Saint John, NB: The WHSCC will host its 28th Annual Health and Safety Conference at the Delta Beauséjour in Moncton, October 5-7.
“The Independent Review Panel’s recent report on New Brunswick’s health, safety and compensation system challenged us to become the Canadian model for injury prevention in Canada, through education and enforcement,” said Roberta Dugas, chair of the WHSCC’s board of directors. “Our conference is an important component of our commitment to health and safety education–education that we hope will result in the collective view that all occupational accidents and diseases are preventable and unacceptable,” she said.
“We are especially pleased to have with us this year Wolfgang Zimmerman, executive director of the National Institute of Disability Management Research (NIDMAR),” Dugas said. Zimmerman will present the workshop “Disability Management in a Global Context.” Zimmerman rehabilitated himself following a logging accident that left him paralyzed at the age of 20, and it was his determination to reduce industrial accidents that helped found NIDMAR.
Another highlight is a plenary session on the Independent Review Panel’s report on New Brunswick’s workplace health, safety and compensation system, presented by Louis Comeau, the panel’s committee chair. “We are anxiously looking forward to this discussion on the report’s recommendations relating to health and safety,” she said. “Delegates will get their information straight from the source, and will be have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the injury prevention recommendations,” she said. The session will take place October 7, following an awards breakfast that will recognize two New Brunswick companies for improving and nurturing a safety culture at their workplaces.
Other workshop topics include workplace bullying, machine safety, electrical safety hazards and standards, elevating work platforms, noise reduction, MSI prevention, due diligence, return to work and contractor safety management.
A trade show, October 5 and 6, will complement the conference, featuring the latest in health and safety innovations presented by 30 exhibitors.