The Policy, Regulation and Research Division (the PRRD) is releasing a discussion paper on proposed policy amendments to the Certificate of Recognition (COR) Program.

In addition, the Industry and Labour Services department is releasing practice materials on proposed program developments.

It is recommended the discussion paper, which contains the proposed policy amendments, and the practice materials be reviewed in the order they are presented below.

The consultation period for both the policy and practice materials will end on October 1, 2018. WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors (BOD) will consider stakeholder feedback before making a decision on policy amendments.

1. Proposed Policy Amendments

The COR Program is a voluntary employer certification program designed to encourage employers in B.C. to take a proactive role in occupational health and safety. Employers registered in the COR Program who meet program requirements achieve a COR, and may be eligible to receive a financial incentive.

On January 26, 2016, the BOD approved interim policies for the COR Program while new policies for the COR Program were being developed.

Between February 7, 2017 and August 1, 2017, the PRRD consulted on changes to the interim policies. The written submissions received from both worker and employer stakeholders stated it was difficult to provide comments on the draft policies until the practice materials were laid out.

The PRRD is now consulting on revised draft policies for the COR Program based on stakeholder feedback.

Proposed deletions of policy wording is identified with a strikethrough and additions are identified in bold.

Discussion paper

Feedback on Policy

There are a number of ways for stakeholders to provide feedback on the options and draft policy amendments.

2. Proposed Practice Materials

Practice materials have been developed based on feedback from stakeholder consultation. These documents provide an overview of the proposed practice changes to the COR Program along with detail on what is changing in the program, why it is changing, and what the changes will mean for stakeholders.

It is recommended that the practice materials be reviewed in the following order:

Public Consultation Introduction
Audit Standard Summary
Detailed Audit Standard
Audit Tools Summary
Auditors Summary
Certification Process Requirements Summary
Employer Categorization and Audit Scope Summary
Quality Management Summary
Equivalency and Reciprocity Summary
Financial Incentives Summary

A single PDF is also available for those who wish to review the practice materials as a combined package.

Feedback on Practice Materials

There are a number of ways for stakeholders to provide feedback on practice materials:

Please note that all comments become part of WorkSafeBC’s database and may be published, including the identity of organizations and those participating on behalf of organizations. The identity of those who have participated on their own behalf will be kept confidential according to the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.