When Does a Business Require COR or SECOR Safety Certification?

Many industrial businesses spend a significant amount of time on safety programs in order to protect their workers and ensure a safe work environment. A central component of this on-going effort is the development of a safety manual.

This document is your company reference for all of your safework procedures and it includes relevant information like safety certifications, safety procedure protocols, and contact information in the event of accidents and injury on the jobsite.

Within a safety manual’s development exists a voluntary certification process that ensures the safety documentation for your type of business is available in a standardized format. This certification is called COR and SECOR. These certification programs improve an organization’s safety culture by providing guidelines and awareness of safework practices. They are also often considered a requirement for contractors bidding upon new projects with owner clients.

COR stands for Certificate of Recognition
It is the certification process granted to large business and ensures a standard is set for company safety documentation, including maintenance and inspection records, worker training records, incident reporting, and other documentation of this nature.

SECOR stands for Small Employer Certificate of Recognition
If your company has 10 workers or less, then the certification attained is called SECOR. It enables a small business to attain the needed safety standards with the limited resources on hand for compliance.

Workplace safety has steadily gained momentum over the past couple decades. Companies are now seeing clear statistics that validate the emphasis employers are placing on safety efforts; a clear trend can be seen in this Canadian Report on Work Fatality and Injury Rates.

source
Lastly, and not insignificantly, workplace associations offer rebate incentives for companies that acheive COR or SECOR certifications. Employers can contact their regional Workers Compensation Boards for details: https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/information/wcb_canada.html
source