Delivering Smarter, Faster COR Auditing
Case Study: Transforming Certificate of Recognition (COR®) audits for Construction Safety Nova Scotia (CSNS) Association.
Audit Quality Improved
Faster QA Times
Audit Data Unlocked
About Construction Safety Nova Scotia
Construction Safety Nova Scotia (CSNS) is an industry funded not-for-profit association focused on improving occupational health and safety (OHS) in the construction sector. All companies with a current WCB account under the construction industry classification codes 4011-4499 and 3551 are automatically members of the association due to the levies they pay to the WCB. CSNS is a highly regarded leader in OHS services with over 300,000 students trained in health and safety and over 1,150 firms attaining the association’s COR® Safety Certification.
About Construction Safety Nova Scotia’s COR® Program
The Certificate of Recognition (COR®) is an occupational safety and health accreditation program that verifies a fully implemented OHS management system which meets national standards. COR® is nationally registered, trademarked and endorsed by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA), of which CSNS is a member. Each CFCSA member association grants COR® Certification to employers, monitors compliance with program requirements and serve as an employer’s main point of contact for all operational aspects related to COR® in their respective province/territory.
Challenge
Before adopting AuditSoft, CSNS relied on paper-based audit methods and fillable PDFs to support their COR® program. The lack of a streamlined way for auditors to organize notes, track audit progress, and complete and submit the audit end-to-end digitally created several challenges.
Challenges included:
- Missing key information while on-site.
- Compiling audit reports was manual and time-consuming.
- Member engagement during audits.
- Difficulty capturing and analyzing audit data, leading to a missed opportunity to track performance trends and drive continuous improvement.
Solution
CSNS adopted AuditSoft’s audit and data analytics platform as the standard for all external COR® audits. The platform supports a consistent, structured audit process—guiding auditors through documentation reviews, site observations, and interviews with built-in tools for inputting findings and compiling results.
Key benefits include:
- Audit structure and workflow support: AuditSoft provides a clear, repeatable process that ensures all audit steps are completed thoroughly and in the correct order.
- Simplified data entry and scoring: Automated scoring, section guidance, and prompts reduce manual effort and the risk of errors.
- Built-in quality checks: The tool flags incomplete fields and inconsistencies before submission, helping ensure audit reports are complete and accurate.
- Transparency with members: Advisors can share and explain audit results as they work on-site, promoting clarity and reducing surprises at the end.
- Data for members: Members receive easy-to-understand audit scorecards with clear scoring and findings—helping them take action and track improvements year over year.
Results
The switch to AuditSoft led to a more consistent and efficient audit experience for CSNS and its members.
- Faster audit turnaround times through real-time data entry and reporting.
- Improved audit quality and consistency, with reduced risk of missing critical information.
- Greater member engagement during audits, thanks to shared visibility and in-the-moment collaboration.
- Access to audit data insights to help members improve continuously and identify where organisations need more support.
Cheryl Layden and Colin Creaser of Construction Safety Nova Scotia share their experience using AuditSoft for COR® audits.