Mental health in focus at Make It Safe Conference

This year’s Make It Safe Conference and Trade Show at UBC, workplace mental health was a key theme.

“From stress and burnout to depression, anxiety, and impairment, mental health issues are having a growing impact on our workplaces,” stated Lisa McGuire, CEO of the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC in a press release. “Giving employers tools to integrate mental health into their health and safety programs was an important consideration in the design of our 2019 conference program.”

In her seminar, “Transform your people practices for a safer, stronger business,” author and CENTREPOINT consultant Doris Bentley showed leaders and HR professionals how modernizing their people skills can create a psychologically and emotionally safe workplace that attracts the right people and inspires and supports them to perform their best.

National speaker and specialist Emma Ashurst from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety walked safety professionals through an interactive workshop based on the National Standard, teaching practical steps to address psychological hazards alongside the physical.

Workplace bullying and harassment took centre stage in a seminar by Steven Lutz from workshop sponsor Sensitivity Training Canada. With harassment and bullying claims on the rise, this session taught employers to understand the risks and take active steps to train their leaders and staff, manage complaints, and support workers’ psychological safety and well-being.

Canadian Mental Health Association trainer Lucette Wesley will address workplace impairment from a mental health perspective: how to develop an effective program to address it, when and why to accommodate it, and where to go to get help.

Four key workshops will discussed owners, managers, and HR and safety professionals at BC manufacturers new strategies to address the prevalence of mental health issues in the workplace.

For more information on the Make It Safe conference, visit MakeitSafe.ca.