New this year! We will be running full day courses before the conference on Wednesday Oct. 7. The full conference, with a great keynote and all the wonderful educational sessions that you have come to expect, will be running on Thursday Oct. 8.
2 Optional full day pre-conference courses. Attendance at the conference is not required in order to attend these courses.
See the Opening keynote, then choose from 9 OSH different sessions and visit the small but informative table top safety tradeshow
Optional Pre Event Courses
Click on a session title to jump to that session description.
8:30am – 4:30pm
Course PC-1
Fundamentals for Joint Health and Safety Committees
8:30am – 4:30pm
Course PC-2
Incident Investigations for Safety Committees & Supervisors
For Session Descriptions, scroll to bottom of page, click on a session title in the grid below, or click on the button to the right:
Click on a session title to jump to that session description.
8:45am
Introduction & Welcome
Master of Ceremonies: Norm Ralph
Cascades Ballroom 1 & 2
9:00 – 10:00am
Opening Keynote: Handcuffs to Handshakes
Phil Eastwood, MA, CSP, Fiore Training Group
Cascades Ballrooms 1 & 2
10:00 – 10:30 am
Coffee Break. Optional lunch tickets available for purchase from hotel staff at conference registration desk from 7:30 am to 10:30am.
10:30 – 11:45 am
Session 1A
Beyond Blame: Conducting Effective Incident Investigations
10:30 – 11:45 am
Session 1B
Wolves In the Workplace: Identifying and Responding to Workplace Bullying
10:30 – 11:45 am
Session 1C
Speak Up for Safety: Asking Questions With Confidence
11:45 – 1:00pm
On Own For Lunch
1:00 – 2:30pm
Session 2A
Inspect. Engage. Improve: Conducting Workplace Inspections That Make a Difference
1:00 – 2:30pm
Session 2B
The Other First Aid: Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace
(Note: this was the most popular session in the 2025 conference)
1:00 – 2:30 pm
Session 2C
From Talk to Action: Running Safety Committee Meetings That Deliver Results
2:30 – 2:50 pm
Coffee Break
2:50 – 4:00pm
Session 3A
See It. Assess It. Control It: Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments
2:50 – 4:00pm
Session 3B
Beyond the Checklist: Transforming Emergency Drills into Meaningful Safety Learning
2:50 – 4:00 pm
Session 3C
When WorkSafeBC Arrives: Understanding Inspections, Orders & Committee Responsibilities
4:00 – 4:30 pm
Certificate Pickup
Conference Registration Desk
Please Note: All sessions, speakers, events, times and descriptions are subject to change without notice. Pacific Safety Center Ltd reserves the right to limit quantities and to correct errors or omissions. For the latest information and updates please check the home page.
Course PC-1: Fundamentals of Joint Health and Safety Committees Course
This course is ideal for new safety committee members needing to comply with WorkSafeBC’s Safety Committee Member training regulations as well as existing members looking to upgrade their safety knowledge and skills. If your organization is setting up its first safety committee or looking to make its existing committee more effective, this one day course is just what you need.
Topics include: applying the process of safety inspections and accident investigations, participating in constructive committee meetings, helping your committee work together and much more.
Fees:
$275(Early Bird – register by Sept. 9, 2026)
$295.00 (after Sept. 9, 2026)
GST extra
Course PC-2: Incident Investigations for Safety Committees and Supervisors
Designed for safety committee members, supervisors, managers, and anyone responsible for investigating workplace incidents, this practical course provides the knowledge and skills needed to conduct effective accident and incident investigations. Participants will learn how to gather and analyze information, identify root causes and contributing factors, interview witnesses, and develop corrective actions that help prevent similar events from occurring in the future. By focusing on finding causes rather than assigning blame, this course supports continuous improvement and safer workplaces. One of our most popular courses, it offers valuable tools that can be applied immediately in any organization.
Fees:
$295.00 (Early Bird – register by Sept. 9, 2026)
$345.00 (after Sept. 9, 2026)
GST extra
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OPENING
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Master of Ceremonies: Norm Ralph
Being posted in West London fresh out of the police academy and told to ‘keep the peace’ was rather like being asked to stand in front of a fully charged fire hose with an umbrella and told to stay dry……..you quickly learn that its hard but not impossible! That is what Phil Eastwood found when he arrived into the racial hotbed of Portobello Road and Notting Hill – then a far cry from the opening scenes of Hugh Grant’s box office hit of the same name made 20 years later. This fascinating keynote address takes the audience on a roller coaster ride from the harsh reality of the violent Brixton Riots to the madness of the Miner’s Strike and the weekly battles on the soccer terraces…….teaching Phil the difference between honey or vinegar in communication! Fast forward to today and he finds himself having policed in British Columbia for 25 years. “The lessons are daily when it comes to working with people but building a relationship must be central in your dealings with them if you want to get along,” Phil asserts.
Speaker: Phil Eastwood, MA, CSP, Fiore Training Group
A well-conducted incident investigation does more than determine what happened—it uncovers why it happened and helps prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. This practical session will strengthen your incident investigation skills by exploring each stage of the investigation process, from securing the scene and gathering evidence to interviewing witnesses and identifying contributing and root causes. Participants will learn techniques for collecting reliable information, analyzing causal factors, and developing corrective actions that address underlying issues rather than simply treating symptoms.
Attend this session and you’ll leave with practical tools and techniques to conduct thorough investigations and develop meaningful recommendations that lead to lasting improvements in workplace safety.
Speaker: Bruce Jackson, PgCert, DipAEd, PID, CFIOSH, CRSP, CIT Advocate Workplace Safety Services
Respectful conduct in workplaces is in our news headlines everyday… or rather the lack of it. Our workplace culture will either make us an ‘employer of choice’ or damage our reputation. In this highly interactive and entertaining keynote, Phil will share the lessons from his 35 years of policing and invites you to examine workplace relationships, and how we deal with the conflict that arises there, through an entirely new lens.
Every worker has the right to be treated fairly and respectfully at work but they are also responsible, along with supervisors and managers, for doing everything in their power to create positive relationships. This, in turn, builds safe and productive environments. This session explores the importance of positive working relationships and provides tools and tips for effectively dealing with things when they do go wrong. You will never look at workplace conflict the same way again.
Speaker: Phil Eastwood, MA, CSP, Fiore Training Group
When you are unsure what to ask—or how to ask a question about safety—the worst thing you can do is keep that question to yourself. You may think you should already know the answer. You may be worried about appearing inexperienced, or you may simply feel timid or shy about speaking up. However, unanswered questions can lead to misunderstandings, unsafe assumptions, and increased risk in the workplace.
This session will explore the importance of asking effective safety questions and provide practical techniques for doing so with confidence. We will discuss how to engage both experienced workers and new employees, ask the right questions in the right way, and gather the information you need to identify hazards, improve communication, and promote a safer and healthier workplace for everyone.
Speaker: Wendy Bennett
Workplace inspections are one of the most effective tools for identifying hazards and preventing incidents—but only when they’re done well. If you’re looking for ways to improve your inspection process, increase employee participation, and achieve better results, this session is for you. Learn practical techniques for planning and conducting effective workplace inspections, identifying and assessing hazards, and prioritizing corrective actions. Discover strategies for engaging workers during inspections, encouraging meaningful feedback, and turning inspection findings into real improvements. Whether you’re a safety committee member, supervisor, manager, or anyone responsible for conducting workplace inspections, you’ll leave with practical tools and ideas you can put to work immediately. Stop treating inspections as a checkbox exercise and start using them as a powerful tool for improving workplace safety.
Speaker: Norm Ralph, Apex Abilities
Most people know how to respond when a co-worker suffers a physical injury. But what would you do if someone was experiencing a panic attack, severe anxiety, or another mental health crisis? As organizations increasingly recognize the impact of mental health on worker well-being, safety, and organizational performance, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) has become an important tool for providing early support and connecting people with appropriate resources. This session provides an introduction to Mental Health First Aid, including its purpose, key principles, and the role trained individuals can play in supporting someone who may be experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis. Participants will gain a better understanding of how MHFA programs work, the benefits they can bring to the workplace, and practical considerations for implementing a Mental Health First Aid program within their organization. Whether you’re a safety professional, supervisor, committee member, or workplace leader, this session will help you build awareness and confidence in supporting psychological health and safety at work.
(Note: This was the most popular session in the 2025 Safety Committee Conference so we brought it back for those who missed out)
Speaker: Laurie Lowes, Delta BC. Canadian Mental Health Association certified MHFA trainer
Do your safety committee meetings generate solutions—or just more discussion? Are the same issues appearing on the agenda month after month without meaningful progress? If your committee spends more time talking about problems than solving them, this session is for you. Learn practical strategies for planning and facilitating productive safety committee meetings that focus on action, accountability, and results. Discover how to create effective agendas, keep discussions on track, assign and follow up on action items, and ensure committee members remain engaged. You’ll also learn how to reduce administrative busywork and spend more time addressing the issues that matter most to workplace health and safety. Leave with tools and techniques you can immediately apply to make your safety committee meetings more efficient, more effective, and more impactful.
Speaker: Tanya Steele, CSP, CHSC
Hazard identification and risk assessment are among the most important responsibilities of any workplace safety program—and Joint Health and Safety Committees play a vital role in the process. But how do you know if you’re identifying the right hazards? And once you’ve found them, how do you determine which ones need immediate attention? This practical session will help committee members develop the skills and confidence to identify workplace hazards, assess the risks they present, and prioritize corrective actions based on the level of risk. You’ll learn proven techniques for recognizing hazards, evaluating the likelihood and severity of potential incidents, and supporting your organization’s hazard assessment process. Whether you’re new to a safety committee or looking to strengthen your existing knowledge, you’ll leave with practical tools and techniques that can be applied immediately to improve workplace safety and help ensure the highest-risk hazards are addressed first.
Speaker: Tanya Steele CSP, CHSC
Emergency drills are a cornerstone of workplace preparedness, but are they truly preparing workers and organizations for real emergencies, or simply satisfying compliance requirements? This engaging session challenges traditional approaches to emergency exercises and explores how organizations/JOHSC can play a critical role in improving organizational readiness. Learn how to design and evaluate drills that test decision-making, communication, leadership and hazard response under realistic conditions. Through practical examples and proven techniques, attendees will discover how to incorporate scenario-based challenges, meaningful performance measures and structured debriefs that uncover hidden risks and drive continuous improvement. Whether your workplace conducts evacuation drills, first aid exercises or emergency response simulations, this session will provide actionable tools to move beyond check-the-box activities and create learning experiences that strengthen safety culture, improve worker engagement and build confidence when real emergencies occur.
Speaker: Simon Miles, Safety First Consulting
This session will explain the role and authority of Prevention Officers, how inspections are initiated and conducted, and what to expect during and after an inspection. Participants will learn how to interpret inspection reports, understand how orders are issued and enforced, and when administrative penalties may be applied. The session will also explore the important role Joint Health and Safety Committees play in supporting compliance and improving workplace safety, as well as how workers and employers can contact WorkSafeBC to raise safety concerns.WorkSafeBC JHSC resources will also be supplied. Leave with a clearer understanding of the inspection and enforcement process and the tools needed to effectively support health and safety in your workplace.
Speaker: Glenn Russell DOHS, Prevention Programs and Services, Industry and Program Specialist, WorkSafeBC
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