For longtime Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, safety and teamwork are top priorities.

"We set the example for everybody. The best solution … is the guy beside you. Teamwork and taking care of your fellow man is the most important part of safety," he told the more than 800 attendees during a keynote speech at this week’s 2011 Indiana Safety and Health Conference & Expo.

Saturday’s speech on the second day of the three-day event drove home the theme of "centering on safety" to the state’s largest gathering of safety and health professionals.

With more than 70 vendors and 50-plus educational sessions, as well as pre-conference workshops and the Governor’s Workplace Safety Awards luncheon, the annual event has once again been declared a success.

"It’s been great. There is a lot of practical information. I’m not in the safety department, but from a protection standpoint, there is a lot of good information to tell others about," offers conference attendee James Fink of Nucor Corporation.

Adds Greg Luff of Bristol-Myers Squibb, "Attending the seminars helps you take back useful tools – we’re a pharmaceutical company and we value (safety) within the workforce environment. Health and safety are part of our culture."

Eight companies and one individual were recipients of the Governor’s Workplace Safety Awards and were honored at a luncheon ceremony on March 2. Read more about the awards in this press release.  

The annual event is presented by the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Indiana Chamber in partnership with INSafe and the Indiana Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

Event sponsors included 3M; American Airlines; August Mack Environmental, Inc.; Bureau Veritas; CorVel Corporation; Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center; ISTS-Industrial Safety & Training Services; IU Bloomington Safety Management Program; Mussett, Nicholas + Associates, Inc.; Online-MSDS by KHA; RMS-Safety; Rolls-Royce; SafeStart; and Summit Contracting, LLC.