Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/1299031
F E A T U R E 24 www.thesafetymag.com/ca SAFETY LEADERS OF THE YEAR 2020 Meet our exceptional group of nominees vying for the title of Safety Leader of the Year, one of Canada's Safest Employers awards' most coveted accolades. In such a tough year, we are proud to spotlight individuals who have shown outstanding leadership end of the day, every employee can go home to their loved ones and that our community is a better place because our organization is in it. "I feel that COVID-19 has made me more aware of peoples' mental health and has taught me to be more flexible and empathetic with my team and our organization as a whole. We have all had to adapt very quickly to new threats to our health, to new work environments at home and for many of us with children of all ages now at home occupying the same space (and internet). These are things that in the past we didn't really think about or perhaps took advantage off, but, in today's new norm, we have all had to adopt new practices, new ways of communicating and, as leaders, new ways to keep our teams motivated, providing a safe workplace for employees in which trust, transparency and open communication exists as the foundation of everything we do in an effort to truly empower employees to be a part of creating a culture that recognizes safety as its core value." Angela Keenan, Occupational Health Safety & Wellness Manager at Nova Scotia Health Authority THIS has been a unique year for employers throughout Canada. The current pandemic has impacted every single workplace and has cemented how important the health and safety profession is. With worker safety more important now than ever before, safety heroes are emerging as an essential, trusted voice in the workplace. It is almost impossible to tell what the landscape will look like in the coming months — if not years. But with leaders like these, we're definitely in safe hands. In their own words, our finalists cover their stellar careers, what being a safety leader means to them and how they have faced the many challenges brought by COVID-19. Please note that by the time you have this in your hands, the winner of Canada's Safety Leader of the Year will have been announced (winners were announced live during a ceremony on Oct. 22). Sean Cammaert, Exposure Reduction Process (ERP) Implementation Leader at BASF "First of all, leadership in any realm is a privilege and is something that I have never taken lightly. Being a Safety Leader brings in many different angles that all have potential to have life- altering consequences and, as such, I take this privilege also very seriously and very personally. "For me, being a safety leader means that I have the responsibility to ensure that every employee within our organization, regardless of title, arrives to work every day, and that they have the knowledge and ability to recognize and control exposures, effectively remove barriers and feel empowered to speak up when something is not safe so that, at the "As a leader, my goal is to remain committed to identifying opportunities for personal and organizational growth, creating a workplace culture that recognizes and embeds the fundamentals of occupational health safety and wellness in its strategic direction. As a leader of safety professionals, it is an honour to inspire, motivate and identify opportunities for organizational change toward OH&S compliance. It is a privilege to collaborate, influence and engage with the organization at all levels to collectively do more together than apart impacting the physical and psychological safety for all. "COVID-19 has changed the OHS profession, it has propelled it to the forefront. Globally, households now understand the importance of personal education and normalized risk assessments and mitigation of risk through controls such as PPE. It has highlighted the growing need for organizations to ensure they have robust and appropriately resourced health, safety and wellness teams focused on ensuring workplace safety, both physical and psychological. COVID-19 has increased prevalence of vicarious trauma "Being a Safety Leader brings in many different angles that all have potential to have life-altering consequences and as such, I take this privilege also very seriously and very personally." Sean Cammaert, BASF CANADA'S SAFEST EMPLOYERS 2020 When? The awards will take place on Oct. 22 at 12 p.m. ET What? Canada's Safest Employers awards aims to spotlight outstanding employers in key industries across Canada for their achievements in occupational health and safety Where? This year, the event will be virtual and feature a live stream of the awards ceremony at https:// safestemployers.com/ Who? There are 21 categories this year — the most ever! The awards will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary