Workplace Safety North (WSN) has announced an inaugural health and safety conference for Timmins.
Themed Building Safer Communities, the one-day conference will be held Sept. 5 at the Senator Hotel & Conference Centre.
The event will include a keynote presentation, workshops and a tradeshow.
The day’s featured speaker is Candace Carnahan, who lost her leg in a workplace accident at the age of 21 and is now a workplace safety advocate who champions workplace training as a preventive measure.
Other topics to be explored at the conference include:
- reading body language: what are you really saying;
- First Nations culture and health and safety;
- case study on powerline safety: dump truck raised box indicator program;
- learning from a psychosocial education program in wildland firefighters: applications for Northern industries;
- climate assessment and audit tool: new predictive approach changing the face of health and safety;
- cannabis in the safety-sensitive workplace; and
- discussion panel: navigating mental health issues in the workplace.
“We’re seeing an evolution in workplace health and safety that matches what’s happening in society,” said Mike Parent, WSN’s vice-president of prevention services, in an Aug. 8 news release.
“Issues around substance use, distracted driving, and mental health are being brought to light and talked about in supportive ways. And because these issues affect us both at home and in the workplace, Workplace Safety North is in an excellent position to help raise awareness to make Ontario workplaces safer.”
Participants can also attend a free, risk assessment workshop on Sept. 6, which will provide guidance on how to assess your workplace for health and safety hazards; participants will learn how to implement and monitor their own risk assessment program.
WSN plans for the conference to be an annual event. Registration information is available here.
Workplace Safety North provides government-approved workplace health and safety services for mining and forest products sectors, as well as businesses and communities across Northern Ontario. It is has locations in North Bay and Sudbury.
