Cari Field
Director, Environmental, Health, & Safety, Printpack
Cari brings over 25 years of diverse experience in both military and civilian sectors to her role as Director of EHS at Printpack, a food and medical packaging manufacturer, which she joined in 2023. Her extensive background spans EHS, risk management, operations, and emergency response. Before Printpack, Cari dedicated 17 years to the high-hazard chemical manufacturing industry, gaining expertise in both operations and EHS. She also served for 13 years as an Enlisted member and Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, where she was involved in critical operations, including oil spill responses, Hurricane Katrina, hazardous material releases, and security incidents. In her free time, Cari volunteers behind the scenes with dive operations and special events at the Georgia Aquarium and is a member of the Greater Atlanta United Way Cole Council.
Cari's sessions
Human Factors in the Wild: A SafeStart Best Practices Panel
Tue, Oct 20, 1:45 PM to 3:15 PM - Main Ballroom (Salon 5/
Forward-thinking companies that implement SafeStart Now are looking beyond compliance to implement human factors elements into their existing safety management systems. But when it comes to sustaining a SafeStart Now implementation, there typically isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It can be helpful to hear what worked for others, and more importantly, what didn’t. SafeStart training allows you to rely less on luck and more on skill. But what if you could rely on work that trusted advisors have already done? Attending this panel will also allow you to consider the methods other sites have tried and tested. The panelists will discuss the four powerful techniques in a successful SafeStart implementation and the benefits of a 24/7 mindset with representation from small and large sites.
Presented by
Cari Field, Printpack
Dana Gunderson, Epiroc
Deniale Steffen, Epiroc
Lloyd Barker
Our Caring Culture in Action: A New Vision for Operational Excellence
Wed, Oct 21, 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM - Salon 7/
Rather than treating safety as a standalone program or compliance activity, this session reframes it as a way to improve decision quality and consistency across operations. Come and explore how safety, culture, and operational performance are deeply connected through the everyday decisions people make, especially under pressure. Drawing on real examples from manufacturing environments, this session examines how common human states—like rushing, fatigue, frustration, and complacency—quietly contribute to injuries, quality defects, downtime, and turnover. Participants will discover how the same habits that prevent injuries also reduce errors, scrap, and reliability issues. Through facilitated discussion, practical examples, and a case study, we’ll ascertain how a culture of care fosters psychological safety, strengthens trust, and supports workforce stability, which remains one of the biggest business challenges today. This session is designed for leaders and practitioners who want to build safety initiatives that actually support operational excellence rather than compete with it. An interactive activity will challenge participants to distinguish between human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior—and determine the most effective leadership response in each case. Participants will leave with the tools and insights to apply these principles, leading to improvements not only in safety metrics but also in quality, reliability, and employee engagement.
Presented by
Cari Field, Printpack