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
www.thesafetymag.com/ca 27 F E A T U R E COVID-19 AND TECH: NEW HORIZONS Over the last few years, there have been more and more tech developments happening in the OHS space. With the current pandemic, new solutions have been cropping up every day to help workers. Could tech be the future of OHS? THE SPEAKERS: Sean Baldry [SB] is a product marketing manager supporting Cority's Health and Safety solutions. He has worked for nearly 20 years in occupational health and safety with leading global corporations servicing the construction, mining, automotive and manufacturing sectors. During his career, he has worked at operational and executive levels, assisting teams to build effective systems and safety cultures that drive organizational excellence. Before joining Cority, Sean was the director of Health and Safety with LafargeHolcim's Eastern Canada division. Baldry is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP). Adrian Bartha [AB] is the founder of eCompliance and president of the North American arm of Alcumus. Previously, Bartha was an investment professional for a $5-billion private equity firm investing in energy and infrastructure projects across North years of experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree focused in Business from Simon Fraser University. DeBoon was previously director of technology services at Robert Half Technology. Rahil Hasan [RH] is product marketing leader for Honeywell's personal protective equipment business. He has more than 15 years of experience with multi-national America and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in the United States serving Fortune 500 companies and government leaders. Victoria DeBoon [VD] is the director of sales at SAP Concur Canada and helps organizations gain more control over their travel expense and accounts payable spend. She is an experienced SAS leader with proven results in accelerating business growth. DeBoon has more than 10 manufacturing for Fortune 500 corporations. Hasan is responsible for marketing in the following: P&L ownership, sales strategy, strategic planning, marketing, value pricing, new product launches, marketing campaigns and demand generation. THE ROUNDTABLE: [COS] How has COVID-19 impacted tech developments in the OHS sector? [RH] "It's a significant impact; now, PPE has become a household topic. Before COVID, PPE was maybe not as widely known or appreciated. The visibility of PPE has become significantly different. And it's a concern not only for traditional workers, construction sites and manufacturing facilities but it's a major concern for workers who are returning to public spaces. "The typical user of PPE has significantly increased to all of us in one way, shape or form, whereas before it was a very limited to people in a mine or in a construction site or in a very industrial solution. Honeywell has had to rapidly adapt and pivot. I don't think we've seen a market change as rapidly as we have with the onset of COVID. We've launched several new products and, quite frankly, in record timing! For example, we have options that meet health-care needs and health care has very different standards and certifications than what we would typically consider industrial PPE. With COVID, we have had to think a little bit more about respiratory protection and hand protection." [AB] "It's impacted how tech is being developed and applied but also adopted in OHS in general. I think, on one hand, tech as a whole has seen huge investments in the last few years, and through the pandemic, I think it's only accelerated that. Because most people are adopting technology even faster than they were before and that's fuelling a lot of investment and, consequently, some great innovations in tech and OHS is probably no exception to that." [VD] "COVID-19 has been an accelerator for digital transformation as companies needed to adopt digital tools quickly to maintain operations and enable remote work. This has spurred new innovations and developments. We're seeing many companies evaluate their processes and adapt to support employees. Corporate travel in "COVID-19 has been an accelerator for digital transformation as companies needed to adopt digital tools quickly to maintain operations and enable remote work. This has spurred new innovations and developments." Victoria DeBoon, SAP Concur