Canadian Occupational Safety

E D I T O R I A L MY mother is a scientist. Growing up, it never struck me as odd or weird to see women in science as I had one right in front of me. It was only a bit later on that I realized how few women actually were in STEM. I never wanted to be a scientist myself, but I was never made to feel that I couldn't had I wanted to. We hear the phrase "representation is important" so often precisely because it is. Although we may grow up with our own dreams and ambitions, it can seem daunting to embrace them with little to no examples of people who look like us in the paths we wish to take. Although occupational health and safety can often seem like a male-dominated profession, there are a growing number of amazing women in the space, many of whom have been there for years. Female safety professionals need to be empowered with the right tools to be able to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. And seeing women thriving in this field can inspire others to do the same. In March, COS hosted its annual Women in Safety Summit, which, with more than 600 highly engaged — and engaging — attendees, was a roaring success. One thing the speakers were keen to highlight was the importance of leadership and especially mentorship. Representation is vital — but another piece to this is mentorship. And this is something men and women can do: Help raise up young women wishing to break into the field by offering them guidance, advice and an example of what good leadership looks like. For the first time ever, in this issue, we are delighted to shine a light on the Top Women in Safety. These 40 women are at the top of their game, some have decades of experience and some are earlier on in their career but are already making waves. All are committed to keeping workers as healthy and safe as possible — and now more than ever, considering how difficult the past year has been. In this issue, we also spoke with British Columbia Minister of Labour Harry Bains who shared a similar sentiment. Bains told us that his priorities for the coming year (and beyond) will be improving employment standards for workers, working to provide better protections for gig and precarious workers and supporting a strong economic recovery. He also is continuing his commitment to ending workplace bullying and harassment. "Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our workers and of our population," said Bains. Fundamentally, regardless of gender, the goal of every safety hero is for every single worker to make it home at the end of the day. Maia Foulis, editor, Canadian Occupational Safety Contents of Canadian Occupational Safety are copyright © 2021 KMI Publishing and Events Ltd and may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent. KMI Publishing and Events Ltd disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. HST # 82578 9548 RT-0001 Canada Post – Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement 41261516 International Standard Serial Number 0008-4611. The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, colour transparencies or other materials. Manuscripts or other materials must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Canadian Occupational Safety is published six times yearly by Key Media Canada Ltd KEY MEDIA and the KEY MEDIA logo are trademarks of Key Media IP Limited, and used under licence by Key Media Canada Ltd CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY is a trademark of Key Media Canada Ltd 20 Duncan St. 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON. M5H 3G8 www.cos-mag.com Issue dates are March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December, January/February. Subscription price: Canada: $69 plus tax; US: $69,International: $96 Canadian Occupational Safety makes every effort to ensure accuracy in all items reported, but cannot accept responsibility for the representations or claims made by sources used. It is also not responsible for claims made by its advertisers. EDITORIAL Editor Maia Foulis Production Editor Patricia Cancilla Writer Jim Wilson Columnists Glyn Jones Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley Cathy Chandler PRODUCTION Designer Ace Dequina Production Co-ordinators Kat Guzman, Ella Dayandante Client Success Co-ordinator Kshipra Dhindaw Global Production Manager Alicia Chin (on leave) SALES & ADVERTISING Fred Crossley fred.crossley@keymedia.com 416 644 8740 ext. 236 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Guy Chenard, CRSP, C.E.T. Safety Consultant Dave Gouthro, CRSP, CHSC, CHSO Occupational Health & Safety Consulting David Johnston, CRSP Director, EHS, Toronto Hydro Eldeen Pozniak, CHSC, CHSMSA, CRSP, Director, Pozniak Safety Associates Laura Rourke, CRSP, Peng, TSRP EHSS manager, Tigercat Industries Dan Strand, CRSP, CIH, ROH Director, Prevention Field Services, WorkSafeBC ISSUE 59.02 www.thesafetymag.com/ca OCCUPATIONALSAFETY CANADIAN Printed in ACCESS ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANY DEVICE. NEWSLETTER 12:40 AM 100% Sign up today. It's FREE. Receive the latest news and updates about the world of occupational health and safety, delivered straight to your inbox regularly. SCAN TO LEARN MORE A seat at the table

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