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PEMAC — the Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada — invites the submission of presentations/workshops for the MainTrain 2010 conference to be held in Toronto from November 15 to 17, 2010.

Since 2004, MainTrain, developed and produced by PEMAC, has been Canada’s premiere maintenance, reliability and physical asset management conference. PEMAC is a national, not for profit association providing global leadership, education and certification in world class maintenance, reliability and physical asset management practices.

Topics of the presentations/workshops should be focused on how to measure maintenance and reliability success and how to prove your value. Key learning takeaways for participants include:

• How to measure maintenance and reliability success;
• Prove value to your company CEO;
• Lower critical asset management costs;
• Increase the life cycle of key equipment;
• Reduce waste with lean maintenance practices;
• Boost production capacity and reliability; and
• Improve safety and environmental compliancy.

Your submission abstract should be maximum 200 words and include your biography and photograph. Case studies and interactive sessions will be given priority. View MainTrain St. John’s, N.L., conference guide at www.maintrain.ca/index.php?option=com_artforms&formid=1&Itemid=45.

Send submissions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call Norman Clegg, executive director, at 905-823-7255. The deadline for submissions is June 25, 2010.

Ontor Ltd. has been appointed as an authorized National distributor for Control Techniques. A part of Emerson Industrial Automation, Control Techniques has a single minded focus on the design, manufacture and marketing of variable speed drives, motion control components and industrial motors. Its drives are used to control motors in a range of applications; from precision machines to high performance elevators and from cranes to fans.

Ontor is a national distributor of industrial automation systems. Established in 1948, the corporate office is located in Toronto with regional offices in Montreal, Quebec City, Burlington, Ont., Cambridge, Ont., Mississauga, Ont., and Calgary. In addition to the expanded network for Control Techniques products and solutions, customers will have access to the combined resources of both Control Techniques and Ontor, providing them with a single-source for technical support, sales and customer service for all their automation and control requirements.
www.ontor.com

Ontario is encouraging employers and workers to learn how to protect themselves from heat stress this summer.

As summer days get hotter, the harm caused by too much heat can become a significant problem in many workplaces.  Workers and their employers must take steps to protect themselves from the effects of this hazard.

When heat is combined with other factors like hard physical work, fluid loss, fatigue or some medical conditions, it can lead to illness, disability and even death.  Heat stress can affect anyone, including the young and fit, and can be a concern in many workplaces.

Symptoms of heat stress can include excessive sweating, headache, rashes, cramping, dizziness and fainting.

Quick Facts
 • Workers most at risk for heat stress include those in hot environments, such as smelters, furnaces, bakeries and out of doors during the summer.

• Prolonged exposure to heat stress can lead to heat stroke, a life-threatening condition.

• The victims of heat stroke are often unable to notice the symptoms, and their survival may depend on co-workers' ability to identify symptoms and to seek immediate medical assistance.
www.ontario.ca/labour

Jargon Buster: Do you know your junk shot from your top kill?