There has been some confusion about the new "National Standard" for COR (Certificate of Recognition).  The "National Standard" claim by the CFCSA (Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations) is made especially misleading by the fact their website mentions that it is nationally trademarked, presumably by the association.

This "National Standard" applies only to the construction industry.  Certifying partners in other industries have been administering CORs for many years, and do not endorse the construction standard.  Enform, for example, publishes the audit protocol for the oil and gas industry, and have recently updated their requirements in 2011, which have little resemblance to the construction requirements.  Similarly, WorkSafe BC publishes large and small company COR audit protocols for a wide range of industries, and it too does not follow the "National Standard" [Note: the BC audit review instruments are also available in SafetySync].  And neither of these organizations makes any claims or references to trademarks.

Despite all this, the "National Standard" is certainly a good idea, even if it only applies to the construction industry.  It allows safety management systems like ours to design common functionality around a general set of expectations.  [The audit protocols are remarkably similar though, even between industries and across provinces.]  Despite the goal of having a single list of requirements for the construction industry across Canada, provincial organizations are creating work-arounds.  In Manitoba, for example, the CSAM has added a 14th section to the audit requirements covering specific topics such as Hearing Conservation, Lockout / Tagout and Working Alone.

The good news for our current and prospective clients construction industry is that our audit review component now has functionality to help HSE personnel compile and prepare for the CFCSA National Standard, and the CSAM Manitoba supplement (section 14).
 
Simply check the box next to the appropriate audit standard(s) within the administrator portal in SafetySync to start managing these or any other COR audit protocols.

Service companies in Canada might be discouraged to learn that another subcontractor pre-qualification service/website has arrived on the scene.  PICS Auditing from Irvine, California has been in business for a while, but has only recently appeared on the radar North of the border when Suncor started using its service.

Like ISNetworld RAVS, they are trying to offer a more comprehensive pre-qualification than simply the registry of insurance documents and questions required by ComplyWorks.  Rumor has it that the PICS staff conduct video conferences with a subcontractor safety representative, and ask the person to hold up policies and records to the screen as a way of demonstrating compliance.  This seems at first glance to be yet another redundancy with the COR safety audits, which are performed in person.  PICS claims to be popular though:

They claim to be "preferred" by 81% of contractors (presumably over ISNetworld?)  I wonder if the number would be so high if they asked the contractor if they felt the PICS audit was useful if they had already passed their COR audit.

Regardless of whether the industry needs 3 subcontractor management systems in addition to COR audits, the fact remains that these subcontractors need to manage their safety programs and produce the compliance reports that these audits, reviews or questionnaires ask for.   Please call or email us if you would like an explanation of how an online safety management system like SafetySync can help you satisfy the requirements of these subcontractor audits, reviews and questionnaires.

Under the National Safety Code (NSC), commercial truck and bus carriers must build and implement vehicle safety programs and obtain a Safety Fitness Certificate and maintain an acceptable safety fitness rating.  These requirements are IN ADDITION to their workplace safety program.

SAFETYSYNC has always made it simple to track drivers' file requirements, vehicle inspection and maintenance records, and deliver training including TDG and Hours of Service, but the Online Safety Management System now makes it easier to build and maintain the underlying commercial vehicle safety programs:

NSC Safety Policy Templates

We've added 14 template policies that cover the required provincial or federal policies and best practices, including:

• speed limits
• seat-belt use
• drug and alcohol use
• load security
• fueling
• Bills of Lading
• conduct and discipline
• use of safety equipment
• evaluation of driving skills
• etc.

Simply click on the "Add Policy" button and scroll down to the templates that begin with section "NSC".  The policies are based on the "federal" versions of Alberta Transportation recommendations, and should work in all jurisdictions, but as with all policies, you can modify them to suit your requirements.


"Assessment of Regulatory Compliance" Audit Review

This audit protocol is based on the National Safety Code requirements for commercial vehicles and is used by the provincial transportation authority (such as Alberta Transportation) to verify a carrier's safety fitness rating.  Now you can review your own safety program internally to be sure you're ready for a government audit in the event of an application, incident or complaint.

Audit time can be stressful.  Like most safety managers you might be anxious about whether you have reviewed every element of a safety protocol, and whether you have  the systems in place or documentation to prove due diligence.  Or you could have the system in place, but may be lacking the "link" between each audit bullet (for some standards there are over 100 bullets) and the processes and records that satisfy the requirements. 

We have recently introduced a new SafetySync component that we call "Audit Preparation and Review".  This tool offers administrators the ability to select any number of standards (such as Enform Certificate of Recognition - COR or CSA Z1000) which they would like to prepare for and achieve.

Unlike other audit review software on the market, this SafetySync component is designed for safety managers and administrators for internal purposes only.  Essentially, it is meant to help organizations perform better on their external audits, and to perform internal audits in the interim.

Each audit protocol allows administrators to drill down to the bullet level (such as Enform COR 2010 D1.b in the example below).

For each bullet, you can:

1. Enter notes (what systems you have in place, progress being made, plans, explanations, etc.)
2. Update the status (as either "Compliant", "Not Applicable" or "Deficient")
3. Link to web pages (such as policies, training videos, certificates, compliance reports) in either SafetySync or other online systems
4. Upload documents (such as spreadsheets, Word or PDF documents) in the event you do not have an online system in place

Once you have all the appropriate links or documents in place to satisfy the bullet, change the status to "Compliant" (it will track the date and user for each entry).  Keep doing this for each subsequent bullet until you have every one covered, meaning you've either completed the internal audit, or you are ready for a 3rd party auditor to come in and check your work.