The first Executive Health and Safety Council of BC “Virtual Breakfast” meeting was held on April 8^th, 2020.  The conversation started with a personal health check, and quickly evolved into a discussion on what business leaders are doing to minimize and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The attendees’ industries ranged from manufacturing to construction and electrical to education.  Some of the key takeaways were:

• It is important for the business leader to remain calm and keep employees informed on what is happening. “You have to be the leader” was a common thread.
• Many businesses are investigating the 75% wage subsidy (CEWS), and a few are looking into the workshare program
• Some businesses, especially those that have been classified as Essential Services, are finding they are busier than normal, but in some cases are concerned about getting materials from their supply chains.
• Communications are key – whether with your board, senior staff or employees, communications need to be ramped up, especially with people working from home. Daily (or more) video calls are becoming the norm.
• Some companies are “right sizing”, having to focus more on where to prioritize people resources. Others have realized that they are very reliant on a few key people and are now starting to cross train staff to be able to fill gaps and have multiple shifts running
• New protocols are being implemented: Car/ridesharing needs to be limited. What to do when a visitor comes to a facility?
• Many are running split shifts and keeping operations going with smaller crews to ensure that social distancing is maintained.

The group agreed that this conversation was productive, both to hear others’ perspectives and to know that there are others in similar positions.  It was decided to have a video conference on a weekly basis and to keep the meeting to an hour.  There will also be a future conversation on strategic planning and “How to get back up to speed” once the pandemic is over, and what people think this will look like.

On November 13th, Safety Charter Members met at the new ConAgra Foods location in Richmond to take part in an engaging presentation by Dr. Joti Samra. We had a full house attending, set in ConAgra’s brand-new lounge area. Host Craig Ogilvie explained that this lounge, found adjacent to the reception area and accessible to all staff, was designed by employees themselves, to enjoy a space to relax and rejuvenate during their busy workday.

The breakfast forum attendees learned from Dr. Samra of the necessity for strong Mental Health practices as a starting point for safety in the workplace. To kick off the presentation, Dr. Samra referred to the World Health Organization’s definition of “Health”, developed as far back as 1948, “as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition is still incredibly relevant to this day.

We learned that mindfulness is very important to avoid the actual injury: staff must remain vigilant and attentive to their daily tasks. If distraction or carelessness is present, mistakes creating injury could occur.

A special thank you to Craig Ogilvie for hosting our successful forum. We look forward to our next opportunity to meet with you all.