Since January, go2 has been working in partnership with WorkSafeBC to create an occupational health & safety (OH&S) division for our industry. A key component of this division includes the development and implementation of the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program.
Q. What is COR?
A. The Certificate of Recognition (COR) program is a program that provides financial incentives to employers who go beyond the legal requirements of the Workers Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation by taking the “best practice” approach to implementing health and safety, and return-to-work (RTW) programs. The goal of this program is to improve workplace safety and help injured workers return to work in a timely manner.
Q. What does an employer need to do to qualify for the COR program?
A. In order to qualify for COR, a certification audit is completed by an external auditor for large employers (20 or more full-time employees), or internally for small employers (less than 20 full-time regular employees). To pass this audit, a total score of 80% must be attained, and a minimum of 50% must be scored on each audit element. This certification audit is valid for three years. In the following two years, the same audit process is used for internal or maintenance audits. The main purpose of the internal/maintenance audit is to identify and correct deficiencies in the management system.
Q. What are the benefits of the COR program?
A. There are three major benefits associated with the COR program. First, it helps employers to create a safe work environment for their employees. Second, WorkSafeBC offers COR-certified employers rebate cheques of up to 15 per cent on the annual industry base rate: the "Health and Safety COR" provides up to an annual 10% off WorkSafeBC premiums, and the "Return-to-Work COR" qualifies for a 5% rebate.
For example, the 2009 base rate for the hotel sector is $1.21 per $100 in payroll. For a hotel with an annual payroll of $10 million, its WorkSafeBC premiums are $121,000 per year. Once it becomes COR-certified, the maximum annual rebate that this hotel will receive would be:
- Health & Safety COR: $121,000 x 10% = $12,100
- Return-to-Work COR: $121,000 x 5% = $6,050
In other words, the Certificate of Recognition can offer savings of up to $18,050 per year for this particular hotel.
As injuries are reduced and the duration of claims shortened, certified employers will also receive additional savings in their individual experience-rated WorkSafeBC premiums.
Lastly, once the program gets up and running, we will certify more and more companies. The more companies that participate and create healthy and safe working environments, the fewer accidents they have, which in turn helps to lower the industry base rate in the long run.
Q. In terms of go2’s occupational health & safety division, what kind of progress has been made?
A. We are making good progress so far. We have successfully identified and invited industry representatives to become part of our Health & Safety Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is an important aspect of the program as they are there to drive the process. They oversee and provide input to bigger picture decisions. As we continue to move forward, there may be a need for additional industry representatives from hotels, restaurants, ski hills, pubs, bars and lounges, and campgrounds and motels to participate in our Steering Committee. If you have an interest and expertise in this area, please contact us.
We are also moving forward with the hiring of the COR Coordinator and Administrative Assistant for the OH&S team at go2. These two positions will play a key role in delivering the COR program to tourism and hospitality employers.
Q. What milestones have been achieved for the development of go2’s COR Program?
A. We are now in the process of creating an audit program for the snow sports sector. An industry-led Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been formed for this sector and it will bring industry knowledge and expertise to the table to ensure that the COR program is tailored to their sector’s specific requirements. The next step will be to form individual TAC committees for the hotel, restaurant and pub sectors.
Q. What type of resources will be made available for employers?
A. Our website will house a variety of information, ranging from generic occupational health and safety programs, to a database of courses that companies can take in preparation for the COR audit. It will serve as a tremendous resource for all owner/operators in the tourism and hospitality industry.
For more information on our COR program, please contact Terry Bertram for more information.