The recent trend of public buyers of construction requiring bidders to have an accredited health and safety system in place has many companies working hard to get their system in place and functioning, but many companies struggle with what will work for them. The most common system we hear about is Certificate of Recognition (COR), while the other popular yet lesser-known system is ISO 45001. There are definitely other options available, but right now, these two are the heavy hitters for accreditation. Let’s take a brief look at both and shed some light on which one will work for your company.

Before we do, I feel that it is essential to recognize/warn that qualifying for an accredited safety system does not mean that your company has suddenly achieved health and safety perfection, and nothing can go wrong. These systems are methods of auditing your health and safety program against a set of standards or elements. These are determined by the certifying organization—not the Ministry of Labour.

Proper implementation of your health and safety program and improving your safety culture is just as important as ever. In my more than 20 years of occupational safety experience, I have seen many companies with great programs struggle with implementation and safety culture. Similarly, with accredited programs, I have witnessed companies with non-accredited programs excel at health and safety while others with accreditation struggle and have many leading indicator incidents and accidents. Healthy implementation of your program and building a safety culture are topics for another discussion.

Let’s take a look at some key points of both systems.

Certification process

One of the benefits of ISO 45001 is that it is recognized by 70 countries internationally, and once a company obtains certification, it is valid in any jurisdiction where ISO is recognized (of course, the program must reflect regulatory requirements of each jurisdiction).

COR is required to be certified in each province, which means if your company works in two or more provinces, you will need to familiarize yourself with the subtle differences among provinces prior to requesting equivalency.

Implementation

COR was developed in Canada by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations to ensure that construction companies have set standards for measuring their health and safety programs. COR is widely recognized in Canada, and managers who have completed the NCSO are familiar with the COR auditing system, which provides an advantage for companies who choose to pursue COR.

ISO 45001 may not have as many managers who are specifically trained for the system. However, once the framework is learned, it is fairly easy to follow. It is also part of the ISO Annex XL system, meaning that if your company currently implements other ISO systems (for example 14001 – Environmental), the framework of 45001 will feel familiar.

It is also worth noting that ISO 45001 can often be successfully implemented in a much timelier manner than COR. This is especially true if your company is familiar with other ISO management systems.

Staffing

Larger companies that currently employ a full-time in-house safety manager have an advantage over small or medium companies when it comes to COR. The program requires an in-house auditor, so having safety staff already in place is a big advantage.

With ISO 45001, there is no requirement for the full-time in-house auditor, and external consultants (not on full-time payroll) can manage the implementation process, which may be attractive for smaller and medium-sized companies

Conclusion

Whether you choose an accredited system or your own safety system, there are proven benefits of properly implementing a well-prepared health and safety program. These benefits include improved attendance with lower staff turnover rates, stronger safety culture, improved workplace morale, improved compliance with regulatory requirements, reduced rate of incidents, and a lower potential of OHSA fines or surcharges. All of these things make your company more attractive to the buyers of your services.

This article was written by Jason Gordon, director of operations & event sector lead at Cobalt Safety East. Jason can be reached at jason@cobaltsafety.ca.