BURSTWorkers in Kelowna should feel a little bit safer following Make it Safe Okanagan’s fourth annual conference and trade show.
Hosted by the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC, hundreds of people attended the health and safety conference on Thursday, April 23, where a variety of keynote speakers took the stage to talk about a number of different safety topics in the workplace.
Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC CEO, Wayne Arondus, tells Black Press Media this year’s event was focused on being safer together and empowering teams across the province in a world that is always changing.
“For us, safer together really means that we’re bringing everyone together to talk about the relevant issues around occupational health, safety and well-being,” said Arondus.
“We know the usual suspects still exist, but there are other emerging challenges around robotics, cobotics (collaborative robotics), and AI that are changing advanced manufacturing. We just want to make sure we are in front of it, sharing the best practices so that we can really get everyone on the same level.”
The event included manufacturing, food processing and other employers from across the region, covering safety topics for leaders like building a workplace recovery toolkit for physical injury claims, planning beyond the emergency response and how to run successful safety meetings that bring results.
“We’ve seen a steady decline in incident injuries overall with members engaged in our alliance. The stat we are publishing this year is that we’ve seen about a 20 per cent decrease,” said Arondus.
While workplace injuries can’t be 100 per cent avoidable, Arondus is proud to see these annual meetings continue to make positive change year after year.
According to Arondus, attendance has skyrocketed over the last four years they’ve spent in Kelowna and around B.C., saying numbers have gone from just over 100 guests across their four conference in year one, to nearly 1,700 in 2026.
“I think the success of these meetings is that people see the value of networking, and that’s why they’re coming back and bringing more people. They’re spreading the word that you need to attend Make it Safe.”
This year’s event happened five days before the national Day of Mourning, which takes place on Tuesday, April 28 and honours those who have been killed or injured on the job.
The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC plans to return to Kelowna next spring.