CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION (CoR)

CoR is aimed at driving positive workplace behaviour and practices that lead to improved performance. This commitment translates into a safer and healthier workforce and work environment, which helps ensure your workers go home without injury every day.

Injury prevention and financial savings: A CoR certified company can experience reduced financial costs associated with injuries and incidents that impact the company’s financial bottom line. When you maintain a safe and healthy workplace with few worker injuries and shorter claims duration, your company’s WCB experience rating will improve. This could lead to a discount on your WCB premiums which can result in significant savings.

Pre-bid qualification: If your firm requires certification to bid on jobs, we highly recommend a gap analysis based on your chosen certification level (Bronze, Silver and Gold) at least 6 months prior to your firm’s first attempt at certification through SASM. Few firms pass a SASM audit on their first attempt unless they have performed a gap analysis well ahead of the audit dates and have developed their safety management system to fully meet the requirements of SASM’s standards.

SASM’s audit tool is comprised of 21 elements that are used to assess the key components of your Health and Safety Management System in addition to observing a sampling of records that support your system. The components of a workplace Health and Safety Management System will vary depending on the nature and scope of each individual business, but to be effective, we always perform:

• An on-site pre-audit opening meeting with the audit team and your company representatives.
• An escorted familiarization tour of the locations included in the audit scope. The tour provides the auditors with an opportunity to become familiar with the facility (or facilities) and understand the operations of the organization to help ensure clarity for the documentation review.
• A review of key documents in your Health and Safety Management System and a sampling of your records (from the past 6 months to a year) that support these key documents.
• One-on-one interviews (approx. 25-45 minutes long) that make up a statistically valid sampling of all levels of the organization (management, supervisors and workers).
• Audit standards determine the number of interviews based on the size of your organization. For example:
  • 5 employees = a minimum of 4 interviews
  • 50 employees = a minimum of 19 interviews
  • 150 employees = a minimum of 25 interviews
  • 500 employees = a minimum of 60 interviews
• An observation tour to confirm the information compiled during the documentation review process. The auditors will be looking for non-conformities to company standards or company safety practices and procedures.
• An on-site closing meeting with the audit team.
• A final report outlining each of the 21 elements of the audit tool and the audit team’s findings.

STEPS TO ACHIEVE COR

To acquire a Certificate of Recognition (CoR) an employer must take the following steps:

1. Develop and implement a Health and Safety Management System that meets standards.

2. Determine the training requirements for your company.

3. Implement and monitor your health and safety program.

4. Complete the Self Assessment Tool (if your organization has not been through a Gap Analysis with SASM in the 6 months prior to a CoR certification audit).

5. Contact SASM and complete an Audit Request to begin the certification process. Note: If the company requires a Letter of Good Standing, only one will be issued after the audit has been booked.

6. Complete an audit and achieve a passing mark (80% overall score, with a minimum of 60% in each of the 21 elements).

7. CoR will be issued for audits that meet the required standards.