The City of Melfort recently had their annual Certificate of Recognition (COR) audit to evaluate the safety management system in place.
Melfort received a grade of 96 per cent, up eight per cent from the 88 per cent they received three years ago.
There are currently six cities and one town within Saskatchewan with COR certification through either the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA) or the Heavy Construction Safety Association (HCSA).
The COR program is a non-mandatory safety management system that verifies companies have implemented a comprehensive health and safety program.
“Maintaining COR certification helps us ensure a set standard and instills a sense of pride and ownership for our health and safety program… we are proud to be one of these cities,” said Elizabeth McLean, safety and bylaw officer for the City of Melfort.
“The fact that we choose to do this is a pat on the back for everyone involved, it shows we take this seriously, and we want everyone employed by the city to safely go home each night. We care about our fellow employees, want them aware of the hazards they face, and prepare them to work safely with training, procedures, controls, and care.”
In 2017 the city didn’t have a safety program, but with the backing of management and council, a safety consultant was contracted to develop the beginnings of the program.
“We have continued to develop and shape the program to fit our needs, and it is constantly changing. Our city management and Council not only wanted to ensure we had a program in place but wanted us to be accountable and was very supportive in our initial pursuit of COR certification,” added McLean.
“The different department groups are involved when we are developing new practices or procedures, which gives everyone a sense of ownership as they help develop the procedures they will be following. The more participation, feedback and involvement with every level of a company the more successful you will be.”
The first audit was considered the baseline for the city and it was completed during COVID, with interviews and observations done electronically.
They anticipated this next audit was going to be more extensive since the auditors were able to be more hands-on and interactive, though the city was unsure how they would do.
“We were very excited with the results of our last audit, it can be very easy to get complacent, but we worked very hard to develop our program, and we don’t want it to be just a big book on the shelf,” McLean told northeastNOW.
“A safety program is continually changing to meet the needs of the safety regulations, the change in the work that you perform, the equipment you operate, and the facilities you run. The workforce is changing too, with the senior workers retiring and new workers joining us, so it’s constant change, modification, and development.”
Both McLean, Shaun Stewart (director of protective services), and Kevin Dyck (risk management technician), see the audit process as their report card in how they are administering the safety program.
This keeps them focused on what needs improving and gives them direction on how to do so.
“There will always be opportunities to improve our safety program, including improving the culture, increasing buy-in, to creating and modifying procedures, and providing better training,” mentioned McLean.
“We are always on the lookout for different agencies or individuals to give us a different perspective on safety concerns. You can never just sit and think, ok we are done, it’s always modifying, learning from your mistakes, and finding ways to improve and change.”
There are also six local companies that have achieved their COR or Small Employer Certificate of Recognition (SECOR) certification through the SCSA and HCSA.
–
news@northeastnow.com
On Twitter @BenTompkins_8
