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ARCHIVED - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
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Executive Summary
CCOHS is committed to providing Canadians with information on workplace hazards and conditions to promote health and safety in the workplace and enhance the physical and mental health of working people. This supports the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe workplace, the foundation of our statute.
CCOHS seeks to improve workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well-being of working Canadians through:
- Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace
- Application of occupational health and safety information to improve workplace practices
- Easy access to occupational health and safety information and services.
This is accomplished by offering a wide range of products and services for use by Canadians. CCOHS continually reviews and changes its offerings to meet the ever changing needs in occupational health and safety. CCOHS hosted a national forum to explore health and safety issues that are emerging from changing workplaces. This conference "Emerging Health and Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion" brought together subject experts, workers, employers and governments to share their knowledge and experience around this pan-Canadian issue and to discuss problems and solutions.
This is the 10th anniversary of OSH Answers, our web based question and answer service that provides occupational health and safety information on over 670 topic areas. The service has grown to 6.8 million pages viewed by 2.5 million inquirers annually. Users of this service report a high level of sharing this information with others.
Through our ongoing feedback and performance measurement, we are confident that CCOHS information is being used and applied in the workplace to make changes that may improve occupational health and safety.
CCOHS is committed to fulfilling the needs of Canadians in high quality occupational health and safety information and services to ensure the fundamental right of all Canadians to a healthy and safe workplace.
Section I: Departmental Overview
A. The Message
CCOHS was created 30 years ago, as a national centre dedicated to providing Canadians with access to information on workplace hazards and conditions to promote health and safety in the workplace and to enhance the physical and mental health of working people. This is based on the concept that all Canadians have a fundamental right to a healthy and safe working environment.
The vision of CCOHS has not changed: to eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths, and that at the end of every working day, Canadians come home healthy and safe. CCOHS relies on its tripartite Council of Governors for vision, direction and support. CCOHS is governed with representation from labour, business and provincial, territorial and federal governments. This tripartite structure helps to ensure that CCOHS remains an independent and a trusted source of unbiased information for employers, workers and governments.
Health and safety has evolved over the past three decades, but the vision to eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths in Canada remains unchanged. CCOHS continues to be proactive to anticipate and respond to the ever-changing occupational health and safety needs of Canadians.
To address these changing needs, CCOHS hosted its second national forum "Emerging Health and Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion". This event brought together participants from across Canada to a facilitated dialogue between workplace participants and stakeholder groups searching for ideas, solutions, recommendations, and raised awareness of current occupational health and safety issues in Canada.
The ever-changing workplace creates new challenges resulting in identification of the needs of an aging and growing multi-ethnic workforce, workplace stress, the needs of small business and the increasing number of part-time and contract workers. The rates of injury among young and new workers and the threats from occupational diseases are ongoing concerns.
CCOHS also focuses on education and training to help create safer workplaces. This includes delivery by e-learning and partnerships with other organizations to extend the reach of information. CCOHS offers it services arising from a unique partnership between experts in the field of occupational health and safety, governments, unions and employers.
By working together, we can improve workplace health, wellness and reduce injuries and illnesses.
S. Len Hong
President and CEO
B. Management Representation Statement
MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATION/DÉCLARATION DE LA DIRECTION
Departmental Performance Report 2007-2008/ Rapport ministériel sur le rendement de 2007-2008
I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2007-08 Departmental Performance Report (DPR) for the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2007-2008 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:
- It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat guidance;
- It is based on the department's approved Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture that were approved by the Treasury Board.
- It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
- It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
- It reports finances based on approved numbers from the Estimates and the Public Accounts of Canada
Name: Mr. S. Len Hong
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
C. Program Activity Architecture
Strategic Outcome: Canadians will be provided with unbiased occupational health and safety information and services for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries.
Program Activity: Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.
The goal of this program is to provide free information on occupational health and safety to support Canadians in their efforts to improve workplace safety and health. Citizens are provided information through a free and impartial personalized service via telephone, e-mail, person-to-person, fax or mail. Alternatively they can independently access a broad range of electronic and print resources developed to support safety and health information needs of Canadians. This may include cost recovery products and services and is supported financially by contributions from various stakeholders.
CCOHS collects, processes, analyzes, evaluates, creates and publishes authoritative information resources on occupational health and safety for the benefit of all working Canadians. This information is used for education and training, research, policy development, development of best practices, improvement of health and safety programs, achieving compliance, and for personal use. When the products or services provided by CCOHS are used by identifiable external recipients with benefits beyond those enjoyed by the general taxpayer, a user fee is charged.
CCOHS promotes and facilitates consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions and participation by labour, management and other stakeholders in the establishment and maintenance of high standards and occupational health and safety initiatives for the Canadian context. The sharing of resources results in the coordinated and mutually beneficial development of unique programs, products and services. Collaborative projects are usually supported with a combination of financial and non-financial contributions to the programs by stakeholders and result in advancement of occupational health and safety initiatives.
D. Summary Informatione
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1978 with a mandate to promote health and safety in the workplace and to enhance the physical and mental health of working people.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) operates under the legislative authority of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act S.C., 1977-78, c. 29 which was passed by unanimous vote in the Canadian Parliament. The purpose of this Act is to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment by creating a national institute (CCOHS) concerned with the study, encouragement and co-operative advancement of occupational health and safety.
Financial Resources 2007-2008 (in thousands $)
| Planned | Total Authorities | Actual Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 4,628 | 4,983 | 4,651 |
Human Resources 2007-2008
| Planned | Actual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 96 | 90 | 6 |
Planned spending represents the amount authorized through the main estimates process. Authorities represents the total amounts authorized for the entire year, including the main estimates. The increase in total authorities represents funding received for compensation relating to collective bargaining, rollover amounts and other transfers. Details are provided in our annual report at: http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html
Departmental Priorities
CCOHS has one program activity; occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration, developed through one strategic outcome. The department's policies and activities are directed to achieving the following expected results:
Strategic Outcome: Canadians will be provided with unbiased occupational health and safety information and services for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries.
Program Activity: Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.
| Expected Results (use appropriated funding for) | 2007-8 Priorities/Commitments | Type | Planned Spending $(000) |
Actual Spending $(000) |
Expected Results and Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy access to occupational health and safety information and service |
|
ongoing | $1,157 | $1,163 | Results achieved |
| Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace |
|
ongoing | $1,157 | $1,163 | Primarily achieved |
| Application of occupational health and safety information to improve workplace practices |
|
ongoing | $1,157 | $1,163 | Results achieved |
| Partial recovery of costs from user fees |
|
ongoing | $1,157 | $1,163 | Result achieved |
E. Departmental Performance
CCOHS has one program activity (PAA), occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.
The Act to create the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was based on the concept that all Canadians have "… a fundamental right to a healthy and safe working environment." A national centre would be an essential requirement to enable people to exercise this right everywhere in the country, a concept launched and supported by stakeholders across Canada. The resulting Act in 1978 had unanimous support from every federal party.
The primary goal of CCOHS is to provide Canadians with access to information on workplace hazards and conditions – a goal firmly entrenched in the CCOHS mandate.
The Centre was created to provide a common focus for and co-ordination of information in the area of occupational health and safety. Prior to 1978, Canada was the only major industrialized nation that did not have a central body for this task. Given the large, diverse and multi-jurisdictional aspects of Canada, such a service is essential. Its key stakeholders, government (all levels), employers and labour work closely with CCOHS to promote occupational health and safety, and to foster consultations and co-operation with the mutual goal of reducing or eliminating occupational illnesses and injuries.
CCOHS is governed by a tripartite Council of Governors, comprised of representatives from labour, business and provincial, territorial and federal governments. This tripartite structure helps to ensure that CCOHS remains an independent and trusted source of unbiased information. The stakeholders participate actively in the governance of CCOHS making it unique as a tripartite organization that helps ensure its programs and services are unbiased, credible and meet the on-going needs of Canadians.
Further information about the strategic direction of CCOHS is located in Section IV.
While directly attributing reductions in injuries and illnesses to CCOHS programs is not feasible due to many variables affecting this outcome, independent evaluations of our services indicate wide spread use of CCOHS information to effect change in workplaces. The extensive use of CCOHS information may result in reductions in injuries and illnesses throughout.
The table below compares data on occupational injuries and fatalities for 2006 and 1970. There have been significant reductions in injuries and fatalities relative to numbers of workers but the numbers remain unacceptably high. The reductions likely result from a variety of factors including changing technologies, better educated workers and industry initiatives together with occupational health and safety policies and programs, including the activities of all the stakeholders, their partners and CCOHS.
| Occupational Injuries and Fatalities in Canada | |||||
| Year | Employees (millions) | Injuries | Fatalities | Injuries per million workers | Fatalities per million workers |
| 1970 | 7.03 | 301,653 | 918 | 42,909 | 131 |
| 2006 | 16.57 | 329,357 | 976 | 19,877 | 59 |
Source: Work Injuries and Diseases National Work Injuries Statistics Program, Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada, Canada 2004-2006 and Labour Force Survey 2006, Statistics Canada.
Research indicates that there are significant benefits of reducing workplace risks and the benefits are more than four times higher than earlier estimates. More specifically, the Gunderson and Hyatt estimates suggest that the benefits to society of reducing the risks that would lead to one fatality are as high as $13 million while the benefits of reducing the risks that would lead to one non-fatal injury are approximately $20,000. 1
The consequences of occupational injuries can be appreciable: lost work time and income, medical expenses, compensation costs, possible long-term health problems or disability, and a burden on the family of the injured worker.2 To continually reduce these losses, the focus has progressed to the prevention of occupational diseases, illnesses, injuries and fatalities. Improved workplace wellness is also important for the overall health of Canadian workers. These risks are documented in recent data collected by the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey (cycle 2.1) that shows increased risks due to wellness issues such as stress, healthy weight, smoking, drinking and chronic health conditions.
A recent Canadian study reported workers are four to six times more likely to be injured during the first month on the job compared to workers with more than one year's experience.3
As a national institute, CCOHS undertakes a wide range of activities to achieve its objectives. These activities include the following:
- The provision of technical documents, data and related safety information to workers, workplaces and the health and safety community, Canadian workplace communities and the education system. An important element of these activities is to improve the coordination of the flow of occupational health and safety information.
- The promotion and evaluation of research on occupational health and safety issues.
- The provision of expert advice and training in occupational health and safety.
- Participation in meetings and conferences to contribute to improving prevention of safety and health problems.
- Other activities consistent with the mandate of promoting improved health and safety in the workplace and enhance the physical and mental health of Canadian workers.
Maintaining the good health of Canadians is an important goal for Canada. Workplace health is an essential component of overall health of Canadians. CCOHS contributes to Canada's goal of a healthy population, sustainable development, safe communities, and Canada's role in the world. CCOHS works closely with labour, business and all levels of government to establish high standards for occupational health and safety, to foster consultation and co-operation, and reduce or eliminate occupational hazards.
Risks and Challenges in Delivering Services
CCOHS relies on partnerships and resources from many organizations and governments to deliver its programs. Governments and non-profit organizations are subject to changing priorities and limited resources. These changes impact their ability to support CCOHS and changes within those organizations impact CCOHS. Risks include funding levels, support and participation in programs and access to information and revenue streams for CCOHS. In order to address these risks, CCOHS keeps in close contact with its stakeholders and is proactive in dealing with risks and anticipating change. CCOHS continually seeks ongoing partnerships with a variety of organizations and does not rely on limited range of organizations.
CCOHS is expected to generate 50% of its budget through the sale of products and services. This is an ongoing challenge given the quickly changing global market place. With the internet, the public has increased access to information world wide making sales of traditional databases less relevant. CCOHS must continually update and expand its product offering in order to remain financially viable. With this trend, it became evident that CCOHS would not be financially viable without replacement income. CCOHS addressed this situation with the development of e-learning courses and also with customized MSDS management services and OSH management services.
CCOHS is impacted by overall economic conditions such as foreign exchange fluctuations and economic slowdowns since we rely on revenue generation from the business sector. CCOHS continually reviews its products and services and makes improvements to keep these offerings relevant to users.
The availability of free information on the internet continues to strain CCOHS ability to generate sales from information products. It is difficult to balance the role of providing a free of charge public service with our need to generate funds through cost recovery. When operating in a government environment it is difficult to achieve financial success, as the goal of helping people does not always coincide with the mandate to achieve cost recovery.
Data from performance management feedback surveys clearly indicates that current information is essential to providing a credible service. CCOHS products are information based, which require constant updating to remain current. In addition, with continually changing technologies, our infrastructure must be updated on an ongoing basis. Information, secured from other sources, for CCOHS' information infrastructure and product development, frequently requires payment of royalties and CCOHS is at risk from decisions being made at other organizations. This includes rates for royalties, continuing to provide updated information and making information available free of charge on the internet.
