Conestoga news

October 5, 2018 8:54 AM

Dr. Amin Yazdani recognized by the Standards Council of Canada

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) has honoured Dr. Amin Yazdani, a professor in Conestoga’s School of Business, and program coordinator for the Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness graduate certificate program, with the 2018 SCC Young Leader Award. The award recognizes leaders of tomorrow and honours engaged and active participants of the standardization network who are under the age of 40.

Conestoga College - Amin Yazdani - SCC 2018.jpg
The Standards Council of Canada has awarded Conestoga's Dr. Amin Yazdani with the 2018 Young Leader Award.

Yazdani and other 2018 SCC award winners were recognized on October 4 during SCC’s celebration of World Standards Day in Ottawa.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award,” said Yazdani. “The health, safety, and well-being of our nation depends on our collaborative effort to improve our standards of work and incorporate evidence-informed best practices into action. Standardization of our workplace will not only improve the health, safety and wellness of our valuable workforce, but will also result in better compliance with regulatory requirements, improve market access, increase competitive advantage, improve quality of products and services, and increase productivity and performance. I hope this award inspires other young professionals to join this effort.”

Yazdani’s primary research interest lies in standardization of ergonomics in design by developing best practices and technical standards. He has extensive experience in collaborating with small, medium, and large organizations to implement organizational-wide approaches to prevent workplace injuries and disabilities by improving the health, safety, and well-being of workers.

Over the past six years, he has contributed to the development of several Canadian standards, acted as a member of the technical committee for the development of a Canadian standard on Office Ergonomics (CSA Z412), and co-chaired the development of a Canadian Career-inclusive and Accommodating Organizations standard (CSA B701).

He is a Certified Safety Professional and member of the Canadian Standard Association’s Occupational Health and Safety Strategic Steering Committee. In addition to his role at Conestoga, Yazdani also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at both the University of Waterloo and McMaster University.

“Students need to be trained on new emerging issues and it is important that they be prepared to take the lead in developing innovative solutions to improve work and health,” said Yazdani. “We need to ensure that the next generation of our workforce is ready and equipped with the skill set they need to face new challenges.”

Currently, Yazdani is co-leading a multi-stakeholder project to develop a new Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) Prevention Guideline for Ontario. MSD are the primary reason for lost-time claims reported to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and result in significant economic loss for Ontario employers. The MSD prevention guideline and resources provide an easy-to-use and scalable guideline for organizations, regardless of size and sector, to effectively prevent workplace injuries and improve their productivity, performance, and product and service quality. The guideline launched October 1 and is available through a dedicated website for workplaces in Ontario, Canada and around the world. 

At the national level, and in collaboration with several stakeholders, Yazdani is also spearheading a number of important initiatives including the development of two Canadian Standards: Work Disability Prevention Management System, and Design and Use of Paramedic Emergency Response Vehicles and Equipment.

Yazdani’s research is funded through Defence Research and Development Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research.