ACSA 2024 Conference Program

Building on the foundational aspects of safety, this year’s theme, Safety Foundations: Constructing a Culture of Excellence, continues our pursuit of safety and business excellence.

Our lineup of interactive sessions delivers on our theme and responds to attendee requests for legislative fundamentals, case studies, and construction-specific topics. Our goal is to connect you with industry experts and equip you with practical strategies and actions to continuously improve health and safety in Alberta construction.

Unique to this year’s program:

• Help shape the future of ACSA’s certification programs by participating in our Modernizing of COR and SECOR engagement and consultation sessions.
• Help shape the future of ACSA’s certification programs by participating in our Modernizing of COR and SECOR engagement and consultation sessions.
• Access personalized support with your health and safety management system by booking a one-on-one meeting with our COR/SECOR team. 

For program details, visit our 2024 Conference website.

Conference calendar

Program timing is noted in Mountain Time (MT)

Breakout session descriptions

Modernizing of COR and SECOR: Engagement and Consultation
Day 1

How should ACSA evolve our Certificate of Recognition (COR) and Small Employer COR (SECOR) programs to improve workplace health and safety in Alberta’s construction industry? Come learn about ACSA’s multi-phased, strategic initiative to modernize these programs and participate in shaping their future. This session will provide opportunities for members to share their feedback about the current COR and SECOR programs, including strengths and challenges, and is appropriate for members with and without COR or SECOR.

Host: Tracy With, Y Station

Contractor Management Simplified: A 3-Step Approach to Safer Worksites
Day 1

Managing contractors well is key to keeping our workers healthy and safe on construction sites. But how can we do this, especially when there are many contractors in play? In this session, Heidi will share a simple three-step approach to contractor management and explore the many benefits it offers. The discussion will include key work site party obligations for employers, prime contractors, and contracting and contracted employers. Effective contractor management helps keep our people healthy and safe, contributing to better project outcomes and long-term growth.

Host: Heidi Jamieson, Alberta Construction Safety Association

Improve Safety by (Sort Of) Eliminating Rewards
Day 1

Safety rewards programs often don’t work as expected. They can contribute to treating safety as a game and underreporting incidents. There is no clear link between safety rewards and improved safety. Taking insights from applied psychology and behavioural economics, this session will provide evidence for setting aside traditional safety rewards and recognition programs. It suggests another approach to reinforcing and encouraging improved safety performance that can be tailored to deal with “problem” people and support specific initiatives. Implementation steps and recommendations will be provided. 

Host: Michael Fears, CIMA+ Canada

Industry Learning from Serious Incidents: Road Construction Incident
Day 1

In this session, Alberta Occupational Health & Safety will share insights on what to expect during an investigation, what happens if a company is charged, and outcomes of recent prosecutions. You will also hear directly from representatives of companies convicted following a serious incident, who will share their experience and advice for others to learn from.

Hosts: Brooke Ducharme and Melissa Garland, Alberta OHS

Working Safely in Confined Spaces: A Case Study
Day 2

Confined spaces exist in many construction scenarios and present significant risks to our frontline workers. Co-led by Energy Safety Canada and ACSA, this session will discuss hazard awareness and risk management as critical skills for those working in confined spaces. Critical gaps in our industry include work planning for unique environments, assessment of contractor confined space programs, identifying hazards, and managing associated risk.

This session is based on a creative sentencing initiative that resulted from a workplace fatality, which will serve as a case study for this discussion.

Hosts, Gordon Walsh, Energy Safety Canada and Heidi Jamieson, Alberta Construction Safety Association

Understanding Triggers and Controls for Workplace Violence/Harassment
Day 2

Employers often address workplace violence and harassment after an incident has happened, using an adversarial complaint process that can make the situation worse. It’s time for a different approach. To prevent violence and harassment, we must first understand the nature of violence itself. This session will explore the biological and evolutionary roots of violence and look at ways we can change the workplace environment to avoid triggering violent or harassing behaviour.

Host: Mark Greene, Government of Alberta

Demonstrating Due Diligence in Case of an Incident
Day 2

Your company has a system in place and is building a culture to prevent your workers from getting hurt. And then there’s an incident; a bad one. In this session, we’ll explore how companies can be prepared for workplace incident prosecutions. Learn how to use evidence effectively and address legal requirements. Discover what to do and, just as importantly, what not to do in those critical hours following a workplace incident.

Host: Christopher Spasoff, F2 Legal Counsel

Embedding Safety Culture: A Case Study
Day 2

Achieving safety and business excellence requires going beyond legislative compliance to integrating safe behaviours into every aspect of how an organization runs its business. In this session, the University of Alberta will share its path to embedding a safety culture that protects the physical, psychological and cultural safety and wellbeing of their university community. They will delve into their learnings along the way, providing insights that apply across industries.

Host: Philip Stack, University of Alberta