RVIA’s annual Regulatory and Safety Compliance Seminar welcomed over 90 attendees to the event in Elkhart, Indiana.
Keynote speaker Robert Nguyen, safety defects engineer for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discussed trends in recall response rates and how to improve consumer response to recalls. Fellow keynote speaker Jeremy Hamilton, head of recalls for Transport Canada (TC), focused on differences in regulatory requirements between TC and NHTSA, as well as new developments in TC regulatory rulemaking.
RVIA Assistant General Counsel Kyle Correa-Brady said the seminar went well.
“The Regulatory and Safety Compliance Seminar was another incredible opportunity for the RV industry to regularly educate itself on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada regulations and share best practices with one another,” Correa-Brady said. “Based on the feedback we received, being able to hear directly from the regulators as well as from fellow industry compliance veterans is invaluable to the participants.”
The seminar also included three panels on topics ranging from supplier-OEM recall collaboration to the benefits of identifying recalls early to creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Dennis Carl, Lippert’s quality director and a seminar panelist, said the seminar was a great opportunity to collaborate with regulatory and manufacturing partners.
Carl said, “Events like these create alignment that helps us continually improve our industry’s overall safety and regulatory environment.”
The panels were moderated audience Q&A followed each.
Mike Becker, chairman of RVIA’s Regulatory and Safety Compliance Subcommittee, said he was impressed by the event’s participation level.
“Two things really struck me about this year’s seminar,” Becker said. “First: although the attendance numbers have remained relatively consistent from year to year, this year’s attendance included more representation from smaller manufactures and vendors. Second, the participation this year from attendees was, I think, way above and beyond any other year. There were a lot of great questions for our keynote speakers and panels this year. To me, that speaks to a much stronger engagement from the audience compared to previous years.”
