Introducing Candace Carnahan

Candace Carnahan – Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker on Workplace Safety & Culture Change Agent

“I’m passionate about empowering people, encouraging everyone to use their voice to speak up, and to be heard,” says Candace. Incidents can happen to anyone. That’s why making safety personal is so important.

We are looking forward to welcoming Candace Carnahan as our Keynote Speaker for our 2024 Annual General Meeting & Safety Awards. Candace is an expert on enhancing safety cultures in organizations, knowing first-hand how a lack of safety in the workplace can change our lives forever. For the last 20 years, Candace has been travelling across Canada, the US, Europe and Australia, sharing stories with audiences large and small to help create change in the industry.

The Power of Storytelling

Candace experienced a workplace injury when she was 21 years old. Since then, she has been advocating for workplace safety. She has reached over half a million people globally with her message. Candace believes that the impact of an injury extends beyond the individual; it affects the workplace, the worker’s family, friends, and the broader community. She uses storytelling to demonstrate how individuals can use their voices to drive safety changes in their lives. Candace’s purpose in life is to use her experience to prevent others from going through the same experience. As Candace puts it, anytime anyone gets hurt at work, it is unnecessary.

“I stay away from the nuts and bolts of rules and regulations because while that is important, I am passionate about making safety personal. Regulations are necessary, and I find that they make the most impact on an individual when we find ways to make them meaningful and personal,” Candace shares.

She explains that you can give people all the information they need, but if workers don’t feel personal about why it matters, it might not be convenient for them to put it at top priority or value. This is why Candace teaches others how to tap into their own experiences, to build their own story around safety.

Have you considered the connection between gratitude and health and safety? It might sound odd, but if you think about it, what happens to you when you feel gratitude? Individuals who feel gratitude are going to feel present. When you’re present, your eyes are open and you’re able to pay more attention to any hazards that could prevent you from going home at the end of the day.

Candace highlights that everyone must take responsibility for safety for a workplace to reap the benefits. Everyone in the workplace must be concerned for safety, regardless of their official role. If you are a Health and Safety Leader, you need to make sure you’re making safety personal for yourself and encouraging others to do the same. The goal should be for everyone in your organization to feel like a leader in health and safety.

Coming up!

Candace is an exceptional storyteller. As a Halifax-based professional, she is looking forward to speaking to a local group of safety professionals at the CSNS AGM.

Join us on May 16 to hear Candace’s inspiring story of triumph over tragedy and discover how to proactively implement safety changes in our own lives. As a gift to our members, Candace will be offering her Step Up Our Safety Program for young workers for free to all the delegates joining our event! As Candace says, “conversations about safety start at the dinner table, and when you have safe kids, you come to work as safe grownups.”

Register now to hear Candace speak at the CSNS AGM!

To read more about Candace, visit her webpage.