This episode of the IHSA Safety Podcast discusses COR®’s Maintenance Action Plan (MAP) and features Peter Smith, Lead COR® Auditor at IHSA, and Margaret Hart, health and safety program administrator at Hart-Well Electrical.

The MAP, which was introduced in Alberta in 2016 to improve health and safety standards, is a new option for mature COR®-certified organizations in Ontario to enhance health and safety without the burden of repetitive internal audits.

Peter explains that following a recertification audit a company has the option to participate in a MAP instead of completing an internal maintenance audit. The company would submit a MAP proposal to IHSA that outlines five objectives for continuous improvement. Once IHSA approves, the company has nine to 10 months to address the outlined objectives and provide evidence to IHSA 60 days before their certification anniversary date. Once IHSA signs off, the MAP effectively replaces the internal maintenance audit for that recertification year, and a letter of good standing is issued to the company.

Margaret discusses her team’s experience with MAP, and she and Peter offer tips on the MAP process for companies that may be considering taking the MAP approach.

Free resources

What is COR®?

COR® – Getting Started

The Benefits of COR®

Debunking Seven Myths about the COR® Program

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This episode of the IHSA Safety Podcast discusses the new COR® Combined Audit program and features Peter Smith, Lead COR® Auditor at IHSA.

Peter states that the COR® Combined Audit allows organizations with many accounts to undergo one comprehensive COR® audit rather than multiple audits throughout the year. The key benefit of the program is to enhance efficiency during the COR® certification process, so that instead ofreviewing the same health and safety management system with various accounts multiple times, the review can be completed in a single audit of all accounts.

The combined audit program isn’t mandatory but rather optional, and it doesn’t change the COR® standards or audit expectations. Each account is still expected to be in compliance withthe COR® 2020 standard, and each account still gets its own individual certification.

Peter also highlights other benefits of the program, such as saving time and money. It cuts down on the time spent writing several audit reports for each account and also lowers the cost of auditing each account.

Free resources

What is COR®?

COR® – Getting Started

The Benefits of COR®

Debunking Seven Myths about the COR® Program

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This episode of the IHSA Safety Podcast discusses the hierarchy of controls as a fundamental tool in workplace health and safety and features Scott Laing.

Scott explains that the hierarchy of controls is a framework that helps to reduce or eliminate hazards, starting with the most effective methods such as elimination and substitution and moving down to less effective measures such as personal protective equipment (PPE).

The hierarchy of controls helps manage workplace risks effectively, particularly on construction sites. Because construction sites are dynamic with conditions changing frequently, it’s always critical to identify hazards before they lead to incidents. Scott emphasizes that workers' involvement in hazard identification and safety discussions is necessary, as they can best identify risks that may not be obvious to supervisors or health and safety committee members.

Scott discusses the ways technology is improving the ability to recognize and control hazards in construction, such as the use of drones for site inspections and the Building Information Modeling (BIM) equipment, which visualizes a project before the construction begins. Scott also shares additional safety tips for workers and safety professionals when using the hierarchy of controls.

Free resources

Hierarchy of Controls to Ensure Workers’ Safety

Basics of Supervising Training

Training Requirements Chart

Safety Talks

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