• Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Our Board
    • Corporate Reports
  • What We Do
    • COR
    • Training
    • Conferences
      • 2023 Conference
      • 2022 Conference
      • Conference Archives
    • Webinars
    • General Meetings
    • Membership Awards
    • Discussion Groups
  • Who We Serve
  • Training
    • Course Catalogue
    • Course Catalogue – Online
    • Education Credits
    • Certificate Programs
      • Supervisor Safety Certificate Program
      • Worker Safety Certificate Program
      • Psychological Health & Safety Certificate Program
    • BC Fire Fighter Occupational Awareness Training
  • Events
  • COR
  • Resources
    • Strategic Initiatives
    • General Resources
    • Communicable Diseases/COVID-19
    • Firefighters Mental Health & Wellness Toolkit
    • Psychological Support Toolkit for Workers and Employers
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding COR.

Who performs the audits?

This depends on the size of the employer. An employer with 20 or more employees must have an audit performed by a certified external auditor, in year 1 of every 3 year cycle. Maintenance Audits in years 2 and 3 may be performed by trained internal staff. Small employers, with less than 20 employees, may have all audits performed by trained internal staff. Regardless of the size of the employer, an individual certified as an external COR auditor is empowered to conduct both certification audits and annual maintenance audits.

Who is eligible for COR?

Any employer registered in the Local Government Classification Unit 753004 is eligible to participate in the Local Government COR program. Other public sector employers, also referred to as naturally-aligned organizations (NAO), may apply to participate in Local Government COR, however, must attain approval from WorkSafeBC prior to application.

What is the Certificate of Recognition (COR)?

COR recognizes and rewards employers who go beyond the legal requirements of the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, by taking a best practices approach to implementing safety management systems in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Return to Work (RTW) COR Programs. Employers who implement these systems may be eligible for incentives through WorkSafeBC assessments.

How much will an external audit cost?

Each organization will establish a contract with an External Auditor and negotiate the cost.

How much is the financial incentive?

This will depend on the employers’ assessable payroll amount and the current Base Rate for the Classification Unit.

How long does the audit take?

That will depend on the size of the organization. Typically, a municipality with 1,500 employees can expect the on-site audit to take approximately 3 weeks. Auditors have 75 days from the start of the audit, to complete the final report.

How long does certification last?

Certification is valid for three years. Incentives are provided as long as the organization conducts annual reviews of their safety management systems and follows a process of continuous improvement.

How do we qualify for incentives?

In order to be eligible for incentives under the COR program, employers must successfully complete an audit of their health and safety and/or return to work/injury management programs.

How are incentive payments calculated?

The total annual WorkSafeBC incentive will be calculated as a percentage of the base assessment rate from the previous year, multiplied by the organization’s total assessable payroll reported from the previous year.

CALCULATION: 
Assessable Payroll ÷ 100 X Base Rate X 10% = incentive payment for OHS COR

EXAMPLE:
$60,000,000 ÷ 100 X $3.19 X $10% = $191,400 annual incentive payment (2023 Base Rate)

LEARN MORE

In This Section

  • COR
  • Training
  • Conferences
  • Webinars
  • General Meetings
  • Discussion Groups

OUR MISSION

SAFER AND HEALTHIER WORKPLACES FOR EVERYONE.

Empowering people to create healthier and safer workplaces through the sharing of knowledge and resources.

MORE INFO
NEWSLETTER
CONTACT

RECENT NEWS

/by Sydney Carter

Job Opportunity: Inspector of Mines, Investigative Lead

Inspector of Mines, Investigative Lead Opportunity Description Job…
Read more
/by Sydney Carter

Job Opportunity: Safety Advisor, City of Kamloops

Job Opportunity: Safety Advisor, City of Kamloops
Read more
/by Sydney Carter

Job Opportunity: Field Operations Supervisor (Safety), Metro Vancouver

Job Opportunity: Field Operations Supervisor (Safety), Metro…
Read more

BC Municipal Safety Association is grateful to operate on the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Coast Salish, Semiahmoo, sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Á,LEṈENEȻ ȽTE (W̱SÁNEĆ) and Kwantlen peoples.

© 2019 British Columbia Municipal Safety Association | Site Credits

Scroll to top