April 26, 2013 – EBMag will be there next week at Partners in Prevention Conference 2013, one of Canada’s largest health and safety events… will we meet you there? From April 30 to May 1, over 4500 health and safety experts and delegates are expected to gather at the International Centre, in Mississauga, Ont., to discuss emerging trends and issues in workplace hazards, risk management, and occupational health and safety legislation.

“In the face of significant economic pressures and a transforming workforce, employers are feeling increasing pressure to keep their employees, customers and businesses protected,” says Elizabeth Mills, president and CEO, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services. “This event has been designed to help them keep pace with those changes, while seeing their business succeed by investing in health and safety.”

Attendees have the opportunity to choose between 60-plus sessions and professional development workshops, including:

• Leading in the changing workplace – Claude Bigras, president and CEO of GDI; Greg Nordal, president and CEO, Nelson Education; Saajid Khan, president and CEO, Compass Group Canada; and Jane Riddell, COO, Goodlife Canada, will kick things off with a panel discussion that explores the role of the CEO in creating a culture of health and safety.

• Managing workplace health to reduce health care and economic costs – Canada is facing a huge challenge in funding universal public health care, and health care now accounts for more than 40% of provincial expenditures. In his session, Glen Hodgson, SVP and chief economist of The Conference Board of Canada will challenge delegates to think about the impact of workplace health on our economy and on the sustainability of our current health care system.

• The monumental shift: an in-depth look into the future of Canada, technology and the changing workforce – In this session, Leonard Brody, business and technology expert shares how technology will continue to change the world of work and how employers can grow and innovate in the midst of this revolution.

• Preparing for new legislative requirements – Over the next two years, there will be a number of legislative changes impacting Ontario workplaces. Sessions on the Global Harmonization System (defining, classifying and communicating health and safety information related to chemical products), preparing for Ministry of Labour mandatory awareness training, and supervising health and safety from a distance, among others, will help delegates prepare for what’s coming.

• Brave new world of mental health – We’ve entered a new era of enlightenment and expectation when it comes to creating psychologically safe workplaces. This year’s conference features several sessions to help employers and employees understand what this means to them. Among the many speakers, Clara Hughes, six-time Olympic Champion will talk about overcoming obstacles to achieve the Olympic dream; and, Linda Duxbury, professor, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, will address the need for a new approach to manage employee absenteeism, which costs the Canadian economy over $4 billion each year in lost time.

Partners in Prevention 2013 is hosted by Ontario’s prevention system partners and is the flagship of the Partners in Prevention conference series; complemented by seven regional conferences across Ontario.