COR™ is a volunteer occupational health and safety audit program. It provides construction industry employers with an effective health and safety management system (HSMS) for reducing the human and financial costs of workplace incidents, injuries, and illnesses. It is currently being used across Canada and is supported by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA). COR™ is often required for contracts with both public- and private-sector construction projects. For example, various municipalities in Canada expect their contractors to be registered with the COR™ program in order to work for them.
COR™ illustrates that the employer’s HSMS has been evaluated on an annual basis through comprehensive internal and external audits. The audit criteria are recognized by construction industries throughout Canada. Effective development and maintenance of an HSMS is a proactive approach to eliminating workplace injuries and illnesses. If a situation arises where you have to demonstrate that you have an active HSMS, participation in COR™ would be an asset.
In order to take part in COR™, senior management and one designated full-time employee must take prescribed training offered by IHSA. The training is conducted to help the employer understand and commit to the program, and the employee to become the designated Internal Auditor.
The training requirements are as follows:
Once the training is complete, the employer is required to conduct an internal audit on their HSMS using the IHSA COR™ Audit Instrument. The internal audit is reviewed by IHSA, and is then followed up with an external audit from IHSA staff. Upon successful completion of the internal and external audits, the employer is issued the Certificate of Recognition, and a Letter of Good Standing. Once the certificate and letter are issued to the employer, they are required to conduct an internal audit on their HSMS on an annual basis using the IHSA COR™ Audit Instrument .
COR™ is valid for three years, with annual audit requirements that must be reviewed by IHSA. The most important point is that the employer must ensure that their annual audits are conducted and reviewed by IHSA prior to the anniversary date of their certificate, and Letter of Good Standing.
There are nineteen elements in the instrument. The first thirteen are common to all of the provinces that participate in COR™:
Finally, there are six additional elements that are specific to Ontario:
COR™ is a volunteer program, and therefore requires you to undergo a specific process to become a participant. Please read the directions below to find out how to register.
Complete the required training courses as outlined in this document.
Please register for them by calling Customer Service at
Once you have completed the IHSA training courses, use the application form to register for the COR™ program.
Once you have been accepted into the program, you will be sent the appropriate documentation to get started on your internal audit.
Download IHSA's Certificate of Recognition (COR™) Program PDF.
