CEO Health & Safety Leadership Charter

Leadership Summit 2008

APRIL 21-22, 2008 - Toronto, ON

The Industrial Accident and Prevention Association (IAPA) co-hosted the Leadership Summit in Toronto where close to 50 Signatories and senior executives from a variety of organizations and sectors met to discuss how to move "From Commitment to Action" in health and safety.

The event began with dinner on the evening of April 21st and was an opportunity for leaders to network with their peers and also to recognize the newest Signatories to the CEO Health & Safety Leadership Charter with a Signing ceremony: 

    -Brian Tamblyn, President, Georgian College 
    -Barb Tait, General Manager, ElectroLab Training Systems 
    -Robert Hanson, CEO, Sheltered Oak Resources Inc.

 
Ontario Deputy Minister of Labour, Virginia West commended these new Signatories for taking the step and committing to transforming health and safety in their organizations.

The following day Leadership Summit Chair, Elyse Allan, President and CEO of GE Canada, opened with a candid look at some of her experiences in building a health and safety culture.

The focus of the Summit's full-day workshop was on building commitment from the Board of Directors, Engaging the Organization, and working with your Supply Chain Partners to bring them on board with your health and safety standards. After each presentation participants took part in facilitated discussions regarding the benefits of engaging (the Board, employees, or supply chain partners), how to overcome the challenges, and what specific actions could be taken to move forward.

Larry Barrett, President and CEO (Ret.), Emerson Electric discussed how to get the Board of Directors on side and how to overcome some of the challenges that may come up during this process. Larry noted that safety is a direct reflection as to how a company views itself; it is a core value and the Board is key to setting the right tone.

Kevin Auty, Director of Asset Protection at Home Depot Canada & Asia looked at how to build the business case for health and safety to engage the organization. Organizations are hesitant to invest in health and safety if the economic benefits are not clear. Click to view Kevin's presentation.

Dan Ariely, Professor of Behavioural Economics at MIT and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Predictably Irrational, gave an exclusive lunch keynote address to Summit attendees. Dan spoke of three insights: 1) that the environment has a large, yet unrecognized, effect on our behavior, 2) that our intuitions about what drives our behaviors are flawed, 3) and that emotions play a large role in our decision making. In order to predict, and therefore control, safe behaviour in your organization you must keep these factors in mind. For more information visit Dan's website: http://www.predictablyirrational.com/

Marc Neeb, Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources at Magna International Inc. talked about how to get your supply chain partners on board with your health and safety goals. Work with your suppliers to set their expectations and follow up with training and site visits. You get results from what you inspect, not what you expect. Click to view Marc's presentation 

The day wrapped up with a discussion of key outcomes and what actions participants planned to take as a result of Leadership Summit 2008. Some highlights of the outcomes: 

    -one consistent message for Board of Directors, Employees and Suppliers 
    -make it personal 
    -ask questions 
    -be transparent 
    -K.I.S.S. in implementation

An executive briefing detailing these outcomes, and more, will be published early in the fall by The Conference Board of Canada.

Plans are now underway for Leadership Summit 2009 and the focus will be the DNA of a winning culture.  Check the upcoming events for more details as they become available.

If you have any questions about the Leadership Summit or upcoming events, please contact us.

return to Past Events