January 19, 2016
What is the Certificate of Recognition (COR)?
A Certificate of Recognition (COR) is awarded to companies who go beyond the legal requirements of the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation by taking a best practices approach to implementing health, safety, and return-to-work (RTW) programs.
How does it Work?
Companies voluntarily sign up for the program with an association that represents their industry in the COR program, this association is recognized as a certifying association. They commit to participating in training programs designed to provide knowledge and skills in the development, implementation and auditing of health and safety management systems.
Each year we audit our health and safety management system by contracting an external Auditor. The Auditor visits numerous worksites to observe the workplace, conduct interviews with staff and examine our documentation which confirms the existence of our policies and practices in health and safety.
The Auditor presents his findings (both strengths and improvement opportunities) to the Company and an action plan is developed to address deficiencies revealed by the audit. By the use of an action plan to address each annual audit’s deficiencies, we are enacting a continuous improvement process generally referred to as the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle.
When do we audit our Health and Safety Program?
Our External Auditor will be visiting various sites in both Alberta and British Columbia in February.
How did we do last year?
Our External Auditor, using the ENFORM COR Health and Safety Audit Protocol 2013, conducted the audit in one (1) location in British Columbia and five (5) locations in Alberta. The audit consisted of a complete and thorough documentation review of the existing health and safety program in addition to interviews of personnel. We achieved a score of 91%!!! BUT there is always room for improvement.
What are some of the key strength areas?
Emergency response procedures are in place and drills are being conducted at all locations with employees having a good understanding of their responsibilities; Formal hazard assessments have been completed for all positions; WHMIS program is in place and MSDSs are available at all locations.
What are some of our opportunities for improvement?
An inventory of camp equipment and vehicles should be developed and schedules set for preventative maintenance; Pre-job hazard assessments should be conducted for the warehouse; on the job training is not well documented and should be documented as required by the competency standard.
Posted in: Safety (HSE)
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