Charter CEOs Well Represented At Manufacturing Safety Conference
The BC Safety Charter was well represented at the November 4, 5 Make it Safe Manufacturing Safety Conference held in Burnaby, BC. One of the highlights of the conference was the CEO panel organized for the first day of the conference.
The panel included Ben Hume, President of Sheppards Building Materials and Chair of the BC Safety Charter Steering Committee; Rick Gibbs, President of Neutron Factory Works and a Charter signatory, as well as Julie Kaisla, Manager of Workplace Initiatives at the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The panel was hosted and led by Maureen Shaw, former President and CEO of the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) and a leading advocate for health, safety and mental well-being in the workplace.
Gibbs spoke passionately about the fact that, in his own personal journey towards better health and safety in BC workplaces, he was surprised to find out how little he knew about the issues facing his employees and those in all workplaces in BC.
“It’s almost as though mental health issues have been invisible,” said Gibbs, stressing that all employers must understand the importance of the mental, as well as the physical, well-being of their employees.
Ben Hume spoke of the tremendous commitment on the part of the employers of the BC Safety Charter to the cause of increasing health and safety by reducing injury rates.
He also spoke of their commitment to doing all they can to go above and beyond the requirements of the BC government’s Bullying and Harassment legislation by adopting a best-practices approach to the issue of mental well-being in the workplace.
Julie Kaisla spoke about some of the details of the legislation and the responsibilities of employers in meeting the terms of the legislation and advised employers and health and safety professionals to become familiar with the special section of WorkSafeBC’s website devoted to the legislation.
The Charter has taken a leadership role in helping CEOs and business leaders understand and exceed their responsibilities under the new legislation.
