In a crisis without borders, we are stronger together

Together, we can build safer workplaces in the new normal and emerge stronger in the recovery.

Meet health and safety experts, industry leaders, and youth from around the world in this interactive online conference. Learn from more than 50 Canadian and international speakers in 24 interactive sessions.

4 Conference Tracks

PEOPLE

Taking care of our people through crisis and beyond

SAFETY

Workplace health and safety best practice in the new normal

EXECUTIVE

Leadership and sustainable business in the pandemic and recovery

YOUTH

Youth perspectives on COVID-19 challenges and the future of school and work

Expert Speakers–Health, Safety, Industry

Learn from industry leaders and health and safety experts from BC, Canada, and around the world. Meet and hear from industry leaders in manufacturing, food processing, and other sectors such as Siemens, Cummins, McCormick, and Canada Goose. Learn from experts from CCOHS, CDC-NIOSH, PAHO/WHO, and more on workplace health and safety topics ranging from exposure control to mental health and human performance to crisis communications. Meet our partners: the sponsors and 25 not-for-profit partner organizations supporting the Make It Safe 2020 program—many of whom also provide valuable support to our manufacturing and food and beverage processing members. And connect with all the industry suppliers in the virtual trade show.

Otto Görnemann

Manager for Machinery Safety – Standards & Regulations

SICK AG

Erik Sherman

Director, Injury Reduction & Training, QA

Alberta Motor Transport Association

Charla Huber

Director of Communications and Indigenous Relations

M'akola Housing Society

Dr. Graham Lowe

President

The Graham Lowe Group

Dr. Bill Howatt

CEO

Howatt HR Consulting

Nick Reiach

Vice President, Operations

Great Little Box Company

Andrew Wynn-Williams

Divisional Vice President

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

Michelle Whyard

Director, HR

NFI Group/MCI

View more speakers

Learning Together

Join talks and discussions designed for business executives, HR leaders, health and safety professionals, safety committees, and youth.

Connect with industry and HR leaders and health and safety professionals from around the world to share lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn new approaches for building a safer workplace and a productive, engaged, supported workplace culture in the recovery. In two days of interactive, virtual learning, discussion, and networking, take away new ideas and best practices from the experience of more than 50 expert speakers and industry leaders.

Take an active part in the interactive sessions—or catch the sessions you missed on demand after the conference. Network online with your peers and our expert presenters.

​​Join us for the opening general session of Make It Safe 2020 on the conference Stage. Welcome to Make It Safe, everyone. Together, we can build safer workplaces in the new normal and emerge stronger in the recovery.

30min

 Panel
Speakers
Emily Newhouse
Lisa McGuire
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Part 1 of a two-part seminar.

Understand the role the JHSC can play to support both a healthy organization and healthy people. 

Part 1 of this two-part seminar spotlights what makes a resilient person. Explore and identify self-improvement and wellness opportunities to support both organizational and personal growth.

Part 2 shows you how the Joint Health and Safety Committee can support areas of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the workplace using their current OH&S practices. 

120min

 Breakout Seminar
Speakers
Lucette Wesley
Stephanie Lawrence
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What is the role of the JHSC or Worker Representative in a crisis situation like the COVID-19 pandemic? 

In this session, hear from the safety committee chairs of four manufacturing organizations about the role their committees have played in their response to the pandemic, and opportunities to leverage the safety committee effectively in any crisis.

60min

 Panel
Speakers
Dylan Eldred
Neal Curry
Stephane Gallant
Stephen Richard
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Supervising a workplace that is healthy and safe can be challenging yet rewarding for everyone involved. But how do you integrate psychosocial and psychological elements into existing health and safety programs to support comprehensive prevention efforts?

During this session, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), will provide you with actionable steps and credible resources to help you work towards a healthy workplace that is both manageable and measurable. Through a practical playbook, along with facilitated discussions, the group will be led through what applications are available to help your organization. Additionally, business continuity, risk assessment, and work priorities and how they pair with safety practices will also be reviewed.

90min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Janet Manella
View Full Description
​How is the pandemic is changing the value employees, consumers, and distributors place on health and safety? How can savvy leaders can leverage a strong health and safety program to attract and retain staff and win new business?

This panel discussion examines the connection between the C-suite and the safety professional in managing workplace safety and sustainability. Learn from the experience of Siemens Canada and Fine Choice Foods chief executives and health and safety professionals, and distinguished moderator Hans-Horst Konkolewsky:

  • Where safety fits in a business sustainability strategy  
  • How the leaders and safety people in an organization can work together effectively to build a safer workplace and a stronger safety culture
  • And the importance of that safety culture to long term performance

60min

 Panel
Speakers
Faisal Kazi
Hans-Horst Konkolewsky
Jason Longden
Nada Vuckovic
Sadaf Sanaat
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​​Questions about health and safety regulatory requirements, prevention services, claims management, training, or support for BC employers? In this Ask Me Anything style session, experts from WorkSafeBC and the Ministry of Labour Employers' Advisers Office will be on hand to answer.

Jose Barranco and Steven Hodgins bring many years of specific expertise in health and safety, and can connect you with the information and services you need to support your business. Bring your questions!




45min

 Coffee Talk
Speakers
Jose Barranco
Steven Hodgins
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​In this international keynote panel, four manufacturing executives share the pandemic experiences and challenges they have faced in their companies around the world. Learn from their experiences and insights.

Hear their perspectives and ask questions directly about:

  • Critical decisions and changes in their businesses;
  • Supporting teams and company culture through the crisis;
  • How the pandemic has changed their approach to leadership; and
  • Essential leadership qualities and critical actions to emerge stronger in the recovery

90min

 Panel
Speakers
Dan Reader
Franco Dutto
Gretta Stephens
Lisa McGuire
Michelle Garner-Janna
View Full Description
​Part 1 of a two-part seminar.
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are among the leading causes of lost time and productivity for businesses—and persistent and sometimes debilitating pain for workers. Prevention starts with thoughtful design (or redesign) of workspaces and processes.

Participatory ergonomics actively involves workers and other stakeholders in this process to  improve productivity and reduce risks to safety and health. Effectively implemented Participatory Ergonomics programs are not only associated with positive health outcomes, but also result in measurable reductions in MSI-related symptoms and injuries, workers’ compensation claims, and lost days.

This interactive workshop introduces practical strategies for involving workers in identifying issues and designing solutions. In this "hands-on" virtual workshop:
  • Understand what a participatory ergonomics program entails and how effective it can be to control MSIs.
  • Recognize the value in an evidence-based approach for implementing such program.
  • Learn the key considerations in building a PE program
This workshop is appropriate for managers, supervisors, safety committee members, senior leaders, strategists, and worker representatives.

120min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Era Poddar
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What has the industry learned from COVID-19 that may require changes or enhancements to your exposure control plan? 

In this session, industrial hygienist and AIHA board member Bernard Fontaine, Jr. shares key lessons learned from companies in a variety of industries and actionable steps to develop or improve your exposure control plan.

60min

 Round table
Speaker
Bernard L. Fontaine, Jr.
View Full Description
​What is our role in crisis response, change management and supporting mental health in the workplace? In this session, discuss essential strategies for addressing fear, fostering coping skills, and taking care of your team in times of crisis and change. 

60min

 Round table
Speakers
Anita Huberman
Mary Ann Baynton
View Full Description
What has been the impact of the pandemic on our organizations to date? In this executive roundtable session, join our expert facilitators in a conversation around the economic and mental health impacts on the industry, our businesses, and our people—and the key factors driving sustainable business performance and continuity in the recovery.

60min

 Round table
Speakers
Andrew Wynn-Williams
Mark Attridge
Jayson Myers
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As we adjust to a less settled "new normal," complacency and crisis fatigue become a new risk for our businesses. In this session, we look at strategies to battle complacency and keep ourselves and our teams vigilant. 

60min

 Case Study
Speaker
David Fagen
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​With harassment and bullying claims on the rise, employers need to understand the risks and take active steps to train their leaders and staff, manage complaints, and support workers’ psychological safety and well-being.  In this session, learn the key elements of a psychologically healthy workplace. Find out how to develop an effective program for managing complaints, investigations, and confidentiality.
 
In this session with Sensitivity Training Canada CEO Caroline Power, learn:
  • A process for bringing forward bullying and harassment complaints.
  • A process for handling bullying and harassment complaints.
    • Strategies for interacting with the person who complains.
    • Strategies for interacting with the offender.
    • Strategies for managing an investigation (internal/external investigator?)
    • Strategies for managing privacy and confidentiality (need-to-know basis).
  • A process for managing the output/s of the investigation process (apology, training, coaching, discipline – up to and including termination).

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Kirk Perris
View Full Description
​British Columbia Deputy Minister of Labour Trevor Hughes joins Make It Safe Friday morning to open Day 2 of the conference.​​Tune into the Stage to hear Mr. Hughes' remarks and a brief introduction to the day's events. 

0min

 Panel
Speakers
Lisa McGuire
Trevor Hughes
View Full Description
​​Part 2 of a two-part seminar.

Understand the role the JHSC can play to support both a healthy organization and healthy people. 

Part 1 of this two-part seminar spotlights what makes a resilient person. Explore and identify self-improvement and wellness opportunities to support both organizational and personal growth.

Part 2 shows you how the Joint Health and Safety Committee can support areas of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the workplace using their current OH&S practices. 

120min

 Breakout Seminar
Speakers
Lucette Wesley
Stephanie Lawrence
View Full Description
Manufacturers are solving a growing range of problems through robotics and automation—increasing productivity and automating risk-laden tasks. But any change in the production process can introduce a new set of risks.

In this session, we look at some of those new risks and the implications for machine guarding:

  • Discover how modern technologies make machinery safe
  • Learn the various means to achieve safe industrial robot applications
  • Find out how digital data technology and AI may affect the safety of machinery
  • ... and rethink safety as an embedded feature that increases productivity.

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Otto Görnemann
View Full Description
A recent Gallup study of 62,965 teams found that employee engagement has a stronger impact on performance during economic crisis, and that organizations are most resilient when employee engagement is strong. In this session, learn what drives employee engagement, and how you can leverage engagement to support and build emotional resilience in your people. Learn steps you can take to build the resilient workplace culture you need to survive and thrive in crisis and change.

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Dave Phillips
View Full Description
How has the pandemic and recovery changed our perspectives and priorities in managing our greatest asset: our people? In this session, our expert panel shares the changes they have made in policy and approach—and critical lessons learned in communicating effectively, engaging employees at all levels, and building confidence in their organizations' health, safety, and management practices. How are our priorities shifting in the New Normal, and what have we learned that we can apply to better support the health and success of our people and businesses?  

60min

 Panel
Speakers
Preston Parsons
David Musgrave
Kelly Hamer
Michelle Whyard
Victoria Spitzer-Delespaul
View Full Description
What can we learn about how we think about and teach safety from an analysis of 31,000 front-line worker safety reports?
By gathering more safety data (incidents, near misses, safety observations, operational failures) and processing it by using artificial intelligence, many organisations believe they can predict and ultimately prevent the next big accident. Is this realistic?
In an ethnographic study of 31,000 safety reports from front-line workers (part of a project funded by the Oil and Gas Technology Centre of the UK), we set out to:
  • Identify common issues that impede learning across safety critical industries
  • Develop a practical framework for business leaders to create a learning environment
  • Understand how to align workers’ experience and knowledge with business goals and strategies
As we redefine health and safety in the uncertainty of a post-COVID world, what do we need to adjust in our reporting and learning environments to connect operational experience with business goals, strategies, and performance?

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Dr. Nippin Anand
View Full Description
In this keynote session, we have invited a panel of international experts to share insights, helping make sense of the changing and sometimes controversial sea of information about COVID-19.

  • Find out what we are still learning about the virus, and emerging recommendations around transmission and effective controls. 
  • Understand the anxiety and mental health impacts and how our understanding of workplace wellness is changing through the pandemic.
  • Get clarity into what we are learning about the virus, immunity, and vaccines.
  • Learn key considerations to protect our businesses and our most vulnerable workers.
  • And discover important lessons we're learning about crisis communications within our organizations and with our clients.



90min

 Panel
Speakers
Andrew Szeto
Gerry Eijkemans
Marc Schenker
Max Lum
Steve Horvath
View Full Description
​How is the pandemic affecting youth? In this session, hear from moderator Efe Türker and a diverse panel of students on the everyday impacts of physical distancing, social isolation, and online school, and missed milestones—along with the return of many to the classroom. Hear how students are dealing with anxiety and uncertainty, and what parents, schools, and employers need to know to support them. 

90min

 Panel
Speakers
Efe Türker
Giselle Alfred
Kate Lamont
Natasha Zilcosky
Ned Jackson
View Full Description

​In Canada and around the world, the wide range of standard certifications and qualifications for occupational health and safety professionals in v​arious industries create inconsistency and gaps in the evolving health and safety needs of our businesses.

In a multi-year research and consultation project, the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC and provincial and industry partners have been working to identify the core OHS competencies and capabilities needed to meet the health and safety needs of manufacturing companies. In this session, hear from experts in education and industry on this work and discuss the impact on future OHS training and assessment programs, professional skills and certifications, and adoption by the manufacturing industry. 

60min

 Panel
Speakers
Lisa McGuire
Paul Carolan
Scott Bax
Wayne Tebb
View Full Description

As many companies have some staff working from home in response to the pandemic, how are we managing the risks and supporting supervisors to manage the performance of work-from-home staff? What does the future look like for work-from-home as an approach for some of your staff in the new normal?
In this session:
  • Learn strategies to manage the performance and wellness of work-from-home staff
  • Consider new risks for the organization and the individual
  • Look at the implications and opportunities for productivity–—what does this look like in the future?
  • How are we managing performance? Accountability is critical!
  • Are we considering the flight risks?
  • What does the future look like for work‐from‐home with respect to benefits and risks as an approach for some of your staff in the new normal?

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Renée Safrata
View Full Description
What does it take to earn the trust and respect of your team? To build an organizational culture where your people feel confident in your company leadership? What steps can you take for maximum impact? In this immersive session, learn new strategies from a leading international expert on work and workplace wellness—and practical applications from one of Canada's Best-Managed Employers.

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speakers
Graham Lowe
Nick Reiach
View Full Description
​Part 2 of a two-part seminar. 
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are among the leading causes of lost time and productivity for businesses—and persistent and sometimes debilitating pain for workers. Prevention starts with thoughtful design (or redesign) of workspaces and processes. 

Participatory ergonomics actively involves workers and other stakeholders in this process to  improve productivity and reduce risks to safety and health. Effectively implemented Participatory Ergonomics programs are not only associated with positive health outcomes, but also result in measurable reductions in MSI-related symptoms and injuries, workers’ compensation claims, and lost days.

This interactive workshop introduces practical strategies for involving workers in identifying issues and designing solutions. In this "hands-on" virtual workshop:

  • Understand what a participatory ergonomics program entails and how effective it can be to control MSIs.
  • Recognize the value in an evidence-based approach for implementing such program.
  • Learn the key considerations in building a PE program
This workshop is appropriate for managers, supervisors, safety committee members, senior leaders, strategists, and worker representatives.

120min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Era Poddar
View Full Description

​How can we lead workplaces and teams that are inclusive and respectful? In manufacturing and food processing, we see tremendous ethnic diversity, a mix of younger and older workers, temporary or migrant workers, and often differences in language, race, and sexual orientation.

In the pandemic, we have seen new prejudices cause friction in many plants. In this session, we consider the role of organization values in building and supporting an inclusive workplace. ​Discover and discuss new strategies in defining values that support inclusivity, and integrating them into your management approach and decision-making.

60min

 Round table
Speakers
Bill Howatt
Charla Huber
Larry Masotti
Norm Keith
View Full Description
What are the key considerations in managing the return to work of an employee who has tested positive for COVID-19? In this informative session, gain new perspectives beyond quarantine timelines and public health guidelines from an Ontario health and safety expert whose personal experience recovering from COVID-19 and returning to work outlines some of the unique potential challenges and considerations.

60min

 Breakout Seminar
Speaker
Andrew Harkness
View Full Description
​In this session, we hear from youth on how 2020 has changed their plans for post-secondary school and work. The impact of the pandemic on a generation of youth goes beyond online school and missed concerts, games, and graduation ceremonies. Hear directly from these students how they feel about their education and career prospects. We invite students to join the conversation and educators and employers to listen and learn.

60min

 Panel
Speakers
Efe Türker
Isabella Black
Ned Jackson
Rosalie Scott
Sydney Mardon
View Full Description
​Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC CEO Lisa McGuire closes the conference. Thank you for attending Make It Safe 2020!

10min

 Panel
Speaker
Lisa McGuire
View Full Description

Safety Pinnacle Awards

Watch the Safety Pinnacle Awards, originally presented on the eve of Make It Safe, October 28, 2020. Celebrate your health and safety achievements with your team, your families and customers. WATCH

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