Canadian Occupational Safety

F E A T U R E 16 www.thesafetymag.com/ca 2021 is that people [will have] those conversations a little bit more, that they're going to feel comfortable having those conversations," she says. The pandemic has made health and safety more top of mind and has normalized it. On that front, developing a safety community is paramount. Gouthro emphasizes the importance of developing your network as a safety professional. "I can't emphasize this enough. This takes time and effort but will prove invaluable to you in your career." "Sometimes, I am asked what is my most valuable asset. My response is my network. I may not know the answer, but I'm pretty sure I know someone who does," says Gouthro. 8. What will the post-pandemic landscape look like? Strand predicts that the construction sector is going to boom. "It's a desire by the government to stimulate the economy, and the easiest way to do that is by infrastructure spending," he says. This will help the population get work and will be certain to have a significant impact on workplace safety. Indeed, something to keep an eye on is how employers will handle this influx of new workers. "On really significant projects," says Strand, "they have to bring in talent from elsewhere. How does a pandemic continue to impact that?" Safety professionals are hopeful about what the post-pandemic landscape will bring. "I think people throughout the chain of command will be much more aware of how risks have the potential to negatively impact their organizations. This will, hopefully, assist us to move the organization in a positive direction," says Gouthro. Although some companies have permanently shifted to telework, some employers are looking at returning to the office space. Resumption of office live will be a big deal, says Strand, who adds that we need to look into leveraging and building off new elements brought up by the pandemic. There will also be new challenges, he says, and employers will have to contend with issues surrounding presenteeism, productivity, outsourcing, etc. "Face-to-face interactions play a key role in building engagement and trust, and losing those connections can affect the collaboration that is required to build a healthy and safe workplace." Dan Strand, WorkSafeBC increased interest this year," she says. "The technology that's associated with safety has had a huge bump," says Pozniak. An increased trend not just in 2021 but over the next couple of years is a change in the technology that is available to safety professionals. This will, for example, be tech that helps assess and control hazards. 7. The role of the safety professional is evolving "The main trend I have encountered in the site or field operations concerns much more work upfront on my part preparing safety packages," says Gouthro. Indeed, he says that pre-job start-up requirements now entail greater safety packages. "This demonstrates a greater appreciation for due diligence … to include everyone in the chain of command," says Gouthro. "There is certainly a greater demand on safety folks to be more flexible," adds Gouthro. "Safety on many fronts used to be confined to what many thought were safety-only issues, rules, procedures, etc. This was a misconception as to what contributes to impacting safety positively or negatively." Gouthro says this demand for greater flexibility — and by extension, education — is due to being asked to advise on other areas such as environment, HR issues, personnel conflicts, etc. "These are areas which can impact the workforce as individuals and often as a group. How they are impacted, positive or negative, depends on not only how they are dealt with in the beginning but ongoing," says Gouthro. COVID-19 has taken the health and safety conversation to the mainstream and elevated the social acceptability of OHS, says Pozniak. "I think that one of the trends in KEY TRENDS FOR 2021 (CONTINUED) Placing a bigger focus on leadership and communication Maintaining effective safety training despite physical distancing guidelines Understanding the evolution of the role of the safety professional Looking toward the post-pandemic landscape

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