AuditSoft: Level the COR™ Playing Field

If you are in construction and a member of the OGCA, or work for one of their members, then you understand the importance of an effective Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management system to your organization. It is critical in protecting and ensuring the health, safety, and overall well-being of your workforce; and achieving an Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) Certificate of Recognition (COR™) is how you demonstrate the effective implementation of such a system.

Achieving COR™ is becoming a widespread and industry-mandated requirement for construction, not only in Ontario, but also across Canada, and this trend is increasing. In cases where COR™ is not yet a requirement it can still help qualify you ahead of others or be a key component of your bid.

For many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) however, COR™ may seem like a barrier, a hurdle only larger organizations with available time and resources can overcome. This excludes these SMEs from bidding on projects. As a result, with COR™ increasingly becoming a prequalification requirement, owners and operators of SMEs have probably already caught themselves asking some difficult questions, like, “How much work are we potentially losing by not having COR™ ?” and, “How many future bids and projects could we lose by not achieving COR™ now?”

With COR™ being a prequalification requirement for projects and bids for the City of Toronto, Infrastructure Ontario, Metrolinx, and various other Ontario municipalities and businesses, the answer to the latter is: a lot. But COR™ does not have to be a barrier for SMEs — it can be a leveler instead. It is a gateway to more opportunities and more effective, efficient, and profitable business — making your organization more competitive.

Level the Playing Field

In addition to the competitive advantage you gain from achieving COR™, some provinces have showed that COR™ holders have an 31.7 – 36.8% lower loss ratio than non-COR™ holders. It is a proven fact that a quality OHS program pays dividends in many ways:

• It results in higher employee morale, which drives increased productivity
• It promotes a culture focused on quality work, with less work stoppages
• It increases profitability due to higher productivity and less errors
• It mitigates legal liability and is proof of due diligence
• It results in a reduction in WSIB premiums and increased rebates

For most organizations, it’s no longer a question of if, but when COR™ should be implemented. Generally, the delay in implementing COR™ boils down to two simple questions:

1. Can we as an organization afford to implement COR™?
2. Can we as an organization afford not to implement COR™?

Fortunately, AuditSoft can help answer both, while also keeping you on track to achieve your organizational goals, and your well-deserved wins.

1. Can we as an organization afford to implement COR™?

With the right tools, the answer is “Yes”.

AuditSoft was founded on the premise of making COR™ more accessible and affordable through the application of technology. With AuditSoft, COR™ is now in reach of all organizations, especially SMEs that don’t always have access to the resources and in-house expertise needed to achieve COR™.

Not only does AuditSoft provide resources and guide organizations through the process of getting ready for COR™, but it also facilitates the COR™ audit process, both internal and external audits. Through automation and standardization, it creates considerable efficiencies throughout the audit process, saving organizations significant time and money (up to 50%).

AuditSoft is an affordable solution that not only gets you ready for COR™, but helps you maintain COR™, helping organizations answer the second question:

2. Can we as an organization afford not to implement COR™?

The reality is, protecting your workers’ health and safety is more than a nice-to-have, its a legal obligation. Implementing COR™ is a natural step towards proving your OHS management system measures up to industry best practices. It’s proof of due diligence showing your taking reasonable steps to protect your employees’ health and safety. It is fundamental to every business.

Through its interactive technology, AuditSoft supports your organization’s ability to identify the disparities and areas for improvement in your OHS management system. Purpose-built, the application guides you as you successfully map your journey toward COR™. AuditSoft provides online resources and support to help address any gaps you find. This assists your organization in easily adopting COR™ through the efficiencies and value that AuditSoft technology delivers.

By empowering more organizations, especially SMEs, with its technology-based solution to successfully adopt and achieve COR™, AuditSoft believes this will help level the playing field for organizations of all sizes competing for construction projects and contracts. Lastly, after achieving COR™, AuditSoft also facilitates its maintenance through the approved IHSA COR™ Audit Software Application.

Score your Safety Goals

Use AuditSoft if you’re an organization looking to:

• Implement or get ready for COR™
• Perform an internal IHSA COR™ audit
• Have an external IHSA COR™ audit performed

Or

• Transition from COR™ 2015 to COR™2020

For more information on AuditSoft’s solutions and how they can help your organization, check out this short demo.

To inquire about AuditSoft, please contact Jeff Blacklock, at [email protected]