Photo credit: Mike Traboe on Flickr
“Webinar” stands for web-based seminar – and this platform is a great way for people to connect and share information from any where.
I took part in a webinar hosted by the BC Forest Safety Council and listened to a presentation called How WorkSafeBC Sets Rates, by Gerry Paquette, a manager in WorkSafeBC’s Certification and Rate Modification Department. It was the first time this popular in-person seminar was offered by webinar.
How it works
I received an email invite to the webinar from Laura Maguire – BCFSC’s manager of training and development. It included a link to join online, using a program called WebEx, so at meeting time, I re-opened Laura’s email, clicked the link, and followed the easy instructions to get online.
If you don’t have a computer with a mic, speakers, and an internet connection, you can still take part by calling in from any phone and watching online.
About 10 of us connected via computer and phone and were greeted by moderator Gerard Messier, who explained the system and let us know we were on “mute.” No one could hear us unless we “un-muted” ourselves to ask a question, and we could also type our questions into a text box for the moderator to ask.
Gerry gave a high-level introduction to how WorkSafeBC set its rates using an employer classification system. He “shared” his computer desktop with the online participants, allowing them to see the diagrams and notes on his screen – and at the end, everyone had a chance for their specific questions.
BCFSC has already offered other webinars that cover injury management, ergonomic solutions, and high-frequency injuries such as slips, trips, falls, overexertion, and struck by incidents. They’re also sharing their use of technology with training managers at other industry safety associations – seeing how they can use it to serve the employers who rely on them for training and safety certification.
It’s exciting to picture what this techology can offer – especially to employers and stakeholders in remote areas. I’m glad I had a chance to take part, and I’ll follow up with more webinar options for you in the future.
