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Celebrate 100 years of safety in forestry, pulp and paper industries

Workplace Safety North (WSN) will host a centennial conference to celebrate 100 years of worker health and safety in the forestry, pulp and paper industries in Ontario. Held on Sept. 24 and 25 in Thunder Bay, Ont., the event will celebrate health and safety excellence and share the latest information and innovations.

“At the dawn of the industrial revolution, many workers endured gruelling physical labour and dangerous working conditions in factories, mines, railways, and logging camps,” says Candys Ballanger-Michaud, CEO of Workplace Safety North and conference keynote speaker. “From 1915 to 2015, Workplace Safety North and its legacy organizations have been dedicated to a single mission: to make workplaces safer.”

Ballanger-Michaud notes that there, there were an alarming number of deaths and injuries during the early 1900s. “A 1915 Macleans article states approximately 40 to 50 workers in Ontario were injured daily, and five workers were killed every week! We’ve come a long way since then, and we’re inviting all businesses involved in Ontario’s forestry, pulp and paper industries to join us in celebrating the 100th anniversary of worker health and safety.”

Last year, WSN had more than 20 health and safety specialists across Ontario providing businesses with almost 6,000 occupational health and safety training days on topics like core health and safety principles as well as industry-specific issues.

The conference is organized with the help of the Lakehead Regional Safety Council. It will feature keynote speakers, workshop training sessions, industry networking, trade show, dealer exhibit, and safety awards banquet.

Keynote speakers include: Candys Ballanger-Michaud, CEO at Workplace Safety North; George Gritziotis, Chief Prevention Officer at Ontario Ministry of Labour; and Reino Pulkki, Professor at Lakehead University. Other speakers will include: Robin Lavoie, Resolute Forest Products (Leading Practices for Traffic Management Plans); Marshall Greensides, Norampac (Risk Assessment for Pulp and Paper operations); Adam Boczek, Sumac Geometrics (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Regulations and Applications).

Learn more at workplacesafetynorth.ca/100. Early bird registration applies until Aug. 30.