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CCOHS Annual Report

April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022

Council of Governors

CCOHS is a federal departmental corporation reporting to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Labour and is governed by a Council of Governors representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and workers; a structure that ensures a balanced, impartial approach.

  • Chair

    • Gary Robertson
  • Employer

    • Joseph BajzathAir Canada
    • Candace DiCresceRogers Communications
    • Lori KennedyCanadian Pacific Railway
    • Nina Mankovitz*RIO Tinto
  • Labour

    • Andrea PeartPublic Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
    • Tara Peel*Canadian Labour Congress
    • Troy Winters*Canadian Union of Public Employees
  • Provincial and Territorial

    • Rodney CookOntario
    • Kurt DieckmannYukon
    • Phil GermainSaskatchewan
    • Jamie Hall*Manitoba
    • Judy Kainz*Northwest Territories
    • Cheryl PaynterPrince Edward Island
    • Timothy PetersonNew Brunswick
    • Dan StrandBritish Columbia
  • Executive Board

    • Anne Tennier (Chair)
    • Joseph Bajzath
    • Candace DiCresce
    • Phil Germain
    • Nina Mankovitz*
    • Cheryl Paynter
    • Andrea Peart
    • Gary Robertson
    • Troy Winters*
  • Audit/Risk Committee

    • Joseph Bajzath (Chair)
    • Jamie Hall (Chair) *
    • Troy Winters (Chair) *
    • Candace DiCresce
    • Andrea Peart
    • Tara Peel*
    • Tim Petersen
    • Dan Strand
  • Human Resource and Governance Committee

    • Phil Germain (Chair)
    • Rodney Cook
    • Kurt Dieckmann
    • Lori Kennedy
    • Andrea Peart
    • Tara Peel*

*term expired

Message from the Council Chair and President

We are pleased to present this report that highlights the work and achievements of CCOHS in 2021-2022, and our contributions to advancing healthy and safe workplaces in Canada.

In 2021, COVID-19 remained at the forefront as workplaces across the country, all in various stages of the pandemic, faced unique challenges. From rising case counts, testing, and vaccination policies, to adapting to the new normal of remote and hybrid work arrangements, workplaces were preparing to safely resume full operations, and they needed guidance.

To help workplaces address these numerous challenges, CCOHS partnered with the Public Health Agency of Canada and other stakeholders to develop courses and other resources with guidance on conducting risk assessments, returning to work safely, and designing hybrid workplaces for those planning a blend of remote work with a return to the physical workplace. We extended the reach of this important guidance by developing the CCOHS Safe Work mobile app that enables access to our collection of COVID-19 resources in remote areas where Internet connectivity may be unavailable or unreliable.

CCOHS collaborated and partnered with like-minded organizations across Canada to spread prevention messages to workplaces and workers alike. We created courses and other guidance to address topics of concern and including substance/opioid use; workplace harassment and violence; mental health; and occupational disease. Additionally, to support workplaces in their efforts to create environments that are free from harassment and violence, CCOHS developed resources and held virtual workshops that outlined prevention measures and employer responsibilities and duties, including those related to the federal Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations that came into force on January 1, 2021.

As Canadian co-hosts, CCOHS, along with the Institute for Work and Health, hosted the first ever virtual XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in September 2021. The theme “Prevention in the Connected Age: Global solutions to achieve 5 safe and healthy work for all” couldn’t have been timelier. This event brought the global prevention community together to discuss emerging issues and the changing world of work and provided access to world-class speakers and thought leaders. CCOHS participated fully in virtual events including the opening ceremonies and the virtual exhibition.

As the world of work is changing, so is CCOHS. For the first time in our history, four generations, from baby boomers to generation Z, make up our workforce, each bringing unique values, experiences, and perspectives to our organization. CCOHS evolved as new people came onboard to fill vacancies created by the many retirements. The average age of our staff is gradually getting younger; women comprise the majority of our employees; and the number of racially visible employees in our organization has steadily increased over the past five years. The collective expertise of CCOHS has also shifted to include more communications, health and safety, and information technology professionals. We are growing, strengthening, and diversifying our workforce to prepare and position our organization to meet the changing needs of, and better serve Canadians.

During the year we had several changes to the Council of Governors. We welcomed new appointees: Andrea Peart (Public Service Alliance of Canada), Rodney Cook (Ontario) and Timothy Peterson (New Brunswick). We said farewell to and thanked our outgoing Council members for their commitment and service to CCOHS: Nina Mankovitz (RIO Tinto), Troy Winters (Canadian Union of Public Employees), Tara Peel (Canadian Labour Congress), Jamie Hall (Manitoba), and Judy Kainz (Northwest Territories).

We’d like to express our appreciation to our Council of Governors for their ongoing support, guidance, and leadership this last year. We also thank the CCOHS staff, who since the beginning of the pandemic remained flexible, agile, and unwavering in their commitment to helping make Canadian workplaces safer. We appreciate your efforts and look forward to continuing this important work in the year ahead.

Gary Robertson
Chair of the Council of Governors
Anne Tennier, P.Eng., EP
President and CEO

Strategic Plan 2018 - 2023

CCOHS, completing the fourth year of its five-year strategic plan, continued to explore the impacts of the changing work world on worker safety and health and to identify sectors and issues that needed priority. Strengthened by the power of partnerships and collaboration, CCOHS continued to focus on three key strategic priorities that informed and shaped its work this year and right through to 2023.

Key Strategic Priorities

  1. Developing national leadership on emerging issues
  2. Addressing priority sectors
  3. Building a national repository of current knowledge, standards, statistics, and other information tools for the betterment of workplaces in the country
Key Strategic Priorities infographic
[Text version of the infographic]

Working During a Pandemic: CCOHS Offers Support

In March 2020, the world shut down in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. CCOHS spent the next two years helping workplaces navigate how to prevent the spread of the virus while remaining operational. We helped Canadians understand the impact a pandemic can have on the workplace and community and focused our efforts on developing accessible, credible resources for workplaces to help keep everyone physically and mentally healthy and safe.

In April 2021, we faced another challenge: each province and territory was in a different phase of the pandemic. Some were dealing with a rise in case counts while others were putting plans in place to re-open businesses. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines were ramping up, workplaces were putting together vaccination programs and policies, and Canadians were anxious to resume normal activities.

To help workplaces address these numerous challenges, CCOHS continued to develop courses, tip sheets, videos, podcasts, articles, and infographics on conducting risk assessments, returning to work safely during the pandemic, and designing a hybrid workplace for those planning a blend of remote work with a return to the physical workplace.

CCOHS continued to offer free access to eight fee-based courses. These courses have been well received; from the start of this unlocked access period in 2020 when 18 courses were made free, 93,544 seats have been accessed. Of those, 23,567 seats were accessed this past fiscal year. CCOHS launched eight COVID-19 related courses to help workplaces conduct a COVID-19 risk assessment and safety plan, navigate a safe return to the workplace, and plan for a hybrid workplace. To date, over 7,000 people have taken these free awareness courses. More information about these courses can be found in the “Educating Workers” section.

Additionally, two publications, the Emergency Response Planning Guide and the Telework and Home Office Health and Safety Guide, were made available as free PDFs resulting in 2,330 downloads, and the Flu and Infectious Disease Outbreaks Business Continuity Plan was accessed 5,852 times.

The Infectious Disease Outbreaks/Pandemics website was updated with links to almost 1,000 resources from credible Canadian and international organizations. This year we saw a dramatic drop of 73% in page views from the prior year and the website is back to pre-pandemic usage. This could be partially attributed to the fact that all promotional efforts directed users to our COVID-19 Health and Safety Resources page on the CCOHS website.

CCOHS continued its partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, developing COVID-19 related resources to help workplaces and higher-risk occupations, industries, and essential services return to work safely during the pandemic. The COVID-19 Health and Safety Resources web page (www.ccohs.ca/products/publications/covid19-tool-kit/) is CCOHS’ central hub of COVID-19 related information. This year we doubled our collection to more than 115 tip sheets. New tip sheets on rapid testing, vaccine considerations for employers, return-to-work, mental health (return-to-work anxiety), hybrid workplaces, and the importance of disconnecting from work were added. The uptake of these resources has been strong with 225,014 views of the tip sheets, well over the 40,000 views last year. The top three tip sheets accessed in English were Get the Facts on Masks, Guidance on Rapid Testing in the Workplace, and COVID-19 Rapid Testing in the Workplace. The top three French tip sheets were Piscines intérieures, Restaurants, and Lieux de culte.

In December 2020, CCOHS was awarded $2.5 million from the Government of Canada to be used over two years to staff the development and execution of a comprehensive business resumption program. As part of this funding work, training courses, videos, and infographics were produced for temporary foreign workers around worker rights and responsibilities, safe masking, and preventing the spread of COVID-19. These materials were made freely available in English, French and Spanish. A total of seven videos were produced, generating 15,261 views on the CCOHS YouTube channels. The most popular videos were Indoor Ventilation During COVID-19 (8,596 views) and Controlling COVID-19 in the Workplace (3,572 views).

New this year, CCOHS produced a Did You Know? video series that addresses questions about vaccines, mask safety, controlling COVID-19 in the workplace, return to work, disconnecting from work, and mental health. The English and French videos are housed on the CCOHS YouTube channels and collectively have had 27,805 views since their release in the fall of 2021. The most popular videos were COVID-19 and the Flu Shot (19,930 views), mRNA Vaccines (5,734 views), and Rapid Testing (452 views).

In October 2021, CCOHS launched the CCOHS Safe Work mobile app to help make workplace health and safety resources on COVID-19 accessible to workers in Canada. The app hosts the Centre’s entire collection of over 120 COVID-19 resources, including industry and sector-specific tip sheets, infographics, videos, and other guidance materials to help workplaces keep their workers and customers safe. Users can search the app by topic or type of resource, save items to their favourites list, and share videos and other resources with colleagues. Once downloaded, there is no need for an internet connection to run the app. It can be used in remote areas and manufacturing shop floors where connectivity is absent or unreliable. Since the launch, usage of the app has been gaining traction with almost 3,000 downloads.

Addressing Priority Sectors and Current Health and Safety Issues

Our five-year strategic plan continues to be a focus as we aim to serve key sectors and address specific health and safety issues. This year we addressed many areas of the plan including harassment and violence, mental health, occupational disease, agriculture and COVID-19, and impairment.

Harassment and Violence

To support workplaces as they work towards creating environments that are free from harassment and violence, CCOHS developed resources that outlined their specific responsibilities and duties, along with preventative measures.

Webinar Series: Preventing Workplace Harassment and Violence

On March 9 and 10, 2022, CCOHS hosted a free, two-part webinar, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Violence, to help federally regulated workplaces address and develop policies on harassment and violence. The webinar series referred to the federal regulations under the Canada Labour Code, Part II and each session included a presentation and question and answer period. The English events were presented live with pre-recorded French language sessions. Overall, the 155 participants exceeded our target of 100 attendees. More information about these sessions can be found in the “Connecting with Canadians” section.

Online Courses: Federal Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention

In 2020, CCOHS developed three online courses to help employers, managers, and employees in federally regulated workplaces understand their specific roles and responsibilities in accordance with the Canada Labour Code, Part II, including the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations. This year, these courses were customized for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the House of Commons.

Roster of Investigators

The Labour Program, in consultation with a tripartite expert group of federally regulated employers and labour representatives, established the Roster of Investigators, a list of qualified, professional investigators, to support the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations. CCOHS maintains the roster on its website, making it readily available to organizations and individuals across Canada who may need to investigate and address occurrences of workplace harassment and violence to be compliant with the regulations. The tool has a roster of 75 harassment and violence prevention investigators.

Workplace Mental Health

A healthy workplace is one that supports an individual’s overall well-being and promotes positive mental health. To help organizations, CCOHS offers an extensive collection of resources including fact sheets, podcasts, websites, and apps developed in partnership with credible organizations and industry leaders across Canada.

Online Courses: Psychological Health and Safety

This year a suite of online courses was developed to help organizations in Canada create awareness and recognize the importance of psychological health and safety in the workplace. Psychological Health and Safety for Employers and Psychological Health and Safety for Workers builds upon the learning from introductory courses (Psychological Health and Safety Awareness and Reducing Mental Health Stigma in the Workplace) to give participants a deeper understanding of the roles and factors in creating a psychologically safe workplace. The courses are recommended for anyone interested in learning about mental health in the workplace.

Guarding Minds at Work: Canada Life

In partnership with Canada Life, CCOHS hosts Guarding Minds at Work, an online survey tool organizations can use to assess and address psychological health and safety in their workplace. The tool serves as a key resource for those implementing the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. CCOHS continues to maintain the tool and plans are in place to update Guarding Minds at Work next year with new content and enhanced functionality and reporting.

Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment: Canada Life

CCOHS collaborated with Canada Life to rebuild and enhance the Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment tool, which allows individuals and organizations to identify and strengthen their psychological health and safety leadership strategies. CCOHS continues to provide support for the tool and plans are underway to update the content, functionality, and reporting.

Agriculture and Fishing

While Canadian farmers rely on temporary foreign workers during peak seasons, the benefit of having extra help can introduce risks. Migrant workers can face several barriers working in Canada such as learning a new language or understanding new-to-them workplace laws and procedures. To help temporary foreign workers and their employers work safely during the pandemic, CCOHS created free resources including guidance documents, courses, infographics, tip sheets, and videos on mask safety and worker rights and responsibilities. These materials are available in English, French and Spanish.

Online Course: Prevent the Spread of COVID-19: Guidance for Temporary Foreign Workers

This free online course provides temporary foreign workers and their employers with guidance on how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 at work. The course is available in English, French, and Spanish and was accessed 802 times this year.

COVID-19: Guidance for Temporary Foreign Workers Infographic

Available in English, French and Spanish, this infographic provides guidance to temporary foreign workers on good hygiene practices, how to properly wear a mask, screening for symptoms and when to isolate.

Department of Fisheries and Oceans

New this year, CCOHS customized the English and French versions of the Health and Safety for Managers and Supervisors course for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Offline versions of the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention e-courses were also created for use by personnel on vessels and lighthouses.

Occupational Disease

Workers who are regularly exposed to hazardous substances in the workplace are at an increased risk for developing an occupational disease. While these diseases can vary depending on the type of exposure, one fact remains the same: no worker should be made sick from their work. CCOHS partnered with the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) to create tools that promote awareness of these hazardous risks.

Prevent Occupational Disease: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers

The Prevent Occupational Disease website (www.preventoccdisease.ca) provides employers, supervisors, safety and health practitioners, and workers with an increased understanding of occupational diseases and how to prevent them. We have continued to work with the subcommittee at OHCOW to add resources to this tool and promote the prevention of occupational disease. Currently, CCOHS hosts and maintains the website.

Ontario Occupational Disease Statistics: Occupational Cancer Research Centre

CCOHS partnered with the Occupational Cancer Research Centre to build a database and tool that would disseminate research and statistics related to occupational disease. The website, Ontario Occupational Disease Statistics (www.occdiseasestats.ca) launched on November 23, 2020, and this year, it was updated with nine sector pages and four exposure pages featuring comprehensive data and supportive infographics to highlight key findings. The two-year project was completed in March 2022, with continued promotion to extend into the coming year.

Construction

CCOHS offers support and guidance to the construction industry through collaboration with provincial and territorial health and safety agencies. Over the years through partnerships, we have developed web tools and mobile apps to help workers access important industry-related health and safety information. These apps provide users with easy-to-access information about their legislative authority and resources to address specific safety hazards. More information about these projects can be found in the “Partnering for Impact” section.

BCCSA Silica Control Tool

The British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) launched the Silica Control Tool to help workplaces develop an appropriate exposure control plan that can mitigate potentially hazardous exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust, based on the work that is being performed, such as sanding drywall or chipping concrete. By using predictive measurements, the tool can be calibrated to other jurisdictions, and is now being used outside of BC for the first time through this pilot. The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) is sponsoring the pilot and access to the tool is provided in partnership with the BCCSA and CCOHS. This year, our team developed marketing assets to support the launch and was named as an official contributor to the project. The long-term goal is to roll out this tool nationally.

Customized Online Courses

We have worked with organizations like the Saskatchewan Worker’s Compensation Board, WorkSafe Saskatchewan, and the British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance, to provide customized versions of various online courses including Asbestos Awareness: Understanding the Risk, WHMIS 2015 for Saskatchewan Workers, Incident Investigations in Saskatchewan Workplaces, and Biological Chemical Hazard Awareness.

Indigenous Enterprises

CCOHS continues to foster and develop relationships with Indigenous communities across the country, learning about their needs and challenges so that we can better serve them. This year, we have worked with Indigenous Services Canada to provide a customized e-course on the transportation of dangerous goods. The course was launched on May 6, 2021. Additionally, we customized our compressed gases courses for the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay.

This year we also strengthened our relationship with the Nokiiwin Tribal Council and co-facilitated roundtable discussions with Fort Williams First Nation related to the development of a harassment and violence prevention program.

Impairment

Impairment from opioid use in the workplace can have serious impacts on users and the workplace. This year we developed courses and infographics, produced fact sheets and podcasts, and published articles to help employers and their workers learn about opioids, their intended use, how to address impairment, and how to respond to signs of poisoning.

Online Course: Opioids in the Workplace

Opioid use in the workplace can impact everyone’s right to a safe and healthy environment. To help workplaces take steps to address impairment, CCOHS released two online courses in early 2022. Opioids: What Employers Need to Know, and Opioids: What Workers Need to Know explain the impact of opioid use in the workplace, how to address substance use through policies, and steps to take when impairment is observed. The courses also address how to respond to concerns without judgement, stigmatizing language or behaviours, and ways in which everyone can provide appropriate support in the workplace.

Online Course: Substance Use in the Workplace: Addressing Stigma

The opioid crisis affects individuals and families all over Canada, and it can also have an impact on the workplace. In the fall of 2021, CCOHS released Substance Use in the Workplace: Addressing Stigma to help workplaces understand and respond to the impact of stigma towards people who use substances. The course is available for free and is recommended for employers, managers, supervisors, and workers interested in learning about substance use and how to support those affected without using stigmatizing language.

Infographic: Substance Use and the Trades

Construction workers and those working in jobs with many physical demands may experience injury or pain at a higher rate. Without proper guidance, those who use opioids or other substances to deal with this pain may be at an increased risk for experiencing harms. Fortunately, employers can support their workers, as illustrated in an infographic developed by CCOHS in partnership with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). It provides employers with information to recognize and break stigma, and tips to address and prevent impairment in the workplace.

Serving Canada to Improve the Lives of Workers

Everyone has a role to play in the health, safety, and well-being of their workplace. To do so, they need access to credible information and tools. We’ve developed a wide range of resources and services to help keep everyone engaged in creating healthier workplaces for all.

Answering Questions

OSH Answers Fact Sheets and Mobile App

The OSH Answers fact sheet collection is our most widely used public service. These handy online documents are chock full of information to help health and safety professionals, consultants and the general public understand and synthesize complex safety issues. In fact, the fact sheets often form the basis for articles in news publications around the world. This year our fact sheets about personal protective equipment, noise, titanium oxide and corrosive materials were cited in articles from the European Union, Guyana Times, Arab Press, and USA Today, demonstrating that CCOHS is recognized as a global authority in workplace health and safety. CCOHS fact sheets are often the top results delivered on web searches for health and safety information, extending our reach internationally.

There are currently 690 fact sheets in the collection, which is continuously being updated and refreshed with new topics. This year we released a new series on the transportation of dangerous goods, plus fact sheets on occupational health and safety legislation in Canada (specifically, how to read legislation), hazardous waste management, climate change (extreme weather), fall protection, indoor air quality legislation, forest fires and wildfire smoke, confined space and atmospheric testing, arc flash, and consumer products in the workplace.

Looking ahead, the OSH Answers landing page will be refreshed with new topics including gender specific issues and how they relate to workplace safety, older topics such as WHMIS 1998 will be archived, and the search function will be improved.

The OSH Answers app houses our entire fact sheet collection including full text and images. Once downloaded onto a mobile device, the app can be used offline without the need for an internet connection. This year the app garnered 6,156 new users.

OSH Answers Fact sheets and app infographic
[Text version of the infographic]

Safety InfoLine [person-to-person] Service

For more in-depth information and support, the Safety InfoLine service connects users to the CCOHS team of occupational health and safety technical specialists. The team researches and responds to incoming inquiries by phone and e-mail to help people make informed decisions about health and safety issues in their workplace. This year the service received 6,751 confidential inquiries, down 12% from the previous year. The top areas of concern for users included biological hazards (COVID-19), addressing chemicals in the workplace (WHMIS), and mental health/workplace harassment and violence. The service was accessed most frequently by employers (47.6%), followed by labour (25.7%), the general public (11.5%), governments (10%), and students (5.2%). Users of the service are surveyed to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service. 82% of users were very satisfied with the information they received, and 60% said the information received would lead to current or future changes to their workplace.

Safety InfoLine Users of the Service infographic
[Text version of the infographic]

Providing Access to Information

Our bilingual websites are the central hub where we host every workplace health and safety related product, service, database, and resource that we develop. While our main website and topic-specific sites were widely accessed this year, overall uptake was slightly lower than in previous years. This was due in part to the pandemic dominating health and safety conversations, and as a result, CCOHS pushing users to our COVID-19 resource page.

CCOHS Website

This year, our website (ccohs-cchst.ca) was updated almost daily with COVID-19 information, and was heavily promoted via social media, our newsletter, and marketing campaigns, driving increased activity which resulted in 11.3 million people visiting the website for health and safety information 14.7 million times. Of these visits, 31.3% of users were located in Canada (75.8% of visits were to the English website, and 24.2% were to the French website). Overall, the website had nearly 24 million page views. To help measure the impact of the website, we deploy pop-up web surveys throughout the year. Out of the 26,663 respondents this year, 86% said the information was easy to access and 81% said they would use information from the website to make changes to their workplace.

CCOHS/CCHST Website highlights infographic
[Text version of the infographic]

Topic-specific Websites

Our portals offer users with specialized and focused information on specific workplace health and safety concerns. These sites help to answer questions about infectious diseases, mental health, gender and health, and young worker safety.

Infectious Disease Outbreak/Pandemic

The Infectious Disease Outbreaks/Pandemics website (www.ccohs.ca/outbreaks) provides guidance on enhancing worker safety, business continuity planning, and how to prevent the spread of infection during a widespread pandemic. The site had a lot of activity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as it served as our central access point for our tip sheets and businesses continuity resources. However, as the pandemic evolved so did the website and many of our tip sheets and other resources were moved to a centralized COVID-19 resource page. As we bolstered our marketing efforts to drive traffic to other areas of the website, traffic to the Infectious Disease Outbreaks/Pandemic portal waned. Overall, the website generated 35,699 page views, down 73% from previous year. The team worked to keep the site updated with new information, adding resources from global organizations about COVID-19 prevention, stress management, and infection control protocols.

Healthy Minds at Work

Workplaces can have a significant impact on their employees’ mental health. To help everyone understand what’s needed to foster a mentally healthy workplace, we created the Healthy Minds at Work website (www.ccohs.ca/healthyminds). The site hosts five mental health related online tools and web apps that we created in partnership with organizations across Canada: Guarding Minds at Work, Caring for Healthcare Workers, Psychologically Safe Leader Assessment, Caring for the Paramedic Community, and StressAssess. The website is also populated with resources to help both workers and employers implement strategies to improve mental health at work. This year, despite the website being enhanced with new resources on topics such as managing stress, depression, workplace violence, trauma, teamwork, and wellness programs, page views were down 56% to 25,734.

Healthy Workplaces

The Healthy Workplaces website (www.ccohs.ca/healthyworkplaces) brings together information, tools, and resources to help employers, workers and practitioners participate in making their workplaces healthy and safe. Users will find resources on issues that can have an impact on the physical and mental well-being of workers, including stress, harassment and violence, work-life balance, and organizational culture. This year the website received 38,058 page views, down 19% from the previous year.

Young Workers Zone and Teaching Tools

The Young Workers Zone (www.ccohs.ca/youngworkers) provides youth, their employers, parents, and teachers with information to create awareness of and promote prevention practices for workplace safety. The website remained steady with 43,034 page views and the accompanying resource Health and Safety Teaching Tools was down 10% with 127,490 page views.

Gender, Work, and Health

The Gender, Work, and Health website (www.ccohs.ca/genderhealth/) provides a gender lens to help employers understand how the physical differences and psychosocial factors influence the rate of injury and illness among men, women, and non-binary people working identical jobs. This year the website had 6,837 page views, down 7% from the previous year.

Promoting Health and Safety

Promoting health and safety is core to our mandate. For over 40 years, we have aimed to provide as many Canadians and workplaces as possible with access to the best health and safety information we can gather, in formats that are easy to access, presented in plain language, and are free for all to use.

Infographics and Posters

Our infographics present health and safety information in an easy to read, visually appealing and accessible way. These informative infographics are widely shared and talked about on social media and heavily repurposed in news articles. In fact, our Mental Health, Fatigue, Ladder Safety and Working in the Cold infographics were published in transportation, safety, and human resources publications this year, extending our reach to their estimated 770,000 readers.

This year we added four new infographics to our collection, bringing the overall number to 37: Fall Protection Plans for Working at Heights, Supporting Employees to Disconnect from Work, Substance Use and the Trades, and New Worker Orientation. As the collection grows, so too does the need to review existing infographics, and the Controlling COVID-19 in the Workplace and Mental Health infographics were updated with current information and guidance – and these two were the most popular infographics this year (followed by Working in the Heat). In total, the infographics were accessed 216,375 times from our website.

Complementing the infographics, CCOHS posters – which are free from our website – provide employers with a means to physically post and share high-level guidance and tips in their workplaces. There were 38,016 downloads (up 3.6% from last year), with the top three being WHMIS 2015 Pictograms, WHMIS 2015 Labels, and 10 Healthy Habits for Mental Fitness.

Fast fact cards provide another free way for workplaces to share and highlight key safety tips with their employees. Their portable size is ideal for new worker orientations, health and safety seminars, and to pass out to workers as reminders on how to stay healthy and safe. The fast fact cards were accessed 10,658 times and the most popular topics were Psychologically Healthy and Safe Workplaces, Mental Fitness, and Mental Health Tips for Employers.

Podcasts – Health and Safety to Go!

For over 12 years, CCOHS has produced its Health and Safety to Go! podcast show to explore health and safety topics with industry experts, and to share tips and guidance. This year’s podcasts covered a variety of timely topics and interviews, resulting in a total of 19 episodes (13 English, 6 French). CCOHS spoke with subject matter experts on chemical hazard assessment and prioritization, silica control, radon exposure, mental health during the pandemic, substance use at work, traumatic brain injuries, and compassionate workplaces. Podcasts were down 14% with 56,664 listens. The French episode Harassment at Work was the most popular - the first time a French episode has been the top podcast. We will continue to experiment and refine the podcast format to engage listeners with content that they find helpful and relevant. The episodes are available from the CCOHS website, iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.

The Health and Safety Report Newsletter

With nearly 23,000 subscribers, our monthly email newsletter serves as the Centre’s most important outreach vehicle. The Health and Safety Report provides information on current workplace health and safety issues to readers who are engaged, passionate about safety, and want to make a difference in their workplace. The readership ranges from health and safety and human resources professionals, committee members, workers, and employers. 45% of the subscribers are from Canada, and about 10% receive the newsletter in French. According to its annual readership survey, 98.4% of respondents were satisfied with the quality of the newsletter. 93% indicated that the newsletter provides value to their organization, and 68.5% revealed that they use the information to help make significant health and safety changes in their workplace.

The Health and Safety Report Newsletter infographic
[Text version of the Infographic]

International Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day

The aim of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Day (February 29 or 28 on non-leap years) is to raise awareness of repetitive strain injuries, also known as musculoskeletal disorders. To inspire workplaces to spread prevention messages about these workplace injuries, CCOHS encouraged the use of the hashtag #PreventRSI, produced a new poster with “a message worth repeating”, and developed new shareable social media cards. As a result of these efforts, the RSI Day web page generated 6,366 views (an increase of 25.5% from the previous year).

Scholarship Awards

The CCOHS Council of Governors established two scholarship awards to honour the memory of past governors Dick Martin and Chad Bradley, who were pioneers in health and safety.

Dick Martin Scholarship Award

his award is offered annually to two post-secondary students pursuing a career in the field of occupational health and safety. To qualify, applicants must be enrolled in a degree or diploma-granting occupational health and safety-related program at an accredited college or university in Canada. Winners receive $3,000 each and $500 is granted to each winner’s institution. This year, the winning students were Justin Turcotte (University of Victoria) and Shannon Clark (Mohawk College).

Chad Bradley Scholarship Award

This scholarship is offered annually to women pursuing careers in the field of occupational health and safety. Each year, the $3,000 scholarship is offered to one student enrolled either full-time or part-time in an occupational health and safety-related course or program leading to an occupational health and safety certificate, diploma or degree at an accredited college or university in Canada. This year the winning student was Jolene Gust (University of Calgary).

Connecting with Canadians

To better understand what workplaces need in order to stay healthy and safe, CCOHS engages with stakeholders in several ways. From attending conference exhibits and participating in speaking events, to engaging workers on social media, we ensure that CCOHS always has a presence in each corner of the country to connect, listen, and learn about issues and priorities. While the COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to find new ways to connect with stakeholders these past few years, our team found creative ways to engage and spread prevention messages to Canadians and workers around the world.

Exhibits and Speaking Engagements

Conferences, trade shows and speaking engagements help CCOHS create awareness about important issues in health and safety. During the pandemic, the outreach team was able to continue strengthening its speaking engagement strategy, finding virtual events to participate in and host. This year, our roster of speakers participated in 29 virtual events across Canada and internationally, spanning various industries such as agriculture, food, and manufacturing. We also made connections with and served Indigenous communities, federal government departments, and federally regulated unions, reaching approximately 4,182 attendees across all events.

This year’s presentation topic requests were diverse, and included COVID-19 prevention, workplace harassment and violence prevention, civility and respect for a healthy workplace, leadership, workplace culture, investing in safety from a business case perspective, workplace health and well-being, burnout and mentally healthy workplaces, and mental health for small to medium-sized organizations, agriculture, federal government departments and federally regulated union members.

Exhibits and Speaking Engagements infographic
[Text version of the Exhibits and Speaking Engagements Conferences Map]

On March 9 and 10, 2022, we hosted a free, two-part webinar, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Violence, to help federally regulated workplaces address and develop policies on harassment and violence. The webinar series referred to the federal regulations under the Canada Labour Code, Part II and each session included a presentation and question and answer period. The events were presented live in English, with pre-recorded French sessions. Overall the events were successful with a total of 155 participants, based on an estimate of 100 total attendees.

In September 2021, CCOHS co-hosted the virtual XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work with the Institute for Work and Health. We participated in several virtual events during the conference including the opening ceremonies and had presence at the virtual exhibit. Overall, we were able to reach approximately 1,398 attendees. More information about this event can be found under “Partnering for Impact”.

Additionally, our outreach team hosted several live events during Safety and Health Week (May 3-6, 2021). The virtual events offered attendees a chance to learn about how they can effect positive change in their workplace health and safety programs through wellness, meditation, and culture change. More about Safety and Health Week can be found in the “Partnering for Impact” section.

Social Media

Canadians connect to CCOHS’ social media accounts to keep updated on current workplace health and safety topics and tips. Our presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube continues to gain followers, helping to further extend the reach and impact of important messages to stakeholders across the country and beyond. Posts on all channels are monitored for comments and questions so CCOHS can better address health and safety challenges and gain insights from different perspectives.

This year, we crossed the 2,000 threshold for the first time with 2,157 posts across all channels. Other highlights included the addition of 17 new videos to our YouTube channel while surpassing 1,000 subscribers, plus the designation of our English Twitter account as a Verified account in July 2021. Readily identifiable by a blue badge next to the CCOHS account name, the symbol indicates to users that our account is notable and authentic.

To complement our free organic efforts, we ran paid social campaigns to raise awareness on harassment and violence prevention. The campaign targeted decision makers who can help drive the creation of psychologically safe workplaces. We also ran a campaign promoting our free COVID-19 resources and the CCOHS Safe Work App to medium-sized businesses and other workplaces in Canada.

Although impressions (number of times the content was displayed) from our organic posts were down by 36% due to algorithmic changes on Facebook and Twitter, there was a marked shift to display our paid content by Twitter in March. Altogether, these paid campaigns generated an additional 3.6 million impressions, resulting in a total of 5.4 million impressions across all social media efforts.

Organic Social Marketing Campaigns infographic
[Text version of the Infographic]

Media

CCOHS has become the go-to source when journalists want a credible occupational health and safety source for their articles and our media relations office was busy this year with interview and article requests for a wide range of workplace safety issues. Although the 1,100 media sightings* were slightly lower than the previous year, they generated over 1 billion impressions (the highest number ever recorded at CCOHS), in news outlets and publications in Canada and around the world. This reflects the referencing of CCOHS by major national media outlets such as Radio-Canada, National Post, CBC News, and Global News. The most popular topics reflected in the impressions and mentions this year were COVID-19, psychosocial topics (mental health, harassment and violence), substance use and impairment, and ergonomics.

Reflecting our relationships with several magazines, we secured editorial placement and regular safety columns in PLANT Magazine, Turf and Rec Magazine, OHS Canada Magazine, Road Runner Magazine, Hospital News, Canadian Metalworking Magazine, Talent Canada Magazine, Glacier Farm Media, MRO Magazine and College Administrator Magazine.

* A media sighting is when a CCOHS subject specialist is quoted, the Centre is mentioned as an information source, or when other publications repurpose CCOHS’ content or resources.

Educating Workers

Canadian employers have a duty to ensure all workers are trained on all potential hazards in the workplace. To support organizations in developing a positive safety culture and promoting prevention practices, we offer a comprehensive lineup of online courses and publications.

e-Learning

Accessible on desktops, tablets and mobile phones, our collection of more than 180 courses provides safety training and education to employers and workers on demand, whenever they need it. With subjects ranging from chemical safety and confined spaces to mental health, impairment and COVID-19 safety, each course is developed by subject specialists at the Centre and reviewed by representatives from labour, employers, and governments to ensure the content is unbiased and credible.

This year, 16 new free awareness courses were developed, including COVID-19 Workplace Risk Assessment and Safety Plan, Return to Work During COVID-19, Return to Work During COVID-19: Preparing Workers, Return to Work During COVID-19: Considerations for a Hybrid Workplace, Psychological Health and Safety Awareness, Substance Use in the Workplace: Addressing Stigma, and Reducing Mental Health Stigma in the Workplace. Collectively, these new courses have been accessed more than 16,600 times.

Additionally, 38 new paid and custom courses were launched and over 30 existing custom courses were updated this year on mental health, opioids, transportation of dangerous goods, compressed gasses, harassment and violence prevention, orientation on health and safety, asbestos, incident investigations, and sanitary sewage discharge. In total, 413,181 course seats were accessed this year (271,942 paid courses, 141,239 free courses). From nearly 36,000 user satisfaction surveys, 89% were satisfied with the course they took, and 86% said they would recommend the course to others.

Next year, we will focus our attention on continuous improvement as we work to convert older courses to our current format. As of March 2022, more than 20 courses are in production.

Publications

CCOHS produces a wide variety of publications, covering topics from emergency response planning, health and safety for human resources professionals, food service safety, indoor air quality, and violence prevention. This year the most popular publications were Health and Safety for Managers and Supervisors, Implementing an Occupational Health and Safety Program, and Job Safety Analysis Made Simple. The top three French titles were La mise en œuvre d’un programme de santé et de sécurité au travail, Le SIMDUT 2015 : Cahier du participant, and Le SIMDUT 2015 : Trousse à outils de l’instructeur. Overall, more than 2,400 publications were purchased this year.

The WHMIS 2015 Instructor’s Toolkit, comprised of an instructor’s guide, participants’ guide and PowerPoint slides, continues to be a valuable resource for Canadian workplaces. A total of 234 kits were purchased this year.

Partnering for Impact

When it comes to spreading awareness about current workplace health and safety issues, joining forces with like-minded partners can have a much greater impact. After all, there is strength in numbers. CCOHS makes information from credible organizations around the world available to workplaces in Canada, packaging it in various forms, including websites, courses, special projects, publications, research and more.

Collaborations with Jurisdictions

PEI Guide to OHS Legislation

We partnered with the Workers Compensation Board of Prince Edward Island (PEI) to develop the PEI Guide to OHS Legislation (https://ohsguide.wcb.pe.ca/), a web tool and mobile app for regulatory compliance. With an initial focus on construction, the tool serves as a one-stop access point for occupational health and safety legislation, consisting of clear language summaries of health and safety requirements under PEI legislation, links to the legislation itself, and links to resource documents and websites. This year, 10 new topics were uploaded to the web tool and mobile app, including young workers, psychological health, drowning, first aid, occupational carcinogens, incident investigation and work refusals.

Construction Safety Nova Scotia

In the summer of 2020, we collaborated with Construction Safety Nova Scotia to launch the Construction Safety Nova Scotia Guide to OHS Legislation (https://ohs.guide.constructionsafetyns.ca/), a web tool and mobile app focusing on compliance in the construction industry in Nova Scotia. The tool includes fact sheets and information on subjects relating to construction hazards such as working in confined spaces, fall protection, ladder safety, excavating and trenching, and personal protective equipment. This year, 10 new topics were added to the app, including guidance about temporary workplaces on highways, asbestos, return to work, and mental health. The app is available on the web, and iOS and Android versions have been submitted to app stores for approval.

WorkplaceNL

We worked with WorkplaceNL and ServiceNL to launch Guide to OHS Legislation Newfoundland and Labrador (https://ohsguide.workplacenl.ca/) a legislation-related web tool and mobile app. The tool was launched in January 2021, and 10 new topics have been added including asbestos, marine operations and diving, electrical safety, forestry and tree felling, and impairment.

New Brunswick Guide to OSH Legislation

The New Brunswick Guide to OSH Legislation (https://ohsguide.worksafenb.ca/), developed in collaboration with WorkSafeNB, is a bilingual website and mobile app featuring construction-related topics with links to resources, including interpretations, summaries, legislation, hazard alerts, and safety talks. We have continued to maintain and host the tool, and 10 additional topics will be added next year.

Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Through a collaboration with the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) Northwest Territories and Nunavut, this bilingual website and mobile app, WSCC OHS App – Guide to OHS Legislation, helps stakeholders access occupational health and safety legislation from a single access point. We continue to host and maintain this service and have been commissioned to update the current app in iOS and Android formats.

National Stage

WHMIS.org: Canada's National WHMIS Portal

WHMIS.org is an online information hub for Canadians who need access to information and resources related to WHMIS 2015. The website is a collaborative project between CCOHS and the Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau of Health Canada, as well as each federal, provincial, and territorial occupational health and safety regulatory jurisdiction across Canada. This year, we developed content for the WHMIS Classification Decision Trees tool for addition to the website this coming year. Overall, this year WHMIS.org had 89,368 visits with about 90% originating from users in every province and territory. The top three provinces to visit the site were Ontario (53%), Alberta (13%), and British Columbia (13%).

XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work

Together with the Institute for Work and Health, we co-hosted the virtual XXII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work from September 20-23, 2021. The event’s theme “Prevention in the Connected Age: Global solutions to achieve safe and healthy work for all” highlighted the power of diversity and how different cultures and backgrounds can come together to overcome challenges.

The online event showcased experts, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world, and covered innovations in addressing longstanding safety and health challenges; implications of the changing world of work for occupational safety and health; and advancing a culture of prevention. The topic streams aligned with CCOHS’ strategic focus on the impacts of current and emerging issues on worker health and safety. In addition to co-hosting, we participated in the virtual exhibition promoting CCOHS products and services. Our senior leadership presented in sessions related to COVID-19 and lessons learned, climate change, and the welcoming and closing ceremonies reaching 2,045 delegates.

Focus on Safety National Youth Video Contest

Every year, along with the provinces and territories, we invite youth across Canada to produce a video that illustrates the importance of working safely on the job. The Focus on Safety National Youth Video Contest offers contestants and their institutions a chance to win cash prizes and provincial/territorial, regional and national recognition. To offer youth from provinces that are not holding a youth video contest an opportunity to participate, CCOHS runs a Regional Qualifier Contest. The winning individual or team receives $1,000 and the winning video is entered in the national contest, along with the other provincial/territorial winners.

This year, eight entries were accepted for national consideration from provincial, territorial, and regional contests. The videos entered in the national contest were evaluated by a panel of judges consisting of Shirley Hickman, Executive Director, Threads of Life; Audrey Gilbeau, Executive Director/Governance Advisor, Nokiiwin Tribal Council; and Troy Winters, Senior Health and Safety Officer, Health & Safety, Research, and Job Evaluation, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

Winners of the 2021 national contest were announced during the Safety and Health Week national launch event on May 3, 2021.

  • First place winner
    • “Stop the Spread”
    • Producer: Etienne Foulkes, École François-Buote, Prince Edward Island
    • Video: https://bit.ly/3nrueMT
  • Second place winner
    • “The Right Gear”
    • Producer: Nicholas Milczarczyk, Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, Ontario
    • Video: https://bit.ly/2QX5Eal
  • Third place winner
    • “The Power of Precautionary Measures”
    • Producer: Robbie Baker, Hugh Boyd Secondary School, British Columbia
    • Video: https://bit.ly/3ezeYth

Safety and Health Week: May 2-8, 2021

Held annually in May across North America, Safety and Health Week is a time for employers, workers, and the public to focus collectively on injury and illness prevention. CCOHS hosts and maintains the Safety and Health Week website which acts as a hub of information and tools to help increase engagement and promote awareness about the week and related events. This year we hosted the live, national launch event (which had 180 attendees). Our free program consisted of events about workplace wellness, mental health support, pandemic planning, and risk assessments. The online events were well received, with a total of 564 attendees. When asked if they could apply what they learned from these events, 74% of post-event survey respondents said yes. Also, 93% of respondents said they would recommend our events to others.

National Day of Mourning

On April 28 each year, workplaces in Canada remember and renew their commitment to making workplaces safer for all. To help raise awareness, we maintain a permanent Day of Mourning page on our website, connecting users with awareness tools and resources. This year we added a new poster, created new social media cards, and focused our messaging on encouraging Canadians to pause for a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. to honour workers and strengthen our resolve for safe workplaces. As a result, our web page generated 48,940 page views, up 37% over the previous year.

Carer-Friendly Workplaces

In Canada, the work landscape is changing quickly. More than 6 million people are now juggling work and unpaid caregiving for someone in need. Many caregivers must stop working, reduce their work hours, change jobs, and accept lower income to balance their work and care responsibilities. To help create awareness and provide support for these caregivers, McMaster University developed the Quick Start Implementation Guide to help organizations apply the Carer-Inclusive and Accommodating Organizations Workplace Standard (CSA B701-17). The Standard helps employers create practical and effective workplace accommodations that address the stigma and challenges of worker-carers. CCOHS has supported the movement, promoting these resources in our newsletter, social media channels and podcasts. Currently we serve on the advisory and technical committees related to this standard and grant work.

Pallium Canada

The need for compassionate workplaces – where workers feel safe to share and discuss their concerns, in a space that fosters a caring culture of support – is greater than ever. In 2020, CCOHS signed a memorandum of understanding with Pallium Canada to recognize the importance of compassionate communities and workplaces, and to share a common mission to support the health and well-being of workers. In April 2021, we released a podcast episode with Jeff Moat, Chief Executive Officer of Pallium Canada, about the importance of compassionate workplaces and how to create one.

Health Canada: Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau

We have continued to collaborate with the Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau (WHMB) of Health Canada and completed the final year of the three-year agreement to support stakeholders complying with WHMIS 2015. Several projects have been completed over the life of the contract to support WHMIS 2015. CCOHS issues a quarterly report to update stakeholders about whmis.org and WHMIS 2015 for Workers e-learning activity in their jurisdiction, as well as information about new WHMIS 2015 resources and tools.

Health Canada: WHMIS 2015 Committees

CCOHS is a member of three Health Canada WHMIS Committees. The WHMIS Current Issues Committee (CIC) facilitates information and knowledge-sharing between government regulators and affected stakeholders (workers, employers, and suppliers). CCOHS is an observer on the Intergovernmental WHMIS Co-ordinating Committee (IWCC), a forum for regulators from federal, provincial and territorial governments along with Health Canada to exchange information and ideas related to the implementation of the Hazardous Products Act and Regulations. Also, CCOHS is an observer on the Canadian WHMIS Coordinators Committee (CWC), a forum for regulators from federal, provincial, and territorial governments to exchange information and ideas related to the implementation of WHMIS 2015 in their individual jurisdictions.

WHMIS 2015 for Workers e-Course

To help Canadians work safely with hazardous products, we partnered with the Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau of Health Canada to create the WHMIS 2015 for Workers e-course. Overall, 52,892 seats were sold this year, bringing the total amount sold since its inception to 603,885. The top three provinces accessing the course continue to be Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Society of Chemical Hazard Communications

CCOHS is a long-standing member of the Society of Chemical Hazard Communications (SCHC), an organization that strives to promote awareness and knowledge in all areas of chemical hazard communication. This year, we participated in their Fall 2021 virtual conference.

Transport Canada: TDG Regulatory Sandbox on Electronic Shipping Documents

With technological advances changing the way Canadians work, should dangerous goods shipping documents shift from paper to electronic? Transport Canada partnered with CCOHS to launch the TDG Regulatory Sandbox on Electronic Shipping Documents web page (tdg-tmd.ca) to help answer this question. The site served as an online repository for informational updates and collection of user feedback. This year, we executed a knowledge transfer and promotional plan focused on garnering participation in the pilot program from the road transport industry, that included videos, articles, and social media posts.

Managing Health and Safety

CCOHS offers tools and databases to help employers meet industry and sector needs, whether that involves safety data sheet management, compliance with the law, or working safely with chemicals.

CANManage

CANManage is an online service designed to help workplaces manage and maintain their safety data sheets. The service supports small to medium-sized companies in meeting their WHMIS compliance obligations by ensuring that their safety data sheet collections are accessible, current, and complete. This year, the service’s back office was upgraded to improve the speed and reliability of the database.

Canadian enviroOSH Legislation plus Standards

Organizations with a need to access legislation and referenced standards to identify and understand their rights and responsibilities under the law rely on our Canadian enviroOSH Legislation plus Standards service. In September 2021, a new interface was launched. The update provides easy access to legislation and standards, in addition to legislation topics and a monthly report highlighting changes to legislation across Canada.

CANWrite™ – Safety Data Sheet Authoring Software

The CANWrite™ authoring tool helps workplaces across Canada meet the challenges of producing accurate and compliant safety data sheets. On October 1, 2021, the sale of this service was discontinued due to declining sales and challenges in updating the software to incorporate legislative changes. Clients have been notified of the change and will continue to be supported until the service is terminated on September 30, 2022.

ISO/IEC Standards

In December 2021 we started to offer ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards for individual sale from our website. Email, newsletter, and social media efforts followed in January to promote awareness of their availability.

INCHEM

The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) INCHEM database is a collection of international peer-reviewed information on chemicals commonly used throughout the world, which may also occur as contaminants in the environment and food. INCHEM consolidates information from several intergovernmental organizations which also assist in the sound management of chemicals. The collection was updated in October 2021 and the entire collection of 1,700 International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) were replaced, as were an additional 11 documents from other collections. The site was then reindexed to optimize searching. To date, the total number of documents in the database is 8,455. INCHEM.org had 1,096,933 visits (down 7% from last year). Of those, about 47,000 (4.3%) came from Canada. The top three provincial users this year were Ontario (52%), Quebec (15.5%), and British Columbia (12.5%).

CHEMINFO

The CHEMINFO database provides chemical health and safety information to help identify hazards, control workplace exposures, and prevent accidents on 1,845 workplace chemicals. This year, CHEMINFO users accessed 29,421 online records, a decrease of 29% due in part of the retiring of the WHMIS 1988 Classification Database which was part of the CHEMINFO collection.

Fostering a Safe Place to Work in a Time of Change and Uncertainty

Continuous Improvement

Heading into the second year of the pandemic, CCOHS staff continued to work remotely to keep the potential spread of COVID-19 at bay. Thus, it was a priority to equip the Centre with suitable technology and services to help everyone work successfully both at home and via a future hybrid model. We introduced new technologies and reorganized the Information Technology department to better support our staff, vision, and mandate for years to come.

With continuous improvement the focus, we implemented new processes so that every action taken brought us a step forward to the larger goal of improving CCOHS’ technology environment. We added several new employee positions to help us create a long-term integrated data strategy that includes the design of new systems and improvements to existing services. Additionally, we shored up our cyber security protection for our online products and services to prevent cyber attacks against cloud services.

These changes will ensure the next generation of health and safety products and services we host for Canadian workplaces are secure and reliable.

Our Values in Action

Building on the previous year, CCOHS developed proactive approaches and processes to support employees as they continued to work remotely during the pandemic. Our virtual ergonomics coaching, assessments, and monitoring delivered positive results and our joint teams and committees adapted swiftly to evolving public health guidance to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 exposure.

Mental health and employee well-being remained a top organizational priority. This year we expanded our wellness policy, continued regular virtual Wellness Wednesday events and actively participated in various community initiatives.

Our staff are eager to support charitable causes. This year, we raised $5,100 for the YWCA Hamilton by participating in the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event that our Heart and Soles team has supported for several years. This initiative intersected well with the development of a new policy on leave with pay for employees experiencing family violence, as well as our domestic violence education plan for all employees. We heightened awareness of gender-based violence and how the pandemic has impacted those living in violence, while raising funds to support survivors.

The final component of our workplace harassment and violence prevention education plan brought employees virtually in small group sessions to learn about the continuum of violence and how respect and civility relates to harassment and violence prevention. The learning materials and facilitated harassment and violence prevention training session prepared employees for discussions on civility, respect, and emotional intelligence which is foundational to how we show respect at CCOHS. The Mental Health Subcommittee continues to support the implementation of organizational values that provide a foundation for psychological health and safety protection in the workplace.

CCOHS is Changing

The world of work is constantly changing. And as it evolves, so do we. For the first time in CCOHS history, four generations – from Baby Boomers to Generation Z – make up our workforce, each bringing unique values, experiences, and perspectives to the workplace. Our average age is getting younger (gradually), women comprise the majority of our workforce, while the number of workers from visible minorities has steadily increased over the past five years. What this means to you and workplaces across the country: we are growing, strengthening, and diversifying our workforce to better serve workers in Canada.

CCOHS is changing infographic
[Text version of the infographic]

Financial Report

Management Responsibility for Financial Statements

Statement of Management Responsibility Including Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Responsibility for the integrity and objectivity of the accompanying financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2022, and all information contained in these financial statements rests with the management of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety ("CCOHS" or the "Centre"). These financial statements have been prepared by management in accordance with the Government's accounting policies, which follow Canadian public sector accounting standards.

Management seeks to ensure the integrity and objectivity of the information in its financial statements. Some of the information in the financial statements is based on management's best estimates and judgment and gives due consideration to materiality. To fulfill its accounting and reporting responsibilities, management maintains a set of accounts that provides a centralized record of the Centre's financial transactions. Financial information submitted in the preparation of the Public Accounts of Canada, and included in CCOHS' Annual Report and Departmental Results Report, is consistent with these financial statements.

An Audit and Risk Committee appointed by the Council of Governors of CCOHS has reviewed these financial statements with management and the auditors and has reported to the Council of Governors. The Council of Governors has approved the financial statements.

Management is also responsible for maintaining an effective system of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) designed to provide reasonable assurance that financial information is reliable, that assets are safeguarded and that transactions are properly authorized and recorded in accordance with the Financial Administration Act and other applicable legislation, regulations, authorities and policies.

Management seeks to ensure the objectivity and integrity of data in its financial statements through careful selection, training, and development of qualified staff; through organizational arrangements that provide appropriate divisions of responsibility; through communication programs aimed at ensuring that regulations, policies, standards, and managerial authorities are understood throughout CCOHS and through conducting an annual risk-based assessment of the effectiveness of the system of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR).

The system of ICFR is designed to mitigate risks to a reasonable level based on an on-going process to identify key risks, to assess effectiveness of associated key controls, and to make any necessary adjustments.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety is subject to periodic Core Control Audits performed by the Office of the Comptroller General and uses the results of such audits to comply with the Treasury Board Policy on Financial Management.

A Core Control Audit was performed in 2014-2015 by the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada (OCG). The Audit Report and related Management Action Plan are posted on the departmental web site.

KPMG LLP, the independent auditors for CCOHS, have expressed an opinion on the fair presentation of the financial statements of CCOHS which does not include an audit opinion on the annual assessment of the effectiveness of CCOHS’ internal controls over financial reporting.

Approved by:

Anne Tennier, P.Eng. EP
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chandra Guilday, CPA, CMA
Acting Chief Financial Officer

Hamilton, Canada
June 23, 2022

Independent Auditors' Report

KPMG LLP

  • Commerce Place
  • 21 King Street West, Suite 700
  • Hamilton Ontario L8P 4W7
  • Canada
  • Tel (905) 523-8200
  • Fax (905) 523-2222

To the Administrators of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety:

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (the Entity), which comprise:

  • the statement of financial position as at end of March 31, 2022
  • the statement of operations and net financial position for the year then ended
  • the statement of change in net debt for the year then ended
  • the statement of cash flows for the year then ended
  • and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies

(Hereinafter referred to as the "financial statements").

In our opinion the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Entity as at March 31, 2022 and the results of operations, change in net debt and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards.

Basis for Opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the "Auditors' Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements" section of our auditors' report.

We are independent of the Entity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in Canada and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Entity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the Entity or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the Entity's financial reporting process.

Auditors' Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors' report that includes our opinion.

Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists.

Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.

We also:

  • Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
  • The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
  • Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Entity's internal control.
  • Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.
  • Conclude on the appropriateness of management's use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Entity's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditors' report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditors' report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Entity to cease to continue as a going concern.
  • Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
  • Communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

KPMG LLP
Chartered Professional Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants

Hamilton, Canada
June 27, 2022

Statement of Financial Position

As at March 31, 2022 with comparative information for 2021 (in dollars)
  2022 2021
  $ $
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 4)
1,834,204 1,780,647
Deferred revenues - web based subscriptions
891,023 1,109,797
Vacation pay and compensated leave
672,972 592,640
Employee severance benefits (note 5 b)
259,560 303,481
Deferred revenues - donations (note 6)
118,986 113,452
Total liabilities 3,776,745 3,900,017
Financial assets
Due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, without interest
1,951,246 1,894,099
Accounts receivable (note 7)
379,034 315,085
Total financial assets 2,330,280 2,209,184
Net debt (note 8) (1,446,465) (1,690,833)
Non-financial assets
Prepaid expenses
142,981 142,947
Tangible capital assets (note 9)
328,385 237,934
Total non-financial assets 471,366 380,881
Accumulated deficit (975,099) (1,309,952)

Contractual obligations (note 11)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Approved by:

Anne Tennier, P. Eng. EP
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chandra Guilday, CPA, CMA
Acting Chief Financial Officer

Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position

For the year ended March 31, 2022 with comparative information for 2021 (In dollars)
Expenses 2022 2022 2021
  $ $ $
  Planned
Results
   
Operations
Salaries and employee benefits
11,701,100 10,527,103 9,328,545
Professional and special services
1,340,760 943,789 875,488
Transportation and communications
380,624 131,801 138,117
Purchased repair and upkeep
16,300 10,113 306,664
Utilities, materials and supplies
136,680 90,490 171,816
Information
134,375 103,816 193,242
Rentals
352,638 358,186 50,223
Total
13,062,477 12,165,298 11,064,095
Administration
Salaries and employee benefits
615,244 600,129 569,468
Governors and committees
7,100 3,045 3,100
Professional and special services
90,600 155,668 2,887
Travel
25,000 173 245
Total
737,944 759,015 575,700
Other expenses - non-cash
Employer's contribution to health and dental Insurance plans (note 12)
Not applicable 882,636 721,466
Accommodation (note 12)
Not applicable 676,937 676,937
Amortization of tangible capital assets
143,681 106,184 139,728
Total
143,681 1,665,757 1,538,131
Total expenses 14,944,102 14,590,070 13,177,926
Revenues (note 10)
Sales
4,598,420 4,599,147 4,320,957
Projects and collaborative agreements
1,653,866 2,377,851 2,121,691
Total revenues
6,252,286 6,976,998 6,442,648
Spending of cash revenues pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act (note 14)
Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Net cost of operations before government funding
(8,691,816) (7,613,072) (6,735,278)
Government Funding
Net cash provided by government
8,568,135 6,331,205 5,183,224
Change in due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund
Not applicable 57,147 (65,071)
Services provided without charge from other government departments (note 12)
Not applicable 1,559,573 1,398,403
Total government funding
8,568,135 7,947,925 6,516,556
Net revenue (cost) of operations after government funding
(123,681) 334,853 (218,722)
Accumulated deficit at beginning of year
(1,309,952) (1,309,952) (1,091,231)
Net revenue (cost) of operations after government funding
(123,681) 334,853 (218,721)
Accumulated deficit at end of year
(1,433,633) (975,099) (1,309,952)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Statement of Change in Net Debt

For the year ended March 31, 2022 with comparative information for 2021 (in dollars)
  2022 2022 2021
  $ $ $
  Planned
Results
   
Net revenue (cost) of operations after government funding (123,681) 334,853 (218,721)
Changes in tangible capital assets
Acquisitions of tangible capital assets (note 9) (20,000) (196,635) (74,277)
Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 9) 143,681 106,184 139,728
Total change in tangible capital assets 123,681 (90,451) 65,451
Increase in prepaid expenses not applicable (34) (41,396)
Decrease in inventory not applicable - 18,862
  not applicable (34) (22,534)
Net (increase) decrease in net debt not applicable 244,368 (175,804)
Net debt at beginning of year (1,690,833) (1,690,833) (1,515,029)
Net decrease in net debt not applicable 244,368 (175,804)
Net debt at end of year (notes 8 and 14) (1,690,833) (1,446,465) (1,690,833)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Statement of Cash Flow

For the year ended March 31, 2022 with comparative information for 2021 (in dollars)
  2022 2021
  $ $
Operating activities:
Net revenue of operations before government funding
7,613,072 6,735,278
Non-cash items:
Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 9)
(106,184) (139,728)
Services received without charge from other government departments (note 12)
(1,559,573) (1,398,403)
Changes in Statement of Financial Position:
Increase in accounts payable & accrued liabilities (53,557) 70,040
Decrease in deferred revenue
218,774 (98,055)
Decrease in vacation pay and compensatory leave
(80,332) (230,112)
Decrease in employee severance benefits
43,921 183,048
Increase in deferred revenues - donations
(5,534)
Increase in accounts receivable
63,949 (35,654)
Increase in prepaid expenses
34 41,395
Decrease in inventory for resale
(18,862)
Cash used in or provided by operating activities 6,134,570 5,108,947
Capital investing activities
Acquisition of tangible capital assets
196,635 74,277
Net cash provided by Government of Canada 6,331,205 5,183,224

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ended March 31, 2022 (in dollars)

  1. Authority and objectives
    • The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was established in 1978 under the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act and is a departmental corporation named in Schedule II to the Financial Administration Act. The objectives of CCOHS are to promote the right of workers in Canada to a healthy and safe working environment and to enhance the physical and mental health of workers. CCOHS' operating expenditures are funded in part by its operating revenue, budgetary appropriations and authorities available for use from previous years.
    • CCOHS has one program activity for reporting purposes, in addition to internal services. The activity is 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 workers in Canada in their efforts to improve workplace safety and health. Workers 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 workers in Canada. This may include cost recovery products and services and is supported financially by contributions from various stakeholders.
    • Through health and safety information development, CCOHS collects, processes, analyzes, evaluates, creates and publishes authoritative information resources on occupational health and safety for the benefit of all workers in Canada. 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 product or service provided by CCOHS is to identifiable external recipients with benefits beyond those enjoyed by the general taxpayer, a 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 partners and stakeholders and result in advancement of the health and safety initiatives.
    • Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Material Services; and Acquisition Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.
  2. Significant accounting policies
    • These financial statements have been prepared using the department's accounting policies stated below, which are based on Canadian public sector accounting standards. The representation and results using the stated accounting policies do not result in any significant differences from Canadian public sector accounting standards.
      • Parliamentary authorities and revenue spending authority
        • CCOHS is financed in part by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary authorities. Included in the authorities provided and used is a revenue spending authority, which allows CCOHS to spend program revenue. Financial reporting of authorities provided to CCOHS do not parallel financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles since authorities are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the Statement of Financial Position and in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position are not necessarily the same as those provided through authorities from Parliament. Note 3 provides a reconciliation between the bases of reporting.
        • The planned results amounts in the "Expenses" and "Revenues" sections of the Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position are the amounts reported in CCOHS' operating budget approved on March 10th, 2022 at CCOHS' 134th Meeting of the Council of Governors, which were held virtually. Planned results pursuant to the spending of Parliamentary authorities are reported in the 2021-22 Departmental Plan and may not represent the full costs of the department, as additional costs are budgeted to be covered by additional cash revenues pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act.
        • In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, CCOHS was given authority pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act to spend revenue from fees it charges for products and services in the fiscal year in which the revenue was received or in subsequent fiscal years. Government transfers are recognized as revenue when authorized and when the organization has satisfied any eligibility criteria. CCOHS had updated the Departmental Reporting Framework and Departmental Plans to reflect the newly approved authorities given to CCOHS pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act.
      • Net Cash Provided by Government
        • CCOHS operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). The CRF is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by CCOHS is deposited to the CRF and all cash disbursements made by CCOHS are paid from the CRF. The net cash provided by Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements, including transactions between departments of the Government.
      • Amounts due from or to the CRF
        • Amounts due from or to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) are the result of timing differences at year-end between when a transaction affects authorities and when it is processed through the CRF. Amounts due from the CRF represents the net amount of cash that CCOHS is entitled to draw from the CRF, without further authorities, in order to discharge its liabilities. This amount is not considered a financial instrument.
      • Revenues
        • Revenues are recognized in the period in which the underlying transaction or event that gave rise to the revenue takes place. Revenues for subscription-based products are recognized over the term of the subscription.
        • Subscriptions are based upon the right to use the information for a specified period. Information may be updated during the subscription period.
        • Funds received from external parties for specified purposes but not earned is recorded as deferred revenue. The deferred revenue represents cash received in advance of initial and ongoing product delivery, services or granting of access to the website. Revenues are then recognized in the period in which the related expenses are incurred.
      • Expenses
        • Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis.
        • Vacation pay and compensatory leave are accrued as the benefits are earned by employees under their respective terms of employment.
        • Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation and the employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans are recorded as operating expenses at their estimated cost. A corresponding amount is reported as government funding.
      • Employee future benefits
        • Pension benefits: All eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, a multi-employer plan administered by the Government of Canada. CCOHS' contributions are currently based on a multiple of an employee's required contributions and may change over time depending on the experience of the Plan. CCOHS' contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year in which the services are rendered and represent its total obligation to the Plan. Current legislation does not require CCOHS to make contributions for any actuarial deficiencies of the Plan.
        • Severance benefits: Employees are entitled to severance benefits under labour contracts or conditions of employment. These benefits were accrued as employees rendered the services necessary to earn them and were estimated based on employees' salaries and duration of service. This arrangement was closed to new entrants effective April 1, 2011 and the benefits accruing to participants are only adjusted for annual salary and wage increases. The remaining balance are paid upon departure from the public service.
        • Accumulated sick leave: Employees are eligible to accumulate sick leave benefits until the end of employment, according to their labour contract and conditions of employment. Sick leave benefits are earned based on employee services rendered and are paid upon an illness or injury related absence. However, sick leave entitlements do not vest and may only be used in the event of illness or injury related absence. Unused sick leave upon employee termination is not payable to the employee. No amount has been accrued in these financial statements and payments of sick leave benefits are included in current operations as incurred.
      • Accounts receivable
        • Accounts receivable are stated at amounts expected to be ultimately realized. A provision is made for receivables from external parties where recovery is considered uncertain.
      • Contingent liabilities
        • Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities that may become actual liabilities when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. To the extent that the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, and a reasonable estimate of the loss can be made, an estimated liability is accrued and an expense recorded. If the likelihood is not determinable or an amount cannot be reasonably estimated, the contingency is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.
      • Foreign currency transactions
        • Transactions involving foreign currencies are translated into Canadian dollar equivalents using rates of exchange in effect at the time of those transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the rate of exchange in effect at year end. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included in the statement of operations and net financial position according to the activities to which they relate.
      • Inventories
        • Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value.
      • Tangible capital assets
        • All tangible capital assets having an initial cost of $5,000 or more are recorded at the acquisition cost. Tangible capital assets are amortized over their estimated useful life on a straight-line basis, as follows:
          Asset Class Amortization Period
          Computer equipment 5 - 10 years
          Furniture and equipment 5 - 10 years
          Software 1-5 years
          Leasehold improvements lesser of the remaining term of the lease or useful life of the improvement
        • Tangible capital assets are written down when conditions indicate that they no longer contribute to CCOHS' ability to provide goods and services or when the value of the future economic benefits associated with the tangible capital assets are less than the net book value.
      • Prepaid Expenses
        • Prepaid expenses are accounted for as non-financial assets as they can be used to provide services in the future.
      • Measurement uncertainty
        • The preparation of these financial statements is in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements.
        • At the time of preparation of these statements, management believes the estimates and assumptions to be reasonable. The liability for employee future benefits and the estimated useful life of tangible capital assets are the most significant items where estimates are used. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimated. Management's estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.
      • Related party transactions
        • Related party transactions, other than inter-entity transactions, are recorded at the exchange amount. Inter-entity transactions are transactions between commonly controlled entities. Inter-entity transactions, other than restructuring transactions, are recorded on a gross basis and are measured at the carrying amount, except for the following:
          1. Services provided on a recovery basis are recognized as revenues and expenses on a gross basis and measured at the exchange amount.
          2. Certain services received on a without charge basis are recorded for departmental financial statement purposes at the carrying amount. Other related party transactions, other than inter-entity transactions, are recorded at the exchange amount.
  3. Parliamentary authorities
    • CCOHS receives its funding through annual Parliamentary authorities and external revenues. Items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and the Statement of Financial Position in one year may be funded through Parliamentary authorities in prior, current or future years. Accordingly, CCOHS has different net results of operations for the year on a Government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. Current year authorities used which is accounted below is on a cash basis based on Government funding as received. These differences are reconciled as follows:
      • Reconciliation of net cost of operations to current year authorities used:
          2022 2021
          $ $
        Net cost of operations before Government funding 7,613,072 6,735,278
        Adjustments for items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting authorities:    
        Revenue collected under 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act 6,976,998 6,442,648
        Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 9) (106,184) (139,728)
        Services provided without charge from other Government departments (note 12) (1,559,573) (1,398,403)
        Refunds received in the current year for prior year expenditures 1,895 16,112
        Unpaid accrurals reversed for prior year expenses 9,203 not applicable
        Decrease in employee severance benefits 43,921 183,048
        Decrease in vacation pay and compensatory leave (80,332) (230,112)
        Bad debts (2,637) not applicable
        Total items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting authorities: 5,283,291 4,873,565
        Adjustments for items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting authorities:    
        Add (deduct) change in:
        Increase (Decrease) in Prepaid Expenses 34 41,396
        Decrease in inventory not applicable (18,862)
        Acquisition of tangible capital assets 196,635 74,277
        Total items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting authorities: 196,669 96,811
        Current year authorities used 13,093,032 11,705,654
      • Authorities provided and used:
          2022 2021
          $ $
        Vote 1 - Program expenditures 6,920,961 7,469,524
        Statutory - Employee Benefits Plan 1,390,491 1,279,977
        Authorities available for use in subsequent years from prior year 8,291,257 5,433,795
        Authorities available for use in subsequent years from current year 1,071,645 2,857,462
        Spending of cash revenues pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act 5,478,720 3,867,982
        Total current year authorities provided 23,153,074 20,908,740
        Less:
        Lapsed authorities reallocated to FY2022-23 - operating (697,140) (911,829)
        EBP surcharge related to FY2020-21 (772,041) 0
        CCOHS Respendable / Reinvestment Authorities available for use in subsequent years (note 14) (8,590,861) (8,291,257)
        Current year authorities used 13,093,032 11,705,654
  4. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
    • The following table presents details of CCOHS' accounts payable and accrued liabilities:
  5. Employee future benefits
    • Pension benefits
      • CCOHS employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionable service, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Québec Pension Plans benefits and they are indexed to inflation.
      • Both the employees and CCOHS contribute to the cost of the Plan. Due to the amendment of the Public Service Superannuation Act following the implementation of provisions related to Economic Action Plan 2012, employee contributors have been divided into two groups - Group 1 relates to existing plan members as of December 2012 and Group 2 relates to members joining the Plan as of January 1, 2013. Each group has a distinct contribution rate.
      • The 2021-2022 expense amounts to $939,416 ($873,456 in 2020-21). For Group 1 members, the expense represents approximately 1.01 times (1.01 times in 2020-21) the employee contributions and, for Group 2 members, approximately 1.00 times (1.00 times in 2020-21) the employee contributions.
      • CCOHS' responsibility with regards to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan's sponsor.
    • Severance benefits
      • Severance benefits provided to CCOHS employees were previously based on an employee's eligibility, years of service and salary at termination of employment. However, since 2011 the accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures progressively ceased for substantially all employees. Employees subject to these changes were given the option to be paid the full or partial value of benefits earned to date or collect the full or remaining value of benefits upon departure from the public service. By March 31, 2021 all settlements for immediate cash out were completed. Severance benefits are unfunded and, consequently, the outstanding obligation will be paid from future authorities.
      • The changes in the obligations during the year were as follows:
          2022 2021
          $ $
        Accrued benefit obligation - opening balance 303,481 486,529
        Expense for the year 8,463 1,920
        Benefits paid during the year (52,384) (184,968)
        Accrued benefit obligation, end of year 259,560 303,481
  6. Deferred revenues - donations
    • CCOHS, by virtue of subsection 6 (3) of its Act, may acquire money or other property by gift or otherwise and expend or dispose of those donations subject to their terms, if any. CCOHS received $5,534 net in donations in 2022 (2021 - $Nil). The balance at March 31, 2022 remains $118,986 (2021 - $113,452).
  7. Accounts receivable
  8. Net debt
    • The net debt is calculated as the difference between liabilities and financial assets. Employee severance benefits, as detailed in note 5 b), and vacation pay obligations represent the most significant components of net debt as future Government of Canada Parliamentary authorities will be required in order to discharge those obligations.
  9. Tangible capital assets
  10. Revenues
  11. Contractual obligations

    The nature of CCOHS' activities can result in multi-year contracts and obligations whereby CCOHS will be obligated to make future payments when the goods and services are received. Significant contractual obligations that can be reasonably estimated are summarized as follows:

      2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Total
      $ $ $ $ $ $
    Operating Leases 676,937 700,000 700,000 700,000 700,000 3,476,937

    CCOHS has a multi-year lease contract with related parties for $676,937 annually that expires during fiscal year 2024. Costs for operating leases during 2025, 2026 and 2027 has been estimated at $700,000. As per note 12, this accommodation is provided without charge by the Government of Canada.

  12. Related party transactions

    CCOHS is related as a result of common ownership to all Government departments, agencies, and Crown Corporations. CCOHS enters into transactions with these entities in the normal course of business and on normal trade terms. The transactions are measured at the exchange amount agreed to by the related parties. During the year, CCOHS received common services, which were obtained without charge from other Government departments as disclosed below.

    • Services provided without charge by other government departments
      • During the year, CCOHS received services without charge from certain common service organizations, related to accommodation and the employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans. These services provided without charge have been recorded in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position as follows:
      • The Government has centralized some of its administrative activities for efficiency and cost-effectiveness purposes so that one department performs these on behalf of all without charge. The costs of these services, which include payroll and cheque issuance services provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada are not included in CCOHS' Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position.
    • Other transactions with related parties
      •   2022 2021
          $ $
        Accounts receivable from other government departments (note 7) 1,944 not applicable
        Accounts payable to other government departments and agencies (note 4) 633,242 702,494
        Expenses-Other Government departments and agencies 366,958 300,111
        Revenue-Other government departments and agencies 1,996,930 1,927,113
  13. Segmented information

    Presentation by segment is based on CCOHS' program activity architecture. The presentation by segment is based on the same accounting policies as described in summary of significant accounting policies in note 2. The following table presents the expenses incurred and revenues generated for the main program activities, by major object of expense and by major type of revenues. The segment results for the year are as follows:

    •   Internal Services Health and Safety 2022 2021
        $ $ $ $
      Salaries and employee benefits 4,422,156 7,587,712 12,009,868 10,619,479
      Professional and special services (incl. Governors and committees) 232,766 869,736 1,102,502 881,475
      Accommodation 216,620 460,317 676,937 676,937
      Transport and communications 19,179 112,795 131,974 138,362
      Information 63,697 40,119 103,816 193,242
      Purchased repair and upkeep 6,351 3,762 10,113 306,664
      Utilities, materials and supplies 25,049 65,441 90,490 171,816
      Rental 59,208 298,978 358,186 50,223
      Other expenditures not applicable 106,184 106,184 139,728
      Total Expenses 5,045,026 9,545,044 14,590,070 13,177,926
      Revenues not applicable not applicable 6,976,998 6,442,648
      Cost from continuing operations     7,613,072 6,735,278
  14. CCOHS Respendable / Reinvestment Authorities:

    In 2015-16, the Treasury Board Secretariat facilitated a change in the funding structure for CCOHS. As a result, CCOHS was given unrestricted authority (pursuant to section 6 (1) (g) of the CCOHS Act) to spend revenue from fees charged for its products and services within the fiscal year in which the revenue was received or in subsequent fiscal years.

    The purpose of CCOHS' respendable / reinvestment authorities are to provide CCOHS with funding to facilitate one-time expenditures, reinvestment in capital equipment or program development in accordance with CCOHS' strategic plan.

      2022
      $
    Balance, beginning of year 8,291,257
    Annual operating surplus(cost) 334,853
    Tangible capital assets purchased with internal funds (196,635)
    Amortization of internally funded tangible capital assets 106,184
    Other working capital changes not applicable
    Internal revenue carried forward to subsequent year pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act 55,202
    Balance, end of year 8,590,861
    Allocated respendable / reinvestment authorities
    Deferred revenues for projects in 2021-2022 (891,023)
    Deferred revenues - donations (note 6) (118,986)
    Net debt funded by CCOHS (note 8) (274,245)
    Planned operational and capital investments - 2022 to 2026 (5,326,490)
    Total allocated respendable / reinvestment authorities (6,610,744)
    Unallocated respendable / reinvestment authorities 1,980,117
  15. Transfer of transition payments for implementing salary payments in arrears

    The Government of Canada implemented salary payments in arrears in 2014-15. As a result, a onetime payment was issued to employees and will be recovered from the government in the future. The transition to salary payments in arrears forms part of the transformation initiative that replaces the pay system and also streamlines and modernizes the pay process. This change to the pay system had no impact on the expenses of CCOHS. Prior to year-ended March 31, 2022, the transition payments for implementing salary payments in arrears were transferred to a central account administered by Public Works and Government Services Canada, who is responsible for the administration of the Government pay system.

  16. Financial instruments and risk management
    • Liquidity risk:
      • Liquidity risk is the risk that CCOHS will encounter difficulty in meeting its obligations associated with financial liabilities. The entity's objective for managing liquidity risk is to manage operations and cash expenditures within the appropriation authorized by Parliament or allotment limits approved by the Treasury Board. As described in note 8, government sources of liquidity are required to fund the net debt position.
      • The entity's risk exposure and its objectives, policies and processes to manage and measure this risk did not change significantly from the prior year.
    • Credit risk:
      • Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an obligation. CCOHS is not exposed to significant credit risk. CCOHS provides services to other government departments and agencies and to external parties in the normal course of business. Accounts receivable are due on demand. The maximum exposure the entity has to credit is risk equal to the carrying value of its accounts receivables.
    • COVID-19:
      • In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and has had a significant financial, market and social dislocating impact across the world. This has resulted in governments worldwide, including the Canadian and Ontario governments, enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus.
      • In response to the pandemic, an agreement was entered into in 2021 between CCOHS and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) for CCOHS to deliver services for the development of sector-specific COVID-19 workplace guidance materials; the development and maintenance of an on-line hub of COVID-19 workplace information and guidance for Canadian employment sectors; and expert advisory services in relation to some of PHAC's guidance materials. The agreement with PHAC spanned over two years with total funding of $1.5 million, of which $1.015 million was recognized in the prior year and $0.485 million was recognized in the current year. Additional funding was provided to CCOHS under Business Resumption Funding to cover personnel, operating costs and certain employee benefit plans. The agreement was also a two-year agreement in the aggregate amount of $2,500,000 of which approximately $1.28 million was recognized during the prior year and $1.22 million was recognized in the current year.