Skip to content

Workplace Safety North appoints new board chair

Sandra Haddad will focus on mental health, substance abuse
sandra_haddad_sized
Sandra Haddad has been named the new chair of the board of directors for Workplace Safety North. (Supplied photo)

Workplace Safety North (WSN) has appointed a new chair of its board of directors. Sandra Haddad has taken on the role as of Dec. 1.

As past vice-chair, Haddad has seven years of experience on the WSN board, and served as chair on three of the committees. She has more than 25 years of occupational health and safety experience in Ontario, including as senior adjudicator for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and as the WSIB program director for a national private sector employer.

“I am excited about the future at WSN, and I plan to focus on wellness issues, including mental health and substance use,” Haddad said in a Dec. 6 news release.

“The North is my home and I want it to continue to be the best place to live and work.”

Haddad is past chair of the Industrial Accident Prevention Association, past chair of the advisory council to the Office of the Employer Advisor, and past vice-chair of St. John Ambulance. 

A member of the Canadian Society for Safety Engineering and registered member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, Haddad is also a designated Certified Health and Safety Consultant, and Certified Disability Management Professional through the International Disability Management Standards Council.

As a business owner based in Sudbury, Haddad knows the challenges and distinct differences Northern Ontario businesses face daily, and has worked in all facets of industry, including all the resource industries that drive the Northern economy.

The vice-chair role will be taken on by Lydia Renton, who serves as director of occupational hygiene, safety and security with the engineering and consulting firm BluMetric Environmental.

Workplace Safety North is one of four provincial health and safety associations and the only one based in Northern Ontario.

It provides provincially approved workplace health and safety services for mining and forest products sectors, as well as businesses and communities across Northern Ontario.