Push for diversity in workplace has ‘lost momentum’

A new organization dedicated to Black health and safety professionals is already making waves in the OHS sector.

The organization is relatively fresh to the health and safety scene, having been founded in October 2021.

Still, it has already gained a lot of traction over the last few months – as the first organization of its kind in the Canadian landscape the fact that it has such strong support from the get-go means that it was definitely something missing.

The mission of the Association is support Black safety professionals:

“The Canadian Black Occupational Health and Safety Association was created for like-minded people who support black occupational health and safety initiatives both domestically and internationally,” says Mohamed Hassan (pictured), one of the organization’s co-founders. Hassan co-founded the organization alongside fellow safety pros Robert Butchike and Charles Agunbiade.

Hassan says that in addition, the Association was also founded to “promote self-advocacy for workers across Canada to have a safer and more toxic-free work environment.”

The has been much talk of diversity, equality, equity and inclusion since the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

Nevertheless, there are fears that the discussions which arose during the social justice movement may not be met with concrete actions:

“The issue of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) within the workplace seems to have lost the momentum that it gained at the beginning of the year,” wrote COS columnist Abdel-Rahman Sabriye in a piece last summer.

This is why it is so important for organizations like the Canadian Black Occupational Health and Safety Association to exist, to draw visibility to important issues and be a safe space for those in the community who need it.

The last meeting – in February – featured guest speaker Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley, a trailblazing figure in the health and safety community (Lyon-Bartley is the first Black woman to hold the Executive Vice President – HSEQ, title in Canada).

Hassan says the group aims for the group to be an inclusive space, where Black workers can assemble:

“The purpose of making this group was not to segregate from other professionals,” he says. “But rather, to create a platform where black workers and professionals can share ideas, mentor, and uplift one another and advocate on workplace issues that pertain to Canadian workers.”

So far, the organization has had three “successful” meetings, says Hassan, and the group is planning on meeting again by the beginning of March 2022 (you can follow the Canadian Black Occupational Health and Safety Association’s page on LinkedIn for more up-to-date information).

It plans to continue its meetings, and one of its big goals for 2022 is to “work with other safety associations and establish a board of directory,” says Hassan.