The annual Vancouver Island and Interior Safety Conferences are industry-driven safety conferences covering topics of interest to the forestry sector.
The conferences are led by steering committees made up of representatives from labour, industry, BCFSC and WorkSafeBC with industry sponsorship that allows for free admission for conference delegates.
Thank you to all who attended the 2024 Vancouver Island Safety Conference which focused on Bridging Generations in Today's Safety Culture.
We welcomed 304 attendees on Saturday, October 26th and listened to some excellent presentations from:
- Health and safety expert Eldeen Pozniak, who spoke about generational considerations and how to communicate with one another based on our generational gaps. If you would like a copy of Eldeen's presentation, contact her via email to request a copy of The Young and Reckless - Fact or Fiction.
- Former US Marine and author of Core of Four, Tim Page-Bottorff who shared his insights on embracing failures in order to learn from them and sharing them as a teaching tool. Download a PDF copy of Tim's presentation Embrace Errors - Don't Hide Them.
- Tom Wilson, gave us a moving presentation on surviving a plane crash giving insight into the importance of speaking up as it could save your life and the lives of others. Download a PDF copy of Tom's presentation Moments of Impact.
- Will Dirksen from WorkSafeBC spoke about the upcoming First Aid Regulation changes. Download a PDF copy of Will's presentation on New First Aid Regulations.
- Patrick McDonald from Superior Glove challenged the audience's knowledge on hand safety. Download a PDF copy Patrick's presentation on Hand Safety.
- Angelina Robinson from Road Safety at Work reminded us of the importance of road safety and the responsibilities of employers and workers when driving for work. Download a PDF copy Angela's presentation on Road Safety for the Workplace.
2024 Safety Award Winners
We also celebrated our three Safety Award winners.
- Bill Bolton received the 2024 Carey White Lifetime Achievement Award
- Toby Jeffreys from the Adams Lake Division of Interfor received the 2024 Forest Harvesting MVP
- Chris Fowler from Canoe Forest Products, a division of the Gorman Group, received the 2024 Manufacturing Safety MVP.
Nominations for the 2025 Safety Awards are now open. Find details here.
SAVE THE DATE: The 2025 Vancouver Island Safety Conference will be held in Nanaimo at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Stay tuned for more information.
2024 Vancouver Island Safety Conference Wrap-up Report
Download the 2024 Vancouver Island Safety Conference Wrap-up Report containing conference photos, presentation overviews and conference details from the day's event.
If you have questions regarding registration or sponsorship, contact the VISC steering committee by email training@bcforestsafe.org or call 1-877-741-1060.
2024 Past Conferences
Interior Safety Conference - Safety at Work: Inside and Out
Thank you to everyone who attended this year's conference. For those who missed the chance to attend in person, you can download some of the presentations from the day's events.
The Interior Safety Conference (ISC) is an annual event that brings together professionals from the BC forest sector to discuss safety-related issues and explore ways to improve safety practices in the industry. It is FREE for anyone who works in any phase of the forest industry from silviculture and harvesting to wood products manufacturing. It features forestry-related safety topics with speakers, industry experts, and relevant safety information.
The ISC is held in partnership with the Interior Logging Association (ILA) Conference.