Taking “Partnerships in Practice” home with us.

Victoria was a wonderful location in which to have a conference and a number of us planned to spend an extra day or so in the area to experience the city and spend some time to exploring.

On Wednesday evening I went out with new and old friends and safety peers. The conference was over, most of us were tired from the various sessions and activities and it was nice to relax with people that have a common passion for safety. Many times I looked around the various venues we visited that evening and at the dinner table and listened to the variety of safety related conversations that were on the go… the sharing of information and business cards, the promises of keeping in contact, etc. I have been very blessed within my professional life to be able to bring different professionals from different places in the world, or in the profession, together. I truly believe in partnering to ensure our profession, my chosen career path, goes forward.

The weather in Victoria was as wonderful as the conference itself and I spent the day following the conference, cementing some of my relationships within the safety realm as I toured the area. I spent this day with Mike Thompson, President of the ASSE, and his wife Judy, Ed and Deb Dyna, and Mark Warrington. It was a time to ensure some of the follow-up conversations with the ASSE occurred, as well as build our professional relationships and personal friendships. One of the highlights of the day was visiting the Buchart Gardens. We were given a tour of the facilities by Jeff Lowden – the Occupational Health and Safety Manager. He shared his wealth of knowledge with us about the gardens and provided some wonderful creative controls to hazards present within his specific workplace. The pigtails up on the roof and the emergency response plans are top notch – all of you should visit Jeff to see them for yourselves. Thumbs up… Green thumbs to be exact, to your safety management system at the Gardens. Thanks for the tour.