter how big or small a brewery is, we should all be safe for our families."
Andy Clearwaters, Safety Manager
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Andy Clearwaters is the Safety Manager at Bell's Brewery where he has been since 2018. He came to brewing from the food industry, where he has held multiple roles in health and safety, environmental, and sustainability. He is a Certified Safety Professional through BSCP and continues to use systems and processes to create and improve health and safety programs and culture. In addition to his passion for safety, he also has a desire to contribute to sustainability efforts as shown in his educational background with a B.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy from Michigan State University.
Russell McCrimmon, Certified Safety Professional
Brewery Safety Consulting; Xcel Energy
Russell "Tony" McCrimmon, O.H.S.T, is a certified Safety and Health Specialist and safety manager for three Colorado power plants. He guides plant programs in fall protection, lock out/tag out, permit-required confined spaces, and gas detection. He conducts emergency pre-planning with local fire services, including plant emergency action plans, fire protection, and first aid response. Tony is an OSHA-authorized outreach trainer and certified trainer in NFPA 70E electrical safety, hazardous waste operations and emergency response, forklift operator safety, and is a machine guarding specialist.
Tony served as a regional manager for a gas detector manufacturer and managed the CO2 and hazardous gas detector program for the largest U.S. brewer. He is also a technical specialist for production and process automation, PPE and safety equipment for many industries, including beer manufacturing. Tony is a founding member of the BA Safety Subcommittee, member of MBAA Safety Committee and the Colorado Brewers Guild, and regularly presents safety training at conferences and member meetings.
Matt Stinchfield, Safety Ambassador
Brewers Association
Matt Stinchfield has been actively creating safer workplaces for over three decades. He has worked in a range of environmental safety and health spheres, including pollution control, water and wastewater treatment, industrial hygiene, hazmat response, and chainsaw safety. He has focused on brewery safety for the last 20 years as an insurance consultant to mid-sized and regional craft breweries and distilleries. Matt founded his own brewery in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2014 and now assists start-ups and operating facilities.
Matt is the Brewers Association 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 enjoys exploring stinky things, like fungi, washed-rind cheeses, and fermented foods.
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