ARCHIVED - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

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Executive Summary

CCOHS is 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. The Centre was created to provide a common focus for and coordination of information in the area of occupational health and safety.

CCOHS is an independent government department managed by a Council of Governors comprised of representatives from labour, business and all levels of Canadian government. This unique governance structure helps to ensure that CCOHS remains independent and a trusted source of unbiased information for employers, workers and governments.

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 to improve workplace practices
• Easy access to occupational health and safety information and services.

This is accomplished through an extensive range of products and services to Canadians.

Through its relationships with international organizations, CCOHS is able to obtain up to date information for the benefit of Canadians. By using the internet as a key delivery methodology, more Canadians can be served efficiently. The Pandemic Planning and Healthy Workplaces portals are examples of providing Canadians with easy access to a wide range of useful information and resources. In addition, web based training is offered so that many more Canadians can be provided with high quality, consistent and inexpensive OHS courses. CCOHS continues to offer its Inquiries Service and publications as other methods of reaching workers.

CCOHS information is used extensively for a variety of purposes in the workplace, which may result in improved working conditions and ultimately reduction in occupational injuries and illnesses. Through ongoing performance measurement and periodic evaluations, the needs and satisfaction of our many stakeholders are measured.

CCOHS is exposed to the risk of changing technologies, foreign exchange fluctuations, changes in market conditions and varying demands of the public. As CCOHS must recover 50% of its budget through cost recovery, there are many risks for CCOHS. Managing a government program within this context is challenging given the many variables beyond its control that can have a negative impact on revenue outcomes. Given these risks, CCOHS proactively works towards increasing revenues through new product lines and updating existing information. Providing public services is the primary goal. This goal is served by carefully allocating the limited resources to provide Canadians essential information to help them prevent illnesses, injuries and fatalities.

CCOHS continues to take a leadership role in promoting the health, safety and well-being of working Canadians.

Section I: Departmental Overview

A. The Message

As Canada’s national occupational health and safety resource, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is uniquely equipped to provide leadership to help foster the much-needed shift to a more fully integrated health and safety culture.

As new challenges arise in our workplace, CCOHS works proactively to anticipate and respond to the ever-changing needs of Canadians. As part of the endeavour to address the emerging issues and needs of Canadians, CCOHS created a new addition to its collection of web portals. Our Pandemic Planning portal offers resources that can help businesses and workers and communities to plan and be better prepared for an influenza pandemic.

Healthy workplaces include providing a safe and healthy physical and psychosocial work environment for employees to prevent occupational diseases and injuries. In response to the increasing needs of Canadians, the Bringing Health to Work portal was developed by CCOHS to provide practical tools and resources.

CCOHS continues to increase its focus on education to help create safer workplaces by developing new offerings of e-learning and classroom courses. We work closely with our stakeholders to determine their learning needs.

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.

We are living in times of change and uncertainty as well as great opportunity. CCOHS will continue to take a leadership role in promoting health, safety and well-being of working Canadians. It is the fundamental right of all Canadians to healthy and safe workplaces.

S. Len Hong
President and CEO

CCOHS, Your Health and Safety Partner

 

B. Management Representation Statement

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2006-07 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 2006-2007 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 in the DPR

 

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.

Total Financial Resources (in thousands $)

Planned	Authorities	Actual
4,484	4,549	4,506

Total Human Resources

Planned	Authorities	Actual
96	96	90

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. 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)	2006-7 Priorities/Commitments	Type	Planned Spending	Actual Spending	Expected Results and Current Status
Easy access to occupational health and safety information and service	Satisfaction with and ease of access and retrieval of OHS information from Inquiries Service, web access and other sources Proactively identify new resources to meet Canadians current information needs Expand content provided from the internet via OSH Answers Enhance CCOHS' internet usability through improved technology and website design Identify emerging high risk OHS issues and needs, and develop appropriate products/services to address the needs, such as guides, web portals and forums Ongoing development and refinement of existing OHS products and services	ongoing	$1,121	$1,127	Results achieved
Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace	Hosting national forums on key issues Promoting healthy workplaces and OHS information through internet, training, conferences and presentations Enhancement of website presentation and its searchability Provide additional key resources on chemical health and safety Increase content through partnerships such as the Canadian Health Network Provide Health and Safety Report as an electronic newsletter delivered to Canadians via the internet Develop internet chat group capabilities mechanism to assist Canadians to efficiently exchange ideas on health and safety	ongoing	$1,121	$1,127	Primarily achieved
Application of occupational health and safety information to improve workplace practices	Increase workplace effectiveness through provision of health and safety management systems Provide unbiased high quality OHS information Improve application in workplace through promotion of healthy workplace Foster collaboration and exchanges in ideas through national dialogues, forums and conferences to increase applications in workplace and improve practices Collaborate with education sector, youth groups, and partners to expand and improve teaching health and safety in the school system	ongoing	$1,121	$1,126	Results achieved
Partial recovery of costs from user fees	Sale of products and services that meet the objective of improving health and safety in the workplace Increase revenues in new product lines	ongoing	$1,121	$1,126	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.

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 this information may result in reductions in injuries and illnesses throughout.

The table below compares data on occupational injuries and fatalities for 2005 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
2005	16.17	337,930	1,097	20,899	68

Source: Work Injuries and Diseases National Work Injuries Statistics Program, Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, Canada 2001-2005 and Labour Force Survey 2005, 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. 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.

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 this activity 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 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. 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.

CCOHS contributes to the priorities of Canada as outlined in Canada’s Performance in the following ways:

Healthy Canadians

• Occupational diseases, illnesses and deaths are serious health risks faced by Canadians. "These findings serve as a reminder that despite recent improvements, large numbers of workers are still being injured, and the risks are unevenly distributed within the workforce."³ Well over half a million Canadian workers were injured on the job in 2003. The government plans to strengthen our social foundations by improving the overall health of Canadians starting with health promotion to reduce the incidence of avoidable disease. One of the most effective strategies in reducing ill health is prevention of the causes. CCOHS’ primary role is to support Canada's capability to improve prevention of work-related illness and disease by providing information and knowledge to enable Canadians to identify hazards and minimize or eliminate risks in the workplace and assist them to address issues and take remedial action. CCOHS advocates improvements in workplace health in the public and private sectors to improve the health of Canadians. Details of specific projects are noted throughout this report and in our annual report.
  
  CCOHS contributes to the goal of healthy Canadians through its work with the Canadian Health Network (a Health Canada initiative) as the lead for the workplace health affiliate. CCOHS’ public forum on occupational diseases supported this government priority. http://www.ccohs.ca/headlines/text59.html. Our upcoming forum on Emerging Health and Safety Issues from Changing Workplaces will further stimulate awareness on important health and safety issues.
  
  In addition, CCOHS delivers web portals "Pandemic Planning" and "Bringing Health to Work". The goal of these websites is to develop and provide information, tools and resources and make it easily available to help employees, employers and practitioners participate in making their workplaces healthy and safe.

Canada's Role in the World

• CCOHS contributes to greater collaboration among nations to promote the sharing of information and knowledge for social and economic programs relating to health and safety to reduce injuries and illness and improve conditions for workers. CCOHS participates in promoting and supporting occupational health and safety initiatives with global organizations such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centres in Occupational Health, International Labour Organization, and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. CCOHS also participates in representing Canada at the Tri-National Working Group of Government Experts in Occupational Health and Safety. Details of various projects can be found in our annual report at: http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html

Sustainable Development

CCOHS provides extensive information on chemicals and their impact on health and the environment. CCOHS is a major source of information and is used by government regulators and the chemical industry, manufacturing industries and most sectors of the economy and many citizens. Environmental management is the shared responsibility of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments, and includes the participation of individuals, community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses. While federal departments and agencies share the responsibility of environmental management with other stakeholders, environmental issues at the international level are mainly the responsibility of the Government of Canada ⁴.

Risks and Challenges in Delivering Services

CCOHS is a national centre dedicated to providing Canadians with access to information on workplace hazards and conditions to assist all Canadians to reduce injuries and illnesses. While it is not possible to establish the number of injuries, illnesses and deaths prevented directly as a result of CCOHS programs, its reach and impact can be measured. As many factors influence these variables, determining the independent impact of CCOHS is not feasible. The extent of improvements in workplace conditions, attributed by users to the information disseminated by CCOHS, is used as a proxy measure of the health and safety impact of CCOHS. The analysis in our latest evaluation found that the intended effects on workplace conditions do occur⁵.

CCOHS measures client satisfaction on a continuous basis throughout the year. The measurement tools were developed as a result of a baseline client satisfaction survey completed in 2004. This information was used to develop service standards based upon client expectations. We also measure reach and impact through our ongoing performance measurement. Measuring the relevance of the program and the effectiveness and efficiency of the program given the mandate is more difficult task and requires objective evaluations. Given the small size of CCOHS, evaluations are conducted every 3 to 5 years. The latest evaluation was completed in 2005.

Generating 50% of its funding base through the sale of products and services is an increasingly difficult challenge for CCOHS. The results of sales are impacted by the change in the US dollar as all international sales are in US dollars. Over the past 5 years, this has resulted in a decline of approximately $250,000 in revenue from foreign exchange alone due to the decline in value of the US dollar. When CCOHS’ funding was last reviewed, the exchange rate was 1.52 for every US dollar compared with $1.04 in 2007. We have not been able to generate additional sales to offset this loss of revenue.

Sales of traditional databases that were once a primary source of income for CCOHS have declined steadily over the past several years. 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.

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 demands of seeking a fee for products and services. The need to generate 50% of its funding base consumes a significant amount of resources that must be shared for providing public services.

CCOHS products are information based, which results in substantial fixed costs associated with developing and maintaining information databases. It is necessary to continually upgrade the infrastructure and content in order to provide a comprehensive and efficient delivery of cost recovery products and services, and efficiently provide free information from the Inquiries Service and the website. Keeping information current and credible is very labour intensive but crucial to ensure the mandate of CCOHS. 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.

While the internet allows CCOHS to reach a broad audience, it is also a risk factor. Information is available from many sources, although they may not be reliable. The general public may not be aware of the credibility of various sources. CCOHS seeks to distinguish itself as an unbiased source of trusted and reliable information.

The needs of clients and stakeholders also change on an ongoing basis. This results in new requirements for health and safety that must be addressed. CCOHS strives to serve these additional needs on an ongoing basis with the fixed resources available

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