Protecting the health and safety of all workers at all times is the right thing to do.

One of the most proactive approaches to eliminating workplace injuries and illnesses is to develop and maintain an effective occupational health and safety management system.

An occupational health and safety management system is a framework put in place by employers to manage risks, establish controls, and minimize the incidence of injury and illness to their workers. This is accomplished through identifying, assessing, and controlling risks to workers in all workplaces.

What is COR™?

COR™ is having a significant impact on reducing workplace injuries and incidents across Ontario and playing a growing role in helping to keep Ontario workers safe and healthy while on the job.

First brought to Ontario by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) in 2012, COR™ (Certificate of Recognition) is a national accreditation standard that verifies full implementation of an employer’s occupational health and safety management system.

Because COR™ is fundamentally based around a general occupational health and safety management system, it can be utilized and achieved by companies across any industry and scaled to firms of any size.

Workplaces that are COR™-certified in Ontario are proven to be 28% safer.

28% safer workplaces

The University of British Columbia (UBC) recently conducted an extensive research study on the impact COR™ has had on firm-level injury rates in Ontario since its introduction to the province by IHSA (the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association) in 2012.

In the study, researchers concluded that COR™-certified firms experienced a 28% reduction in lost-time injury rate and a 20% reduction in high-impact injury rate (when compared to non COR™-certified firms of a similar size in the same sector).

Gain a competitive advantage

By achieving COR™, employers are able to demonstrate to buyers of their services that they maintain an occupational health and safety management system which has been developed, implemented, and is evaluated on an annual basis through comprehensive internal and external audits.

Firms that are certified or registered in the COR™ program may qualify ahead of others for certain jobs. For example, buyers of services such as construction can make COR™ a requirement for contractors bidding on jobs in order to be more confident in the contractor's health and safety performance. Providing immediate proof that you have an effective OHSMS in place will give your organization a competitive advantage. Buyers of your services can be assured that you will bring superior safety practices to the workplace.

The list of buyers of services in the public and private sectors now requiring COR™ certification as a condition of contract continues to grow, and includes: Cities of Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Ottawa; York Region; Town of Milton; Toronto Transit Commission (TTC); Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA); Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO); Metrolinx; and Infrastructure Ontario.

Learn more about COR™

Listen to the podcast with Dr. Chris McLeod describing the findings from the UBC study on the impact COR™ has had on reducing injury rate, (IHSA podcasts are also available on Apple or Spotify.)

Read the UBC’s research brief on the impact evaluation of COR™

Find out more about COR™