Maintaining your Certificate of Recognition
Maintaining your Certificate of Recognition (COR)
How to Maintain COR
Once your organization has obtained a Certificate of Recognition (COR), the certificate is valid for 3 years. During the two years following COR Certification, internal COR Maintenance Audits must be conducted. At least 3 months in advance of the audit, start to prepare by registering your audit with CCSA. Once your audit is received, CCSA COR Team will provide the selected tool for your use.
2024 COR Audit Process
All audits need to be registered prior to starting the audit.
COR Certification/Recertification and Maintenance Audits must include Documentation + Interviews + Observation Tour and 12-months of documentation.
Conducting an Audit Overview
Maintenance Action Plans in lieu of Maintenance Audits
Performing an Maintenance Action Plan in lieu of a Maintenance Audit is an option for some organizations. Maintenance Action Plans allow employers to focus on recommendations from the last certification audit while maintaining COR and continuing to enhance workplace safety.
NOTE: This is not the action plan that is created by the employer after the annual audit process.
For an organization to be eligible to use an action plan in lieu of maintenance audits, the following criteria must be met:
- The employer must have a current COR.
- The employer must have completed one full, three-year COR audit cycle and successful completed a re-certification audit.
- The employer must have achieved a 90% overall score on the re-certification audit.
- The employer must apply in writing to the CCSA prior to March 1 of the calendar year for permission to use an action plan in lieu of the maintenance audit, and provide the proposed Action Plan before approval will be given.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on the size and complexity of the employer, the time needed to complete the audit process can change. A site with 75 employees will take apron. 5 days to complete the data gathering (documentation review, interviews, and observation) and an additional 2 days to write the report.
This is based on the auditors undivided attention on completing the audit within those 7 days.
No, CCSA members employers are removed from the COR holders should their COR expire and are put back on after completion of the ENTIRE audit process, which includes the quality assurance revision. Once CCSA submits the audit into CORRs the employer will go back on the list. The WCB rebate is not affected as long as the audit is successfully submitted before the end of the year and meets the required standards.
- Contact the CCSA to let them know. Sometimes there are opportunities to work with auditors in training that need to complete a qualification audit.
- If there is time you can choose to send another staff member through training to become an internal auditor. Their qualification audit can be used as the maintenance audit, as long as they are successful in completing and passing the audit process.
- You can hire an external auditor to complete the audit.
- Those with interest in health and safety and have a good understanding of the system
- Reading, writing, and communication skills are essential to understand the audit guidelines and provide detailed support on the documentation reviewed.
- Interviewing skills are an asset, people skills and the ability to communicate objectively and professionally are essential
- Auditors must be comfortable with speaking in public, the role of coaching and delivering negative findings in a positive and helpful way.
- Most important is the ability to meet deadlines; specific timelines have been established in order for the employer to maintain their COR.
- Those who have no interest in health & safety.
- Those who do not have access to a computer or limited knowledge of computers and programs such as Word, Excel, and email.
- Those who do not have time to take 3-7 days every year to dedicate solely to conducting and audit.
An annual audit:
- Helps review the health and safety system against an approved standard.
- Shows where improvements need to be made, year over year to health and safety system.
- Helps ensure the health and safety system is maintain and it is not forgotten when we “get busy”.
- Gives all levels of staff an opportunity to participate in and to help achieve successes. Participation can be at different levels such as: a) an internal auditor, b) HSC member or c) worker
Partnerships establishes the minimum requirement for interviews to ensure a representative sampling is done. A representative sampling ensures employees from all sites, departments and shifts within the scope of the audit participate. This provides enough details so that the auditor can be sure the policies and process documented are being used and understood.
Most interviews will take 30-45 minutes, the more an organization communicates health and safety and ensure workers awareness, the shorter the time it will take to complete the interview.