This year’s Health and Safety Canada 2008 will feature the launch of the first-ever Machine Automation Safety Congress (MASC), a joint initiative by Canadian Occupational Safety magazine, Manufacturing Automation magazine, and our new online resource SaferMachines.com.

As part of the Industrial Accident Prevention Association’s Health and Safety Canada conference and trade show, the MASC pavilion and exhibit area will feature special hands-on demonstrations where leading suppliers of machine automation safety and safeguarding will showcase their products and answer questions from thousands of conference participants.

Safety professionals face regulatory changes and other pressures that affect their role and function within their organization, driving them to turn to technologies that can make their machinery safer for employees and make their organization a much safer workplace.

Technology, on the other hand, has evolved to make machinery safer. Machine safeguarding systems are increasingly being introduced in the market to protect workers from injury.

Safety professionals need access to information about these technologies and the right suppliers that can help meet their individual safety requirements.

The MASC exhibit will bridge that gap between safety professionals and market suppliers. Now, machine safety technologies have a venue to demonstrate what they can offer to help eliminate the risk of machine injury, and safety professionals now have a one-stop-shop for all the resources they need to make sound decisions about machine safety in their organization.

Choosing the right supplier is only one part of the organization’s journey towards machine safety. Educating employees about the use of machine safety systems is an important component of the technology decision.

Through hands-on demonstrations sessions, experts can take participants through all the steps necessary for deploying machine safety systems that best suit each organization’s needs. They will also answer questions and address concerns to ensure that participants leave the MASC pavilion satisfied, more informed about machine safety and safeguarding, and confident about the next steps they need to take.

The MASC pavilion will showcase leading players in the area of machine automation safety. The exhibits will be held on April 21^st and 22^nd at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building.