Although available to other industries now, the COR® program actually has its origins in construction – it found its genesis in the construction sector in Alberta, and was first made available to BC employers in 2002 as a pilot program for the construction sector. Back then, Hsu says the sector saw an opportunity to bring a “made for construction” safety audit/certification program to the province in an effort to decrease the human and financial loss associated with workplace injury and disease. Since then, the program has been continuously honed and refined, and that effort has paid dividends. In BC, there is now empirical evidence that COR® certified employers exhibit reduced injuries and therefore improved safety outcomes. “COR® has been and will continue to be an effective and respected initiative for our industry as it works to reduce injuries – most significantly, serious injuries,” Hsu says. “We know the current audit tool produces empirically proven positive safety outcomes. Any program that can help construction employers in decreasing financial and human losses associated with workplace injury is a success for the industry we serve.” Currently, approximately 33 per cent of all workers in BC’s construction sector work for COR® certified companies. The BCCSA has seen that number increasedemonstrably in recent years – since 2010, for example, there has been almost double the number of participants. Hsu credits that participation, in part, to the fact that more general contractors and owners are making it preferential for bidding purposes, and in some AUGUST 2022
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