ISO 45001 versus COR 2020...What You Need to Know
Toronto, Canada, February 14, 2024. As an industry leader in health and safety, CrossSafety specializes in the development, implementation and maintenance of various Health and Safety Management Systems (e.g., CORTM, ISO 45001 etc.) across the construction, industrial, institutional, and project management sectors. Through this experience, dedicated professional consultants provide tailored Health and Safety Management Systems to organizations of all shapes and sizes to achieve both legislative and certification standards.
Having a systematic approach to driving the achievement of health and safety objectives is key to organizational prosperity. Achieving accreditation also signals commitment and success to key stakeholders. "Which safety management system is best suited to our needs?", “We have CORTM, should we pursue ISO?”, or “We're not sure our program approach meets key requirements…” are increasingly common questions organizations are asking.
Here are a few important points to consider:
In Canada, CORTM was developed as a health and safety management system by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations. CORTM certification has since become a vendor prequalification requirement for many public sector buyers of construction and maintenance services. The CORTM standard is highly prescriptive, document driven, and generally requires dedicated support by an in-house program administrator. In Ontario, the CORTM standard and certification program is administered by the WSIB-funded Infrastructure Health and Safety Association ("IHSA"). IHSA has made the standard increasingly onerous and costly for employers to comply with over time. These characteristics make it better suited to large organizations, and often present challenges for medium and smaller employers.
ISO 45001, is the international Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard. It traces its origins to British Standard 8800, first published in 1996. ISO 45001 is now recognized globally, governed by a process that creates content stability, and aligned with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Organizations have considerable flexibility and control over their own approach to implementing ISO 45001, and there are dozens of independent accreditation evaluation firms that verify conformance and confer certification against the standard. The performance-orientation of ISO 45001 means that organizations of all sizes can create a tailored health and safety program that is easily managed and suited to their needs. Better still, in Ontario, ISO 45001-certified employers can easily acquire CORTM certification by completing a simple and inexpensive application to IHSA - thereby gaining access to commercial opportunities of buyers that require CORTM certification. Overall, achieving and maintaining ISO 45001 certification is usually quicker, easier and less expensive as compared to CORTM.
CORTM and ISO 45001 are both "blueprints" for building health and safety programs, and just two of many that have evolved over the past half century. Research over the past two decades has shown that systematic implementation of a health and safety program that is goal-oriented, suited to an organization's needs, and properly resourced, leads to better safety performance, as well as other financial and workforce benefits. In Ontario, successful organizations are also eligible for recognition and rewards from the WSIB and Ministry of Labour.
Are you interested in taking your organization's health and safety performance to the next level? Our experienced team of management systems professionals are here to help with everything from gap analyses to program development, onsite implementation, and ongoing support. Let us help you craft a plan that works! CLICK HERE to contact us or email bradk@trh-group.com.