2011-2012 Departmental Performance Reports

The Message

CCOHS is Canada's national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. The Centre promotes the total well-being of working Canadians by providing information, training, education and management systems and solutions that support health and safety programs and the prevention of injury and illness.

CCOHS operates as an independent departmental corporation under Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act and is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Labour. The Centre is governed by a tripartite structure with representation from labour, business and provincial, territorial and federal governments. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is a recognized leader in providing effective programs, products and services, which are based on the Centre's core knowledge, its collection of occupational health and safety information and its application of information management technologies.

CCOHS promotes and facilitates cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions and encourages participation by labour, management and other stakeholders in the achievement of world-class standards in occupational health and safety. The Centre leverages its national standing and internationals stature through a variety of collaborative arrangements with many regional and international health and safety organizations, as well as health services and research-based associations.

The scope of health and safety continues to evolve to include a wide range of physical, mental and psychosocial factors. CCOHS continually updates and expands its resources and its reach in the community through a broad range of communications methods, including social media as part of its mandate to prevent, reduce and eliminate occupational health, safety and psychosocial risks as well as the incidence of injuries and illnesses.

It is the fundamental right of all Canadians to a safe workplace and at the end of every working day, that they return home safe.

Steve Horvath
President and CEO

Section I – Organizational Overview

Raison d'être

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1978 with a mandate to promote health and safety in the workplace and to enhance the physical and mental health of working people.

Responsibilities

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) operates under the legislative authority of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act S.C., 1977-78, c. 29 which was passed by unanimous vote in the Canadian Parliament. The purpose of this Act is to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment by creating a national institute (CCOHS) concerned with the study, encouragement and co-operative advancement of occupational health and safety.

CCOHS is Canada's national occupational health and safety resource which is dedicated to the advancement of occupational health and safety performance by providing necessary services including information and knowledge transfer; training and education; cost-effective tools for improving occupational health and safety performance; management systems services supporting health and safety programs; injury and illness prevention initiatives and promoting the total well-being – physical, psychosocial and mental health - of working people. The Centre was created to provide a common focus for and coordination of information in the area of occupational health and safety.

CCOHS functions as an independent departmental corporation under Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act and is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Labour. Its funding is derived from a combination of appropriations, cost recoveries and collaboration with the provinces. It is expected that 50% of the budget will be funded through cost recoveries from the creation, production and worldwide sales of fee-for-service and revenue generating occupational health and safety products and services.

CCOHS is a recognized leader in providing effective programs, products and services, which are based on the Centre's core knowledge, its collection of occupational health and safety information, and its application of information management technologies.

CCOHS is governed by a tripartite council representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and labour. The Council of Governors provides guidance in the creation and delivery of a trustworthy and complete occupational health and safety service. Our key stakeholders are directly involved in the policy, governance and strategic planning for the organization. They also assist with reviews of programs and services to help ensure our information is impartial. Our inquiries service is also supported and funded from contributions provided by federal, provincial and territorial governments.

Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

Improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians.

Program Activity Architecture

Program Activity 1: Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.

The goal of this program is to provide free information on occupational health and safety to support Canadians in their efforts to improve workplace safety and health. Citizens are provided information through a free and impartial personalized service via telephone, e-mail, person-to-person, fax or mail. Alternatively they can independently access a broad range of electronic and print resources developed to support safety and health information needs of Canadians. This may include cost recovery products and services and is supported financially by contributions from various stakeholders.

CCOHS collects, processes, analyzes, evaluates, creates and publishes authoritative information resources on occupational health and safety for the benefit of all working Canadians. This information is used for education and training, research, policy development, development of best practices, improvement of health and safety programs, achieving compliance, and for personal use. When the products or services provided by CCOHS are used by identifiable external recipients with benefits beyond those enjoyed by the general taxpayer, a user fee is charged.

CCOHS promotes and facilitates consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions and participation by labour, management and other stakeholders in the establishment and maintenance of high standards and occupational health and safety initiatives for the Canadian context. The sharing of resources results in the coordinated and mutually beneficial development of unique programs, products and services.

Collaborative projects are usually supported with a combination of financial and non-financial contributions to the programs by stakeholders and result in advancement of occupational health and safety initiatives.

Program Activity 2: Internal Services

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; Acquisition Services; and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

Strategic Outcome

Improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians.

Program Activity

Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration

Program Sub- Activities: Expected Results

  • Easy access to occupational health and safety information and services
    • Inquiries
    • Web access/design
    • New Resources
    • Osh Answers Content
    • New risks
    • Refinement of existing products
  • Application of OHS information to improve workplace practices
    • OHS management System
    • High quality Information
    • Improved Application in workplaces
    • Foster collaboration
    • Education
  • Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace
    • National Forum
    • Training, conferences and presentation
    • Enhance web presence
    • Resources for Chemical health and safety
    • Health and Safety Report
  • Partial Recovery of Costs from User Fees
    • OHS products

Organizational Priorities

Summary of Progress Against Priorities
Priority Type Program Activity
Provide (Material Safety Data sheet) MSDS management services to support compliance and assist workers to be more effective in safely using hazardous chemicals Ongoing Linked to improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians
  • Client retention rate of 93%
  • Currency of collection 88%
  • Upgrade of database and service systems for more robust and client-focused program
  • Expanded organization coverage for government, small and large companies- 25% growth
Training and Education through provision of e-learning and classroom based courses Ongoing Linked to improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians
  • Developed 5 new e-courses, bringing total to over 76, focusing on topics important to employees and employers including Due Diligence, WHMIS, Workplace Violence, Workplace inspections to name a few
  • Reached over 27,000 individuals this year
  • Reached over 85,000 individuals for awareness courses Approval Rating of 97.5%
  • Goals continue to be met for this priority each year. The satisfaction rating is consistently high and there is substantial growth year after year. This method of learning directly improves the knowledge of workers for application in the workplace to improve health and safety.
Development of an occupational health and safety management service that is customizable for meeting the specific occupational health and safety needs of Canadian enterprises Complete Linked to improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians
  • Developed program to help organizations comply with Canadian OHSMS standard CSAZ1000 or one of the international OHSMS standards such as OHSAS 18001
  • Worked collaboratively with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services to implement a customized version of OSH Works for a client
  • Worked collaboratively with Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health for Manitoba version to help companies understand the 11 core elements of a workplace safety and health program
Provision of inquiries services to help workers with health and safety questions Ongoing Linked to improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians
  • 86% Very satisfied or satisfied on our client satisfaction survey.
  • 55% stated CCOHS information will lead to current or future changes in the workplace that may result in improved occupational health and safety performance.
  • 4.0 million unique visitors access over 6.8 million documents from over 190 countries.
  • Additional reach of 183,715 copies of CCOHS information being reproduced for the public.

The Inquiries service continually achieves high satisfaction ratings from its users. Statistics regarding change in the workplace are generally lower when surveys are done close to the time of the service. We strive for the information to be used in the workplace.

Risk Analysis

CCOHS funding model is based upon 50% of our operating budget being generated through cost recovery. Our products and services must be continually updated to be marketable. New product development that spans several years is difficult without working capital or multi-year funding. Over the past few years the types of products and services in demand have changed significantly with the internet and the availability of information. CCOHS has been phasing out traditional databases and been providing mostly web based products. In addition clients want value added to information in the form of training and ease of finding information.

Recent budgetary restrictions have meant CCOHS must fund compensation increases without any increase in government funding. Over a three year time frame, this has had a significant impact on the budget. In order to mitigate this risk, all vacancies are closely examined and we have realized savings through attrition.

Complying with complex government policy is also a challenge as we have limited financial and human resources to keep pace with the steady change in requirements. Each new policy has a significant impact on our operating costs as well as staff resources. These requirements place CCOHS at a competitive disadvantage when developing and delivering products and services. Resources allocated for revenue generating programs have to be diverted for internal policy requirements. When operating in a government environment with changing policy mandates, it is difficult to achieve financial success., In order to remain competitive, CCOHS defines itself as being able to provide trusted information and related management services.

CCOHS relies on partnerships and resources from many organizations and governments to deliver its programs. Governments and non-profit organizations are subject to changing priorities and limited resources. These changes in priorities impact stakeholders' and partners' ability to support CCOHS and fiscal changes within those organizations also impact CCOHS. Risks include funding levels, support and participation in programs and access to information and revenue streams. CCOHS often experiences changes in funding from our stakeholders and partners.

In order to mitigate these risks, CCOHS maintains close relationships with its stakeholders and partners. We also seek their feedback in product development and satisfaction with our services. This information is used for strategic planning and ongoing improvements.

A significant number of staff ( approximately 40%) will be eligible to retire over the next five years, including many management level employees. We have seen considerable changes in corporate management over the past two years. As knowledge based organization, the loss of key employees with scientific and business skills is difficult to replace. In order to plan for these retirements, the staff has been organized into working groups or teams. This promotes knowledge transfer, in anticipation of retirements, so there will be other trained staff available to replace the loss of key employees.

Summary of Performance

2011-12 Financial Resources ($ in thousands)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
5,010 5,425 5,290

Planned spending represents the total amount authorized through the main estimates process. Authorities represent the total amounts authorized for the entire year, including the main estimates. The increase in total authorities represents funding received for compensation relating to severances, maternity, paternity and amounts paid on separation. Funding is also received for carry forward amounts. The difference between total authorities and actual spending is due to timing of cash receipts at year end. A large portion of revenues are earned and collected at year-end and it is not feasible to responsibly spend all these funds within a short time frame. The resulting carryover is used in the next fiscal period.

2011–12 Human Resources (full-time equivalents [FTE]s)
Planned Actual Difference
95 83 12

Progress Toward Strategic Outcome

Strategic Outcome 1: Improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians
Performance Indicators Targets 2011-12 Performance
Satisfaction with and ease of access and retrieval of OHS information from Inquiries Service, web access and other CCOHS resources (such as our website, web portals, articles and presentations) Overall 80% or higher on client satisfaction survey, web statistics and evaluation data Over 80% satisfaction on key indicators for inquiries, client services and web statistics. 87% satisfied or very satisfied for Inquiries clients
Numbers of distributions of OHS information to employees and their employers to improve their understanding of OSH Increase awareness by 10% through various contact points and communications sources Increase of over 10%in reach for all communications sources including Liaison, website, media requests, media sightings, twitter and facebook
Application of occupational health and safety information in the workplace 72% of clients who use information provided to make change in the work place Average of 69% will use information to make change in work place from 4 different service points
Performance Summary ($ in thousands)
Program Actual Spending 2011-12 ($ in thousands) Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
Main Estimates Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
Occupational Health Safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration 2,816 2,310 2,310 2,605 2,600 Healthy Canadians
Performance Summary for Internal Services ($ in thousands)
Program 2010-11
Actual Spending
2011-12 ($ in thousands)
Main Estimates Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
Internal Services 2,622 2,700 2,700 2,820 2,690

Expenditure Profile

Departmental Spending Trend

[D]

For the year 2008-9 to 2011-12 periods, the total spending includes all Parliamentary appropriations and revenue sources: Main Estimates, Supplementary Estimates, Treasury Board Vote 10, 15 and 23 and respendable revenues. It also includes carry forwards and adjustments. For the 2012-13 to 2014-15 periods, the total spending corresponds to the planned spending and revenues.

Estimates by Vote

For information on CCOHS' organizational Votes and/or statutory expenditures, please see the Public Accounts of Canada 2012 (Volume II). An electronic version of the Public Accounts 2012 is available on the Public Works and Government Services Canada's website.

Section II – Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Strategic Outcome

Improved workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well being of working Canadians.

Program Activity 1: Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.

Program Activity Description

The goal of this program is to provide free information on occupational health and safety to support Canadians in their efforts to improve workplace safety and health. Citizens are provided information through a free and impartial personalized service via telephone, e-mail, person-to-person, fax or mail. Alternatively they can independently access a broad range of electronic and print resources developed to support safety and health information needs of Canadians. This may include cost recovery products and services and is supported financially by contributions from various stakeholders.

CCOHS collects, processes, analyzes, evaluates, creates and publishes authoritative information resources on occupational health and safety for the benefit of all working Canadians. This information is used for education and training, research, policy development, development of best practices, improvement of health and safety programs, achieving compliance, and for personal use. When the products or services provided by CCOHS are used by identifiable external recipients with benefits beyond those enjoyed by the general taxpayer, a user fee is charged.

CCOHS promotes and facilitates consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions and participation by labour, management and other stakeholders in the establishment and maintenance of high standards and occupational health and safety initiatives for the Canadian context. The sharing of resources results in the coordinated and mutually beneficial development of unique programs, products and services.

Collaborative projects are usually supported with a combination of financial and non-financial contributions to the programs by stakeholders and result in advancement of occupational health and safety initiatives.

2011-12 Financial Resources ($ in thousands) - Program Activity 1
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
2,310 2,605 2,600
2011–12 Human Resources (full-time equivalents [FTE]s)
Planned Actual Difference
73 67 6
Program Activity Performance Summary
Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets Actual Results
Easy access to CCOHS Occupational Health and Safety information and services Satisfaction with and ease of access and retrieval of OHS information from Inquiries Service, web access and other CCOHS resources (such as our website, web portals, articles and presentations) Overall 80% or higher on client satisfaction survey, web statistics and evaluation data Over 80% satisfaction on key indicators for inquiries, client services and web statistics. 87% satisfied or very satisfied for Inquiries clients
Increased awareness by 10% through various contact points and communications sources Numbers of distributions of OHS information to employees and their employers to improve their understanding of OSH Increase awareness by 10% through various contact points and communications sources Increase of over 10% in reach for all communications sources including Liaison, website, media requests, media sightings, twitter and facebook.
Application of occupational health and safety information in the workplace Information is being applied in the workplace by employees, government and employers 72% of clients who use information provided to make change in the work place Average of 69% will use information to make change in work place from 4 different service points

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

As a national institute, CCOHS undertakes a wide range of activities to achieve its objectives. These activities include the following:

  • The provision of technical documents, data and related safety information to workers, workplaces and the health and safety community, Canadian workplace communities and the education system. An important element of these activities is to improve the coordination of the flow of occupational health and safety information.
  • The promotion and evaluation of research on occupational health and safety issues.
  • The provision of expert advice and training in occupational health and safety.
  • Participation in meetings and conferences to contribute to improving prevention of safety and health problems.
  • Other activities consistent with the mandate of promoting improved health and safety in the workplace and enhance the physical and mental health of Canadian workers.

Maintaining the health of Canadians is an important goal for Canada. Workplace health is an essential component of overall health of Canadians. CCOHS contributes to Canada's goal of a healthy population, sustainable development, improving workplace productivity, safe communities, and Canada's role in the world. CCOHS works closely with labour, business and all levels of government to establish high standards for occupational health and safety, to foster consultation and co-operation, and reduce or eliminate occupational hazards.

CCOHS organizes its activities to meet the expected results linked to our program activity and strategic outcome:

  • Easy access to occupational health and safety information and services
  • Application of occupational health and safety (OHS) information to improve workplace practices
  • Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace
  • Partial recovery of costs from user fees (raise other revenues)

Easy access to occupational health and safety information and services

This service is partially funded by contributions from Canadian provinces and territories. The primary risk to this goal is the funding provided as each jurisdiction has its own goals and priorities and there are no guarantees funding will continue. Another risk is the large volume of information available from other sources free on the internet. In order to mitigate this risk, CCOHS strives to distinguish itself as a trusted and reliable source of information by keeping information current and relevant to users. CCOHS also adds value by providing information web portals and partnerships with trusted organizations so users can rely on the credibility of the data provided.

CCOHS offers an Inquiries Service that has fully trained information officers who specialize in occupational health and safety and information retrieval. CCOHS has extensive publications, worldwide database and an in-house library to provide current and relevant answers to Canadian Inquiries. In addition, we have a self-serve website, OSH Answers that answers 6.8 million on-line inquiries to 4.1 million unique visitors. Our person-to-person service answered 9,002 inquiries directly. Our recent client satisfaction survey provided results as follows:

Level of Satisfaction with CCOHS Inquiries Service (% of respondents indicating either very satisfied or satisfied)

Inquiries Service Satisfaction Survey

Inquiries Service Satisfaction Survey
April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012
  Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied not applicable
Has staff understood your question? 4.5% 5.0% 29.2% 59.6% 1.7%
Time required to receive the response 5.3% 9.8% 41.4% 42.1% 1.4%
Completeness of the response received 4.6% 7.3% 30.3% 56.1% 1.7%
The usefulness of the information 5.2% 7.8% 29.2% 55.7% 2.1%
The clarity of the response 4.1% 5.1% 32.5% 56.2% 2.1%
The courtesy of the staff 2.6% 2.4% 21.4% 68.9% 4.7%
Overall, your satisfaction with the response 5.4% 6.9% 30.2% 56.1% 1.4%

Source: CCOHS survey of clients April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012, 813 respondents.

CCOHS performs its own surveys on an ongoing basis as evaluations are done every 4 to 5 years. Our internal surveys are done within two to four weeks after service delivery.

CCOHS provides additional information through copyright requests resulting in 183,718 copies of CCOHS information being made available to the public through many institutions. These distributions are shared with many more users.

CCOHS developed and maintains several web portals on various topics such as workplace health, pandemic planning, CanOsh, and NAOSH.

CCOHS also publishes guides each year to reach workers as an on the job tool. There are currently 23 titles available. This year, two new manuals Implementing a Chemical Safety Program and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) Prevention Manual were released. Revisions were done to four other guides. Our satisfaction survey for publications indicates a 96% satisfaction rate and a 96% recommendation rate. Clients feel publications delivers good value for money, stating 96% satisfied or very satisfied. Over 96% said that the publication helped them improve their understanding of health and safety. Over 76% said this publication may lead to changes in the workplace that may improve occupational health and safety.

Application of occupational health and safety (OHS) information to improve workplace practices

The goal of providing information is to improve workplace practices which ultimately reduces workplace injuries. CCOHS provides many tools to assist with applying safe work practices. CCOHS promotes collaboration and exchanges through national dialogues, forums, and conferences to increase applications in the workplace and improve practices.

CCOHS has several internet portals that help improve practices through compliance and providing best practice information. Many of these web portals are developed through collaborations with several health and safety organizations. Some examples include Canadian School Board Safety Zone Web Portal, Advancing Healthy Workplaces, Pandemic Planning, Young Workers Zone, CanOSH, ED-Canada collaboration and Canadian Healthy Workplaces Month. Full details about the reach as well as content are included in our annual report:

Recent research indicates that only 21% of employees receive training on a new job. New employees are at a higher risk of injury. Training and education is one of the most effective ways to improve employers' and workers' awareness of their rights and responsibilities for health and safety. CCOHS offers extensive training through e-learning, customized courses and traditional classroom courses.

CCOHS reached over 27,000 employees through its e-learning program and our awareness program has been accessed over 85,000 times. There are currently 76 topics available on a wide range of health and safety topics. These courses help workplaces achieve compliance, train staff and managers and Health and Safety Committee members and improve health and safety in their workplaces. The courses have an overall approval rating of 97.5% and over 64% stated the information would be used to make changes in the workplace in order to improve occupational health and safety. An interesting quote from a student states " I learned a lot about hazardous spaces and confined spaces and also a lot about gases that can be very dangerous and deadly. The cases also taught me a lot and I will never go into a confined space without the proper training and planning."

Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the Workplace

CCOHS is a leader in the use of social media and other electronic media to increase awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace. Awareness is the first step in leading to changes that will result in workplace illness and injuries and death. With limited financial resources the communications group has successfully launched several initiatives that reach a wide range of people and also have a high satisfaction rating.

The Health and Safety report is a free monthly e-newsletter to those who sign up for the service. The content is widely reproduced by other organizations to enhance their own health and safety programs. There was a 5.7% growth this fiscal year and a 99.3% satisfaction rating, the report is distributed to over 31,000 readers and with the share rate the monthly reach is over 418,000. Our poster program aims to help raise awareness of workplace health and safety issues. We currently have 18 posters on topics ranging from scent-free workplaces, bullying, workplace mental health, and lifting tips. These posters have been downloaded 27,684 times and 2,916 posters were sold.

Webinars and podcasts are also available that reach a broad audience. Free podcasts are a cost effective way to reach over 48,000 listens. There are currently 83 active episodes to choose from. They are carried on iTunes, the CCOHS website and we upload RSS feeds onto 12 podcast directory listings. Several organizations, educational institutions and companies have requested permission to list links to CCOHS podcasts from their own sites. Listen rates are 27.6% higher than last year and are becoming very popular.

There are many other communication initiatives such as Workspace Web Discussion Board, North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) , public Forums and the National Day of Mourning.

CCOHS monitors trends in workplace health and adapts programs to meet the needs. Recently a new web portal was launched promoting Health Minds at Work, to help workplaces recognize, understand and address mental health issues. Mental health issues at work have a negative impact on Canadian workplaces. Employers, large and small are increasingly investing in workplace programs, policies, and practices that help prevent and manage poor mental health.

CCOHS has found innovate ways to reach a broad audience at relatively low costs. With limited financial resources for advertising and promotion, these methods have been successful.

Given the widespread reach of CCOHS materials and reproduction rates increased awareness and understanding can be attributed to these activities. This has been established through our independent evaluation reports which can be found at: http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports/other_reports.html

Lessons Learned

Clients want information on demand and in many different formats to meet their needs. Through continual client feedback through our performance management systems, CCOHS is able to address needs and identify trends quickly. Our feedback indicates emerging issues that we need to focus on through products and services. Recent examples include mental health and workplace wellness. This information is used to identify topics for e-learning, OSH Answers, web portals, podcasts and our health and safety report.

We have learned that traditional database products are not in demand. When there are changes in legislation, current events and best practices we need to respond quickly. In order expand our reach we need to adopt new technologies quickly and keep our employees engaged. Employee health in general impacts workplace health and we need to address wellness and mental health issues.

Program Activity 2: Internal Services

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; Acquisition Services; and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

2011-12 Financial Resources ($ in thousands)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
2,700 2,820 2,690
2011-12 Human Resources (full-time equivalents [FTE]s)
Planned Actual Difference
23 21 2
Program Activity Performance Summary
Expected Results Performance Indicators Targets Actual Results
Implementation of two new administrative software programs to improve work flow Successful role out of Employee Self Serve software for Human Resources and Planning Database All employees have access to new programs by December 31 and complete the improvements required from pilot test group The programs are being used successfully by all employees.
Employee engagement Complete engagement survey 70% or greater Employee engagement increased by 1%, 76% satisfaction

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

Our second employee engagement survey was completed with an increase of 1% overall engagement of 76%, placing CCOHS at the top of the government and not for profit categories. This also placed CCOHS at the top quartile of all organizations. During the year two new software programs were implemented to improve overall flow of information and allow employees to be more productive.

Lessons Learned

Feedback from employees is important to identify priorities and work on solutions to improve the workplace. Valuable insight can be gained through this exercise in additions to demonstrating employee feedback is valued.

Section III – Supplementary Information

Financial Highlights

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (Unaudited)
As at March 31, 2013 ($)
  Change % 2011-12 2010-11
Total liabilities 228,648 3,730,041 3,501,393
Total financial assets (113,377) 790,623 904,000
Departmental net debt (342,025) (2,939,418) (2,597,393)
Total non-financial assets 3,151 230,103 226,952
Departmental net financial position 338,874 (2,709,315) (2,370,441)
Condensed Statement of Operations and Departmental Net Financial Position (Unaudited)
For the Year Ended March 31, 2012
($)
  Change % 2011-12 2010-11
Total expenses 10,230,279 10,271,966 10,759,236
Total revenues 4,000,000 3,991,799 3,798,881
Net cost of operations before government funding (6,230,279) (6,280,167) (6,960,355)
Departmental net financial position (1,900,634) (2,137,854) (2,709,315)

Financial Highlights Charts/Graphs

Financial Highlights Chart: Assets by Type

[D]

Overall, assets are higher this year as there were large dollar value sales in the last month that were recorded in Accounts Receivable. We have been purchasing less computer equipment resulting in lower values as assets depreciate yearly. In addition inventory values are lower due to write-offs of older products.

Financial Highlights Chart: Liabilities by Type

[D]

Overall, liabilities are higher due to employee severance benefits as there was a change in the calculation method due to the collective agreement. Also deferred revenues were higher due to timing of receipts from clients.

Financial Highlights Chart: Expenses - Where Funds go

[D]

Salaries and benefits represent the largest expense and our employees are our biggest asset. We also incur costs for professional services for items such as translation, royalties on information products and staff development. Overall, expenses are comparable to prior year, excluding compensation increases and retirement benefits.

Financial Highlights Chart: Revenues - Where Funds Come From

[D]

CCOHS earns revenues from the sale of various products and services relating to health and safety. This includes e-learning, collaborative projects, legislation, chemical databases and management services. Overall, revenue is higher on an accrual basis than last year as a result of increases in sales of training programs and sale of MSDS Management Services.

Financial Statements

http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports/reports_council.html

List of Supplementary Information Tables

Electronic supplementary information tables listed in the 2011–12 Departmental Performance Report can be found on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's website

  • Internal Audits and evaluations
  • Sources of Respendable and Non-Respendable Revenue

Section IV: Other Items of Interest

Organizational Contact Information

For further information about this document or any of the products and services available from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety please contact:

CCOHS
135 Hunter Street East
Hamilton ON L8N 1M5
Tel: 905-572-2981
1-800-668-4284 Canada and US
Fax: 905-572-2206
www.ccohs.ca

Steve Horvath
President and Chief Executive Officer
905-572-2981, ext 4433
steveh@ccohs.ca

Bonnie Easterbrook
Chief Financial Officer
905-572-2981, ext 4401
bonnie.easterbrook@ccohs.ca

Gerry Culina
Manager, General Health and Safety Products and Services
905-572-2981, ext 4527
gerryc@ccohs.ca

Lorraine Davison
Manager, Chemical Services
905-572-2981, ext 4466
lorraind@ccohs.ca

Renzo Bertolini
Manager, Inquiries and Client Services
905-572-2981, ext 4477
renzob@ccohs.ca

Eleanor Westwood
Manager, Communications
905-572-2981, ext 4408
eleanorw@ccohs.ca
eleanorw@ccohs.ca

David Brophy
Manager, Computer Systems and Services
905-572-2981, ext 4498
davidb@ccohs.ca
davidb@ccohs.ca

Yvone Defreitas
Manager, Human Resources
905-572-2981, ext 4404
yvoned@ccohs.ca
yvoned@ccohs.ca

Chris Moore
Manager, Training and Education
905-572-2981, ext 4462
chrism@ccohs.ca
yvoned@ccohs.ca