Edmonton, Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Industry leaders from Ledcor, Bird, Graham and Dow will share how their organizations manage critical risks and prevent serious injuries at the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) 2026 Conference, Oct. 28-29 at the JW Marriott ICE District in Edmonton.
BuildForce Canada projects construction growth and retirements will require 48,800 workers to be added to Alberta’s construction labour force by 2035, including 43,700 workers expected to retire. The workforce outlook adds urgency to a longstanding construction challenge: coordinating work when owners, prime contractors, contractors and trades share hazards, schedules and responsibilities.
“Construction companies invest significant time and resources in protecting workers within their operations. On shared work sites, however, worker safety depends just as much on how effectively companies communicate with each other," said ACSA CEO Mark Hoosein. “This conference brings owners, contractors, trades and safety leaders together to examine what works in practice—where expectations need to align, where flexibility still matters and how lessons can travel from one project to another.”
"Our member companies know safety on site is a shared effort. That’s why OpenCircle supports a conference that brings the industry together to strengthen that collaboration," said OpenCircle President Ross J. Undershute.
Keynote speaker
Keynote speaker Lisa Nakamura opens the conference Oct. 28 with “Building Common Language on a Construction Site for Worker Safety.” Drawing on 40 years of helping construction and heavy manufacturing organizations develop leaders and improve performance, she will examine how a common safety language can strengthen leadership and communication when crews from different companies work side by side.
Featured breakout sessions
Hosted largely by industry, interactive breakout sessions give attendees a look at how companies manage safety on their own sites through practical application and real-world case studies. Featured sessions include:
- Critical risks: Larry Jones of Ledcor Group of Companies and Peter Lineen of Bird Construction Ltd. will examine how organizations are applying the Canadian Construction Safety Council’s Critical Risks Guideline, which identifies 13 high-risk activities, including implementation challenges, lessons learned and outcomes.
- Serious injury prevention: Nancy Chadwick and Mike Court of Graham will host a session on the company’s Energy-Based Safety approach to preventing serious injuries and fatalities, including what they are learning through field implementation.
- Incident investigations: Shane Farrah of Dow will draw on real-world examples to share how incident investigations can support organizational learning and improve safety and business performance.
Industry partner Alberta Occupational Health and Safety will lead a debrief of a serious arc flash incident. Opening Minds, a division of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, will host an interactive workshop on psychological health and safety in construction.
Also, on the program
- ACSA Partners Panel on how owners, contractors, trade partners and safety leaders align expectations across shared work sites without adding unnecessary complexity
- Safety Spotlight talks on research, technology and educational approaches from the University of Alberta and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
- One-on-one consultations with ACSA’s Certificate of Recognition (COR)™ and Small Employer Certificate of Recognition (SECOR)™ team for anyone working out next steps in managing workplace health and safety
- ACSA Safety Excellence Awards Dinner (separately ticketed) on the evening of Oct. 28, recognizing individuals and companies pursuing continuous improvement toward safety and business excellence
"Every year, this event reinforces something our industry has long understood: progress is built on learning from the past and carrying those lessons forward with intention,” shared Nicole Paterson, senior organizational health and safety advisor. "I'm grateful to be part of a community that treats safety as a shared responsibility, one shaped by experience, strengthened by collaboration and grounded in care."
Conference: Oct. 28-29, 2026
Location: JW Marriott ICE District, Edmonton
Attendee registration deadline: Oct. 21, 2026
Register: yourACSA.ca/conference
About ACSA
The Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) is a member-centric, industry-funded not-for-profit and Alberta’s largest certifying partner. ACSA had 60,459 members as of Dec. 31, 2025. Its mission is to leverage industry expertise through engagement, products, services and education, supporting safety and business excellence in Alberta’s construction industry. For more information, visit yourACSA.ca or access the 2025 ACSA Annual Report.
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Media interview opportunities
Advance interviews are available on request with:
- ACSA CEO Mark Hoosein: Alberta-wide context, shared-work site coordination and the conference focus
- Keynote speaker Lisa Nakamura: Common safety language and leadership across organizational boundaries
- Larry Jones, Ledcor Group of Companies: Critical risks and field implementation
- Peter Lineen, Bird Construction Ltd.: Critical risks and industry alignment
Onsite interviews Oct 28-29 with these and other conference speakers may be arranged by request.
View the ACSA 2026 Conference media kit
For full speaker lineup, session descriptions and speaker biographies, visit: www.yourACSA.ca/media_kit
