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In every industry, including construction, home care, logging, small-scale and apparel manufacturing, and more, employees are at risk of injury and long-term disability in their work environments. When employers implement safe workplace practices, they reduce risks on the job which impacts the financial health of the businesses. This also helps to ensure employees stay healthy and strong throughout their working lives.

On March 21, 2023 WSMA presented the Safe Workers! Moving Washington Forward Webinar.

You can watch the Webinar Replay HERE.

We heard perspectives from organizations that support small businesses with key resources and information. Our webinar featured Erin Nutter, Risk Management Consultant, Region 4 with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and Rick Goggins, CPE, Ergonomist with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health, who demystified their confidential, no-fee, professional advice and assistance to Washington businesses which can help you find and fix hazards in your workplace and strengthen your safety program. We also heard from Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, Founder & Executive Director of Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI) who shared her real world perspective and successes in building and supporting the safety of RAI Artisans.

This webinar replay is presented by the Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) in partnership with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries for Employer Outreach and Education, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Refugee Artisan Initiative.

Resources & Chat Box shared during the webinar

Erin's Slide Deck

Ming-Ming's Slide Deck

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‍Speaker Bios: 

Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman is an immigrant from Taiwan. She has found life-long purpose in Refugee Artisan Initiative, a non-profit she founded in 2017 to partner with refugee and immigrant women for an inclusive transition to America by skill training and small batch manufacturing. This work has combined her desire to give back to the immigrant community with her creative and entrepreneurial spirit.

In addition to being a wife and mother of two children, Ming-Ming had been a clinical pharmacist for twenty-five years before retiring, and is actively involved in her Chinese community. She is the founder of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Seattle Chapter.

Ming-Ming’s non-profit work has been featured in the Seattle Times, King5 News and other local major news outlets. She received the 2022 Business Leadership Award from International Examiner, 2022 Be Bold Women Award, 2021 King County MLK Community Service Award,  2021 Heart of Sustainability Award from Sustainable Seattle, and  2020 Healthcare Leadership Community Champion Award from the Puget Sound Business Journal. Ming-Ming enjoys the outdoors; you can often find her hiking with her dog Bao Boa in her spare time.

Erin Nutter is a Risk Management Consultant with Washington State Dept. Labor & Industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Loss Control Management from Central Washington University, with a minor in business.  For the last 25 years she has worked at L&I as Loss Control Consultant, Claim Manager, Risk Management Coordinator, Safety trainer and Risk Manager- all lending valuable experience to the services she provides to customers today.  Erin has a passion for helping businesses succeed, and as an L&I consultant she gets to do just that!

Rick Goggins, M.S., CPE has been working as an ergonomist for the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries for the past 27 years. Prior to that, he worked at Hughes Space and Communications in El Segundo, California.  He has a master’s degree in ergonomics and is a Certified Professional Ergonomist. Risk Management Consultants work with employers to identify risk and make the connections between safe workplaces and profit. They provide resources and tools for proactive claim and safety management.