Executive Summary

Section I: Overview

A. The Message

B. Management Representation

C. Program Activity Architecture

D. Summary Information

E. Departmental Performance

Section II: Analysis of Program Activity Performance to Expected Results

Easy Access to Occupational Health and Safety Information and Service

Increased Awareness and Understanding of Occupational Health and Safety Issues in the Workplace

Application of Occupational Health and Safety Information to Improve Workplace Practices

Partial recovery of Costs from User Fees

Section III: Supplementary Information

Financial Performance Overview

Departmental Link to Government of Canada Outcomes

Comparison of Total Planned Spending to Actual Spending

Voted and Statutory Appropriations

User Fee Reporting

Policy on Service Standards for External Fees

Sources of Respendable Revenue

Travel Policies

Audited Financial Statements

Section IV: Departmental Overview

Mandate, Vision and Mission

Objectives

Guiding Principles

Organization Composition and Chart

Section V: Other Items of Interest

A.Contacts for Further Information

B.Legislation Administered by Name of Department

C.Key Reviews

D.List of Statutory Annual Reports

 

Executive Summary

CCOHS is committed to providing Canadians with information on workplace hazards and conditions to promote health and safety in the workplace and enhance the physical and mental health of working people. This supports the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe workplace, the foundation of our statute.

CCOHS seeks to improve workplace conditions and practices that enhance the health, safety and well-being of working Canadians through:

• Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace
• Application of occupational health and safety information to improve workplace practices
• Easy access to occupational health and safety information and services.

This is accomplished by offering a wide range of products and services for use by Canadians. CCOHS continually reviews and changes its offerings to meet the ever changing needs in occupational health and safety. CCOHS hosted a national forum to explore health and safety issues that are emerging from changing workplaces. This conference "Emerging Health and Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion" brought together subject experts, workers, employers and governments to share their knowledge and experience around this pan-Canadian issue and to discuss problems and solutions.

This is the 10th anniversary of OSH Answers, our web based question and answer service that provides occupational health and safety information on over 670 topic areas. The service has grown to 6.8 million pages viewed by 2.5 million inquirers annually. Users of this service report a high level of sharing this information with others.

Through our ongoing feedback and performance measurement, we are confident that CCOHS information is being used and applied in the workplace to make changes that may improve occupational health and safety.

CCOHS is committed to fulfilling the needs of Canadians in high quality occupational health and safety information and services to ensure the fundamental right of all Canadians to a healthy and safe workplace.

 

Section I: Departmental Overview

A. The Message

CCOHS was created 30 years ago, as a national centre dedicated to providing Canadians with access to information on workplace hazards and conditions to promote health and safety in the workplace and to enhance the physical and mental health of working people. This is based on the concept that all Canadians have a fundamental right to a healthy and safe working environment.

The vision of CCOHS has not changed: to eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths, and that at the end of every working day, Canadians come home healthy and safe. CCOHS relies on its tripartite Council of Governors for vision, direction and support. CCOHS is governed with representation from labour, business and provincial, territorial and federal governments. This tripartite structure helps to ensure that CCOHS remains an independent and a trusted source of unbiased information for employers, workers and governments.

Health and safety has evolved over the past three decades, but the vision to eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths in Canada remains unchanged. CCOHS continues to be proactive to anticipate and respond to the ever-changing occupational health and safety needs of Canadians.

To address these changing needs, CCOHS hosted its second national forum "Emerging Health and Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion". This event brought together participants from across Canada to a facilitated dialogue between workplace participants and stakeholder groups searching for ideas, solutions, recommendations, and raised awareness of current occupational health and safety issues in Canada.

The ever-changing workplace creates new challenges resulting in identification of the needs of an aging and growing multi-ethnic workforce, workplace stress, the needs of small business and the increasing number of part-time and contract workers. The rates of injury among young and new workers and the threats from occupational diseases are ongoing concerns.

CCOHS also focuses on education and training to help create safer workplaces. This includes delivery by e-learning and partnerships with other organizations to extend the reach of information. CCOHS offers it services arising from a unique partnership between experts in the field of occupational health and safety, governments, unions and employers.

By working together, we can improve workplace health, wellness and reduce injuries and illnesses.

S. Len Hong
President and CEO

B. Management Representation Statement

MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATION/DÉCLARATION DE LA DIRECTION
Departmental Performance Report 2007-2008/ Rapport ministériel sur le rendement de 2007-2008

I submit, for tabling in Parliament, the 2007-08 Departmental Performance Report (DPR) for the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2007-2008 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat guidance;
• It is based on the department's approved Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture that were approved by the Treasury Board.
• It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
• It reports finances based on approved numbers from the Estimates and the Public Accounts of Canada

Name: Mr. S. Len Hong

Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

 

C. Program Activity Architecture

Strategic Outcome: Canadians will be provided with unbiased occupational health and safety information and services for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries.

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

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

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

CCOHS promotes and facilitates consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions and participation by labour, management and other stakeholders in the establishment and maintenance of high standards and occupational health and safety initiatives for the Canadian context. The sharing of resources results in the coordinated and mutually beneficial development of unique programs, products and services. Collaborative projects are usually supported with a combination of financial and non-financial contributions to the programs by stakeholders and result in advancement of occupational health and safety initiatives.

D. Summary Informatione

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

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

Financial Resources 2007-2008 (in thousands $)

Planned	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
4,628	4,983	4,651

Human Resources 2007-2008

Planned	Actual	Difference
96	90	6

Planned spending represents the amount authorized through the main estimates process. Authorities represents the total amounts authorized for the entire year, including the main estimates. The increase in total authorities represents funding received for compensation relating to collective bargaining, rollover amounts and other transfers. Details are provided in our annual report at: http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html

 

Departmental Priorities

CCOHS has one program activity; occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration, developed through one strategic outcome. The department's policies and activities are directed to achieving the following expected results:

Strategic Outcome: Canadians will be provided with unbiased occupational health and safety information and services for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries.

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

Expected Results (use appropriated funding for)	2007-8 Priorities/Commitments	Type	Planned Spending $(000)	Actual Spending $(000)	Expected Results and Current Status
Easy access to occupational health and safety information and service	Satisfaction with and ease of access and retrieval of OHS information from Inquiries Service, web access and other sources Proactively identify new resources to meet Canadians current information needs Expand content provided from the internet via OSH Answers Enhance CCOHS' internet usability through improved technology and website design Identify emerging high risk OHS issues and needs, and develop appropriate products/services to address the needs, such as guides, web portals and forums Ongoing development and refinement of existing OHS products and services	ongoing	$1,157	$1,163	Results achieved
Increased awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace	Hosting national forums on key issues Promoting healthy workplaces and OHS information through internet, training, conferences and presentations Enhancement of website presentation and its searchability Provide additional key resources on chemical health and safety Increase content through partnerships such as the Canadian Health Network Provide Health and Safety Report as an electronic newsletter delivered to Canadians via the internet Develop internet chat group capabilities mechanism to assist Canadians to efficiently exchange ideas on health and safety	ongoing	$1,157	$1,163	Primarily achieved
Application of occupational health and safety information to improve workplace practices	Increase workplace effectiveness through provision of health and safety management systems Provide unbiased high quality OHS information Improve application in workplace through promotion of healthy workplace Foster collaboration and exchanges in ideas through national dialogues, forums and conferences to increase applications in workplace and improve practices Collaborate with education sector, youth groups, and partners to expand and improve teaching health and safety in the school system	ongoing	$1,157	$1,163	Results achieved
Partial recovery of costs from user fees	Sale of products and services that meet the objective of improving health and safety in the workplace Increase revenues in new product lines Customize products to provide added value for clients and increase knowledge for workers	ongoing	$1,157	$1,163	Result achieved

E. Departmental Performance

CCOHS has one program activity (PAA), occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.

The Act to create the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was based on the concept that all Canadians have ". a fundamental right to a healthy and safe working environment." A national centre would be an essential requirement to enable people to exercise this right everywhere in the country, a concept launched and supported by stakeholders across Canada. The resulting Act in 1978 had unanimous support from every federal party.

The primary goal of CCOHS is to provide Canadians with access to information on workplace hazards and conditions - a goal firmly entrenched in the CCOHS mandate.

The Centre was created to provide a common focus for and co-ordination of information in the area of occupational health and safety. Prior to 1978, Canada was the only major industrialized nation that did not have a central body for this task. Given the large, diverse and multi-jurisdictional aspects of Canada, such a service is essential. Its key stakeholders, government (all levels), employers and labour work closely with CCOHS to promote occupational health and safety, and to foster consultations and co-operation with the mutual goal of reducing or eliminating occupational illnesses and injuries.

CCOHS is governed by a tripartite Council of Governors, comprised of representatives from labour, business and provincial, territorial and federal governments. This tripartite structure helps to ensure that CCOHS remains an independent and trusted source of unbiased information. The stakeholders participate actively in the governance of CCOHS making it unique as a tripartite organization that helps ensure its programs and services are unbiased, credible and meet the on-going needs of Canadians.

Further information about the strategic direction of CCOHS is located in Section IV.

While directly attributing reductions in injuries and illnesses to CCOHS programs is not feasible due to many variables affecting this outcome, independent evaluations of our services indicate wide spread use of CCOHS information to effect change in workplaces. The extensive use of CCOHS information may result in reductions in injuries and illnesses throughout.

The table below compares data on occupational injuries and fatalities for 2006 and 1970. There have been significant reductions in injuries and fatalities relative to numbers of workers but the numbers remain unacceptably high. The reductions likely result from a variety of factors including changing technologies, better educated workers and industry initiatives together with occupational health and safety policies and programs, including the activities of all the stakeholders, their partners and CCOHS.

Occupational Injuries and Fatalities in Canada
Year	Employees (millions)	Injuries	Fatalities	Injuries per million workers	Fatalities per million workers
1970	7.03	301,653	918	42,909	131
2006	16.57	329,357	976	19,877	59

Source: Work Injuries and Diseases National Work Injuries Statistics Program, Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada, Canada 2004-2006 and Labour Force Survey 2006, Statistics Canada.

Research indicates that there are significant benefits of reducing workplace risks and the benefits are more than four times higher than earlier estimates. More specifically, the Gunderson and Hyatt estimates suggest that the benefits to society of reducing the risks that would lead to one fatality are as high as $13 million while the benefits of reducing the risks that would lead to one non-fatal injury are approximately $20,000. ¹

The consequences of occupational injuries can be appreciable: lost work time and income, medical expenses, compensation costs, possible long-term health problems or disability, and a burden on the family of the injured worker.² To continually reduce these losses, the focus has progressed to the prevention of occupational diseases, illnesses, injuries and fatalities. Improved workplace wellness is also important for the overall health of Canadian workers. These risks are documented in recent data collected by the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey (cycle 2.1) that shows increased risks due to wellness issues such as stress, healthy weight, smoking, drinking and chronic health conditions.

A recent Canadian study reported workers are four to six times more likely to be injured during the first month on the job compared to workers with more than one year's experience.³

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

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

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

Risks and Challenges in Delivering Services

CCOHS relies on partnerships and resources from many organizations and governments to deliver its programs. Governments and non-profit organizations are subject to changing priorities and limited resources. These changes impact their ability to support CCOHS and changes within those organizations impact CCOHS. Risks include funding levels, support and participation in programs and access to information and revenue streams for CCOHS. In order to address these risks, CCOHS keeps in close contact with its stakeholders and is proactive in dealing with risks and anticipating change. CCOHS continually seeks ongoing partnerships with a variety of organizations and does not rely on limited range of organizations.

CCOHS is expected to generate 50% of its budget through the sale of products and services. This is an ongoing challenge given the quickly changing global market place. With the internet, the public has increased access to information world wide making sales of traditional databases less relevant. CCOHS must continually update and expand its product offering in order to remain financially viable. With this trend, it became evident that CCOHS would not be financially viable without replacement income. CCOHS addressed this situation with the development of e-learning courses and also with customized MSDS management services and OSH management services.

CCOHS is impacted by overall economic conditions such as foreign exchange fluctuations and economic slowdowns since we rely on revenue generation from the business sector. CCOHS continually reviews its products and services and makes improvements to keep these offerings relevant to users.

The availability of free information on the internet continues to strain CCOHS ability to generate sales from information products. It is difficult to balance the role of providing a free of charge public service with our need to generate funds through cost recovery. When operating in a government environment it is difficult to achieve financial success, as the goal of helping people does not always coincide with the mandate to achieve cost recovery.

Data from performance management feedback surveys clearly indicates that current information is essential to providing a credible service. CCOHS products are information based, which require constant updating to remain current. In addition, with continually changing technologies, our infrastructure must be updated on an ongoing basis. Information, secured from other sources, for CCOHS' information infrastructure and product development, frequently requires payment of royalties and CCOHS is at risk from decisions being made at other organizations. This includes rates for royalties, continuing to provide updated information and making information available free of charge on the internet.

Section II: Analysis of Program Activity Performance to Expected Results

As with other organizations dealing with social change, it is not possible to measure the direct impact of CCOHS' program on the reduction in injuries and illnesses. These outcomes are impacted by many other variables. We can measure the reach and impact of the programs and gain information on how the information is used and shared.

There is clearly widespread use and sharing of CCOHS information. It is known that the use of appropriate information on occupational health and safety will reduce risks. Our evaluations confirm that there is widespread use of CCOHS information in the workplace and that CCOHS' products and services have direct application. The evidence to support this includes survey data from customers, users of the Inquiries Service, users of the web site and key informant interviews. According to the evaluation, although these data cannot be linked to accident or illness data, the widespread and frequent use of CCOHS information implies that there will be important workplace impacts. "The evaluation has generated substantial data on the use of CCOHS. There can be little reasonable doubt about its widespread use." ⁴

Another measure of effectiveness is value for money. The evaluation reports that there is good value for money from CCOHS and the investment of public dollars and cost-recovery funds is cost-effective. The savings in time costs for health and safety professionals and workers in general who would have to access information in other ways is substantial. The evaluation states that, "it is our assessment that CCOHS produces very large quantities of useful information for a relatively modest public expenditure." ³

In order to ensure a high level of service, CCOHS seeks feedback from its clients and stakeholders on an ongoing basis. This information helps to improve service, identify needs of stakeholders and identify information needs.

Expected Result: Easy Access to Occupational Health and Safety Information and Service

Financial Resources (in thousands $)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
1,157	1,246	1,163

Human Resources

Planned	Actual	Difference
24	23	1

CCOHS strives to provide easy access to occupational health and safety information and services. A broad range of products and services are available to the public ranging from our Inquiries Services, OSH Answers web service, publications, various web portals and various information products. Content is continuously reviewed, updated and developed to meet the continually changing needs of the public. CCOHS seeks feedback from its clients and stakeholders on an ongoing basis from many service points. This information measures reach and impact as well as client satisfaction.

The primary risk in delivering this service is from funding sources. The Inquiries Service is partially funded by voluntary contributions from most Canadian provinces and territories. Each stakeholder decision to voluntarily support CCOHS is subject to internal political changes and financial constraints which change frequently. Contributions from these stakeholders are made to support the Centre, which is a federal entity.

The availability of vast amounts information from the Internet is another risk. 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 the users. In addition, by providing information portals and partnerships with trusted organizations CCOHS provides added value as a primary source of information.

Inquiries Service

The CCOHS Inquiries Officers are a team of specialists in occupational health and safety and information retrieval. They access all CCOHS publications, worldwide databases, and an extensive in-house library to provide up to date and relevant answers to Canadian inquiries. Over 6.8 million inquiries were answered through the CCOHS internet service "OSH Answers". By directing routine questions through the self-serve web site, information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Canadians. Specialists in workplace health are available through a free of charge telephone service or e-mail to assist Canadians with more complex questions. This service is confidential and is promoted throughout Canada by the Centre and its stakeholders through various means, such as health, safety and wellness trade shows, the World Wide Web, the blue pages, and the Centres literature. During 2007-8, this service provided responses to 12,914 calls in inquiries through its direct service.

The Inquiries Service is available to answer Canadians through its telephone service, e-mail, fax and internet. The Inquiries come from a variety of sources. This free service is essential to ensure that Canadian workers have access to information that enables them to exercise their right to a healthy and safe workplace. The service is equally important to employers to provide a safe environment and for government to assist with their role in the workplace.

Our 2004 Customer Satisfaction Research Report indicates that clients find the overall quality of the service, the usefulness of the information and the relevance of the information to be the most important to them. With this knowledge, CCOHS can focus efforts in these areas of information delivery. The study also measured client satisfaction on various service attributes. Overall, the Inquiries service resulted in 84% of survey respondents being either satisfied or very satisfied. The complete details are available at http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html. Approximately 74% of users' use of information relates to either current or future changes to the workplace that may result in improved workplace health and safety.

As part of its ongoing performance management program, CCOHS seeks feedback from users of this service in order to measure satisfaction and identify opportunities for improvement. We also track information on the reach and impact of the program.

Recent Inquiries users reported how information obtained from CCOHS was used. The most common are:

• Use with workplace health and safety committees
• Assist in complying with occupational health and safety regulations
• Personal use or information
• Health and safety programs or policies development and improvement
• Education or training purposes
• Develop best practices
• Keep current on health and safety developments
• Academic or other research purposes
• Gather information on workplace chemicals
• Assist in developing legislation or standards
• WCB claims
• Preparing a Material Safety Data Sheet.

While each inquiry is counted as one contact, we know the information is benefiting many more workers. We ask our inquiries clients how many individuals access the information provided by CCOHS. The results show that the reach of the information is extensive.

These answers showed substantial use:

• 9.3% indicated more than 500 individuals did benefit or share CCOHS information in their organization
• 15.4% shared CCOHS information with up to 499 individuals
• 43.2% shared CCOHS information with up to 99 individuals
• 22.1% shared CCOHS information with up to 4 individuals.

Clients also reported (56%) that their use of CCOHS information relates to current or future changes to the workplace that may result in improved occupational health and safety. This is based upon requests for feedback issued 2 weeks after receipt of information. Previous evaluations showed that 74% reported the information relates to current or future changes in the workplace when surveying clients within the previous nine months. The variance is attributed to the length of time the respondents had access to the information.

CCOHS' 2007/8 client feedback survey indicates high satisfaction ratings for understanding, timeliness, completeness, usefulness, clarity and courtesy. Satisfaction survey is sent two weeks after the client has been sent their information. In 2007/8, CCOHS has an 18% response rate, which is typical for this type of survey. We are seeking ways to improve the response rates. This includes sending the surveys mid week and also sending reminders.

Inquiries Service Satisfaction Survey
April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008

	Very Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Satisfied	Very Satisfied	not applicable
Has staff understood your question?	3.4%	4.2%	29.2%	62.2%	1.0%
Time required to receive the response	3.7%	4.7%	35.5%	55.7%	0.4%
Completeness of the response received	4.4%	6.2%	31.5%	57.3%	0.7%
The usefulness of the information	5.4%	7.7%	29.9%	56.5%	0.5%
The clarity of the response	4.3%	4.3%	31.1%	59.3%	1.0%
The courtesy of the staff	3.0%	0.5%	17.9%	74.9%	3.6%
Overall, your satisfaction with the response	4.6%	6.6%	27.6%	60.5%	0.7%

The survey also shows that satisfaction would increase in some cases if the information were provided on a timelier basis. This feedback is being used to help improve identification of urgent requests and respond accordingly. This includes improved communications to the client when specialized responses require additional time to complete. The client is advised of this at the time the question is received so their expectations can be met. These changes did improve client satisfaction for timeliness.

The survey results also indicated a lack of understanding with information being provided to the client. The inquiries group carefully reviewed the nature of the materials being sent and identified opportunities for improvement. The direct answer to the question was included in the cover letter and links were provided to more in-depth information. Clients found it difficult to extract the relevant information from the package and to apply directly to their situation. By highlighting the exact answer and providing additional information elsewhere, clients were able to understand the response. Often, information pertaining to legislation and scientific data can be difficult to understand. This did improve the satisfaction for clarity and completeness.

One of the unique features of the Inquiries Service is that telephone calls are answered directly by a highly skilled Inquiries Officer. The needs of the caller are more accurately assessed by this method so the most useful information can be provided. Callers are pleased they have direct access to assistance from one person rather than redirected from one person to another person or to a lengthy voice mail system. The satisfaction levels for courtesy are very high.

One measure of reach is monitoring requests for copyright publication. In 2007-8, 149 requests were received for copyright publication, up from 92 the previous fiscal year. As a result, information was duplicated over 127,000 times and potentially shared with many more individuals. The organizations included government departments, companies, unions, health care organizations and educational institutions.

CCOHS provides current information on areas of concern to Canadians. In 2007-8 Canadians were concerned about issues such as chemicals and reproductive hazards, ergonomics, indoor air quality, occupational cancer, avian flu, and a large number of questions regarding harassment, bullying and violence in the workplace. The issues are similar to last year.

Workers are the primary users of the Inquiries Service again this year, making 35% of the total inquiries received. Another 25% of the questions originated from employers, 3% from government (as legislators and enforcment), and 37% from non-affiliated professionals.

OSH Answers

OSH Answers is a bilingual web-based information service, which covers over 670 topic areas in occupational health and safety.

OSH Answers covers many topic areas in occupational health and safety. The information is presented in a Question-and-Answer format and the topics are based on questions that the Inquiries Service has received over the past 30 years.

The Inquiries Service started the OSH Answers with question-and-answer (Q&A) documents on various hazards - biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical (noise and radiation) and other safety hazards found in workplaces. We also answer questions about the diseases and injuries that can result from the hazards people are exposed to or the risks from the work activities they do.

Other work-related issues on OSH Answers are safety programs, accident and injury prevention, personal protective equipment (PPE), occupational health and safety legislation including WHMIS (right-to-know legislation). OSH Answers will cover more and more topics as it continues to grow and evolve to serve the needs of Canadians. The target audiences for the OSH Answers are the workers, managers, supervisors, joint health and safety committee members who are the "end users" of the information in the workplace. The internet has played a key role in helping CCOHS to reach millions of Canadians since this service was established several years ago. Workers are the primary users of the Inquiries Service followed by employers and professionals. In 2007-8, CCOHS successfully reached approximately 2.5 million inquirers and responded to over 6.8 million questions, through OSH Answers.

In order to meet the changing needs of Canadians, CCOHS' information resources are continually reviewed and updated.

2008 was the 10 year anniversary of OSH Answers. A user survey was conducted to obtain feedback on this service. In addition to satisfaction, the importance of each attribute was also measured. The results show excellent satisfaction ratings for all attributes. Users of the service also have very high expectations. The chart clearly demonstrates where service can be improved to meet user expectations. CCOHS will focus on improving the currency of existing documents and adding documents identified as emerging issues within the survey.

Attribute	Satisfaction (Average %)	Importance (Average %)	Variance
a. Comprehensive (number of topics)	83.94	89.28	-5.34
b. Relevance/usefulness	86.24	90.76	-4.52
c. Currency (up to date)	83.96	90.52	-6.56
d. Trustworthiness of information	87.84	93.3	-5.46
e. Ease of use (easy to read and use)	85.88	89.42	-3.54
f. Easy to find	81.42	88.8	-7.38

In addition, the "pass on rate" for OSH Answers is high - for every "hit" we register, the users indicate that they share this information with:

Response	Percent
One	4.7%
2 to 20	17.5%
21-200	27.8%
201-2000	25.6%
2001+	12.5%
Don't know	11.9%

Historical results of OSH Answers web usage show significant increases in usage over the past 10 years. This is a cost effective method of reaching Canadians and providing round the clock service.

The survey also asked what where the emerging issues for the next 3 to 5 years. CCOHS uses this information to identify new topics for the website. The most common responses were:

• Ergonomic
• General awareness and training
• Violence, including bullying and harassment
• Workplace stress
• Wellness, workplace health, mental health
• Aging workers
• Safety - general
• MSD (musculoskeletal Disorders)
• Leadership, workplace culture, and management buy-in
• Management - specifically use of management systems, but also compliance, legislation requirements, and due diligence.

CCOHS provides products and services in various formats to serve the needs of Canadians. Information is available in paper copy, internet, intranet, web, compact disc formats and DVD. Electronic delivery of information is presented in highly useable and searchable formats to serve the client. CCOHS provides many databases and other information sources within its product line.

Health and safety guides inform people of workplace hazards to reduce risk and help prevent injury, and are designed for use on-the-job as reference tools and information sources. Over 100,000 of these guides have been distributed. New and revised publications are developed each year to meet the needs of Canadian workers. In 2008, the newest guide, Office Health and Safety was published. In addition, Workplace Health and Wellness is being re-printed in its second edition. Two other guides were updated. Each year over 20,000 copies of various guides are sold throughout Canada. There are 19 titles available for our pocket guides.

During 2007/8, a small survey was conducted for publications clients. Over 94% of clients were satisfied or very satisfied with the content of the publications. Over 93% agreed or strongly agreed they were satisfied with the publication and 96% agreed or strongly agreed it was good value for money. Over 93% of publication purchasers felt the publication helped them improve their understanding of health and safety. Over 74% will use the information in this publication to make changes in the workplace that may improve health and safety. The information in the publication benefits far more people than the individual purchaser.

In our most recent evaluation, of the clients who purchased CCOHS products and services, 77% said that their use of CCOHS information relates to current or future changes to the workplace that may result in improved occupational health and safety. In terms of the overall importance of CCOHS in meeting the health and safety needs of their organization, 78% of respondents said that CCOHS was either very important or important. ⁵

CCOHS measures its client satisfaction with the delivery of services relating to products on an ongoing basis as part of its performance measurement program. The survey was sent to clients contacting customer service for information, service requests and product orders or technical support. We measured their satisfaction with six service elements, similar to the common measurement tool. Client satisfaction was extremely high with an overall average of 95%. Most clients had one contact (69%) and 2 contacts (21%) to receive what they wanted. This is in line with client expectations as outlined in our 2004 Client Satisfaction Survey. Clients stated they received what they needed in 92% of the time and part of what they need 5% of the time.

Expected Result: Increased Awareness and Understanding of Occupational Health and Safety Issues in the Workplace

Financial Resources (in thousands $)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
1,157	1,246	1,163

Human Resources

Planned	Authorities	Difference
24	23	1

CCOHS' goal is to increase awareness and understanding of occupational health and safety issues in the workplace. This is accomplished through many means of public promotion, training, web information, partnerships and information delivery.

The risk in achieving this goal is directly impacted by the financial and human resources available. This includes funding and cost-recovery to generate the required funding. CCOHS also relies on partnerships with many other organizations and therefore relies on funding and other external resources to achieve this goal. Some of the primary programs to increase awareness and understanding are highlighted below.

The Canadian Health Network (CHN) is a bilingual Internet- based health information service that ensures that Canadians have access to trustworthy information on health promotion and disease prevention. While fully operational during fiscal 2008, this project was cancelled by its funders effective April 1, 2008.

CCOHS was involved in the Canadian Health Network (CHN) for 10 years. It was:

• A not for profit internet-based health information service
• A website that ensures that Canadians have access to trustworthy information on health promotion and disease and injury prevention by showcasing only high-quality, reliable, non-commercial resources.
• Developed in partnership with the Health Canada and subsequently Public Health Agency of Canada.

Although the project was cancelled, CCOHS will continue to collect comprehensive workplace health material and make it available to Canadians in our various information products and services. During 2007/8, CCOHS promoted CHN through the Health@Work/Sante @u travail e-bulleting, conferences, workshops and employee health fairs across Canada.

The Health and Safety Report, CCOHS' free e-newsletter, is an initiative that increases impact of Canadian workplace health and safety. In addition to providing relevant content, the Report is regularly and widely reproduced by organizations to enhance their health and safety educational and information efforts.

This service, launched in January 2003, now has a distribution of 20,934 subscribers in more than 100 countries (as of Mar 31/08). This represents 28% growth in subscribers from the previous fiscal year. The Report includes icons in the sidebar linking to OSH Answers and the Bringing Health to Work portal. It is expected that this will help drive traffic to CCOHS' website and promote the free public services CCOHS provides to advance the improvement of workplace health and safety in Canada.

In the March 2008 readership survey, the Report received a:

• 100% overall satisfaction rating
• 66.6% of the respondents being "very satisfied"
• 96.3% responded that the newsletter provides value to their organization
• 89.9% of subscribers share the report with others- 20.8% share it with 50 or more people. The survey also indicated that 35% of the readers print the Report and use the information within to develop health and safety policies and procedures, for training purposes and as a resource for their own newsletters, bulletin boards and employee orientation kits
• 81.1% of respondents say they use the information to make the workplace safer
• 88% say they find the information provided helpful

Eight-one percent of the respondents to the survey replied that they will or are planning to use the information in the Report to make changes that may improve health and safety in their workplaces. As the readership of the Report continues to grow, so does CCOHS' commitment and efforts to increase outreach and provide credible, useful information that could help prevent work related injuries and illnesses. This is a cost effective method of reaching many Canadians on important health and safety issues. Results show that readers value this service and do use the information in the workplace for improvement.

Subscriptions to this free service can be submitted to: http://www.ccohs.ca/resources/communications/mailinglists/enews.html.

As part of its awareness campaign, CCOHS also promotes the National Day of Mourning, to remember the occupationally caused deaths, and ill or injured workers, and to give employees and employers an opportunity to publicly renew their commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace. Promotions include a website presence, national media releases, a memorial event, a banner headline and promotion through the Health and Safety Report. The website had 4,352 unique visitors. In addition, 4,634 posters were distributed, more than double the number than 2007. There were 1,263 sold, 356 free posters were mailed, and the free PDF version was downloaded 3,024 times.

Awareness campaigns also include participation in The North American Occupational Health and Safety Week. http://www.naosh.org/ This included offering live webinars, hosting the website and participating in the national NAOSH Canadian launch event. In 2007-08 the NAOSH site had 45,779 visitors, with 130,989 sessions. CCOHS offered a series of free webinars during NAOSH Week that included speakers from CCOHS, Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence, and General Motors. The webinars reached more than 800 Canadians. We also participated in the planning of the National Launch and continue to participate on the Ontario committee. CCOHS conducts various webinars throughout the year to promote health and safety.

CCOHS seeks ongoing feedback from its stakeholders as part of its role to deliver independent and unbiased services. Through its evaluations, the level of satisfaction in the quality and impartiality of the centre is reviewed. In addition, CCOHS utilizes tripartite participation in the review of new programs, products and services to provide objective advice for the relevancy, credibility of new unbiased products and services. This has been invaluable in the development of e-learning courses and publications. The Council of Governors, composed from representatives of labour, business and governments, assures that CCOHS is independent and operates as a tripartite organization. The Council meets three times a year to review operational plans and provides input from its constituents. All Governors are volunteers representing most provinces and territories throughout Canada, major employer groups and labour unions.

In the 2005 evaluation, the key informant interviewees reported that CCOHS has a strong reputation within Canada. OHS experts, professional leadership, unions, workers and employers with health and safety committees tend to be quite familiar with CCOHS. The high level of awareness was attributed primarily to CCOHS' own efforts and from partnerships with other organizations and the high level of visibility maintained by CCOHS executive. Respondents also noted that CCOHS does a good job of synthesizing research findings into unbiased information products that are useful and easy to understand for health and safety professionals, employers and workers alike.⁵

The satisfaction of the stakeholders is also demonstrated by the many collaborative projects completed throughout Canada. Details are available in our annual report http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html.

The support of various levels of government and industry for CCOHS can be demonstrated by various collaborative projects, which were led by CCOHS during the year. Some of the initiatives include:

• Pandemic Planning Web Portal: this portal was developed to provide credible, single source of practical pandemic information and planning resources for Canadian businesses and workers. This was funded by HRSDC. In 2007/8, the site had 20,727 unique visitors and 75,275 hits.
• Public Policy Investigation on Occupational Health and Safety of Migrant Labourers in Chongqing, China: a project to address the issues of injury prevention and insurance for migrant workers. This project funded by CIDA will enable members of the organizations to :
  1. work toward protection of the rights of migrant workers with work-related injuries and illnesses;
  2. to enhance the health and safety and quality of working life of migrant workers; and,
  3. to develop local legislation, which will provide guidance for national legislation through the research and experience of Chongqing.
• WorkSafe Saskatchewan website was developed in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Labour Department as an information resource to help prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. Content expanded to include workplace health, mental health, fragrances and indoor air quality. In 2007, over 320,000 website sessions were logged from 168,000 unique visitors. In 2008 a young workers quiz, Eye on Safety was added. A WHMIS for Saskatchewan Workers e-course was developed and released.
• Prevention Practices database and OSH for Everyone - Ontario: a development for the Workplace Safety Insurance Board of Ontario reached an average of 23,000 visitor sessions viewing 27,000 - 40,000 pages monthly. The prevention practices website averages 7,600 visitors per month.
• Transport Canada: the Marine Inspectors' Bookshelf was created for those working in remote areas without internet access to assist inspectors carry out their duties. Over 300 Transport Canada Marine Inspectors use this product.
• Enhancement of Occupational Health and Safety in Brazilian Industry: CCOHS is leading the development of an OSH information portal appropriate for workplace participants in Brazilian industry. This site was launched in July 2007.
• Customized courses for private companies and government organizations.
• Presentations and representation at various conferences and events for labour, business and government throughout Canada.
• Bringing Health to Work Web Portal Service: provides Canadian employers, employees and practitioners easy access to a comprehensive range of credible resources and practical tools for creating and promoting healthy workplaces. Statistics indicate 29,979 visitors accessing the portal 49,559 times annually.
• Alberta Health Care Best Practices Inventory: CCOHS researched and developed an inventory of best practices for the healthcare work settings. These best practices are focused on healthcare topics and with healthcare staff in mind.

Information about these and other collaborative projects is included in our annual report. The continued support of government, business, and all levels of government is a strong indicator of satisfaction with CCOHS.

CCOHS is recognized as a world leader in the advancement in occupational health and safety. This can be demonstrated by CCOHS' development of the IPCS INTOX program, for the World Health Organizations (WHO), International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS). It provides an integrated operational system, consisting of a databank and software, used at Poison Centres around the world to manage information on poisonings. Another project is the IPCS INCHEM, also produced through co-operation with the WHO. The program consolidates information essential for the sound management of chemicals that affect the environment and human health. IPCS INCHEM is an authoritative source of chemical related health, safety and environment reports from inter-governmental organizations.

This information has been released free of charge to enable access to people from developing countries. This service compiles chemical-related health, safety and environment documents and databases from several international organizations. On average, 200,000 unique visitors from 170 countries per month visit this site. During 2007/8, visitors viewed Inchem documents 10.5 million times, demonstrating the need for this type of information. A recent survey found that 90% of respondents felt the INCHEM service was useful.

IPCS INCHEM has achieved worldwide recognition for its high quality service, disseminating authoritative and peer-reviewed publications from trusted intergovernmental organizations to help prevent workplace injury and illnesses.

IPCS INTOX is a collection of documents aimed at those working poison centers or who are involved in the diagnosis and management of poisoning or in dealing with the health aspects of chemical incidents. The systems are used world wide to help prevent poisonings, save lives and minimize damage to health from toxic exposures. On an annual basis 76,500 unique visitors from over 145 countries accessed the documents 2.6 million times last year. Many users rely on this information for primary care relating to chemical exposures and poisonings.

CCOHS' skills and expertise in information development and knowledge transfer are also recognized internationally.

CCOHS is a member of a consortium of Canadian public and private sector organizations which formed a Brazilian-Canadian partnership to address occupational health and safety needs within selected industrial sectors in small and medium sized enterprises in Brazil. CCOHS is leading the development of an OSH information portal appropriate for workplace participants in Brazilian industry and conducting training to health professionals.

In our last evaluation, respondents in the key informant interviews reported CCOHS is perceived as one of the world's leading sources of OHS information, with a higher level of recognition than many other OHS national institutions.

The report also states that "by providing accessible information products that synthesize recent research including international research sources (e.g. WHO, UN) CCOHS has clearly increased the amount of information available, and has therefore contributed to the growth of knowledge of OHS" . The international relationships have enhanced the availability of information to benefit all Canadians.

Expected Result: Application of Occupational Health and Safety Information to Improve Workplace Practices

Financial Resources (in thousands $)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
1,157	1,246	1,163

Human Resources

Planned	Actual	Difference
24	22	2

The expected result of CCOHS activities is to improve the application of occupational health and safety to improve workplace practices. This includes several priorities to achieve this goal. These priorities include providing high quality occupational health and safety information and management systems. This also includes application of integrated occupational safety and health principles in the workplace through the promotion of a healthy workplace. This includes fostering collaboration and exchanges through national dialogues, forums and conferences to increase applications in the workplace and improve practices. CCOHS also works closely with the education sector, youth groups and partners to expand and improve teaching of health and safety in schools and providing them with resources.

CCOHS works with international organizations to secure up to date information for the benefit of Canadians. CCOHS has worked globally to enable the free distribution, via the internet of national collections of OSH information. For example CCOHS developed a web portal for the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centres in Occupational Health http://www.whoocchealthccs.org. This portal provides each national collaborating centre with a site to present its own occupational health information, and links to other information within their country. This site has 18,611 visitors with 452,140 hits in 2007/8. This web portal, that was recently developed, is in addition to the CIS Centres Information Network http://www.ciscentres.org.

To assist Canadians with the application of occupational health and safety information in the workplace, CCOHS created the CanOsh website. The purpose of CanOsh website is to enable Canadians to easily and independently locate Canadian occupational safety and health (OSH) information for the purpose of legal compliance, improving workplace health and safety practices and ultimately to facilitate the acquisition of information required for reduction in workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. It is designed to provide Canadians with a convenient and efficient way to access the health and safety information provided by the federal, provincial and territorial government agencies responsible for OSH, Workers' Compensation Boards and CCOHS. This site can be reached at http://www.canoshweb.org/. By using this site, Canadians can easily search and navigate 14 governmental jurisdictions and multiple websites. In 2007-08, 61,954 people accessed this site 335,400 times.

The quality of the Centre's products as measured in an independent evaluation study rates the over all satisfaction as follows for percentage of respondents who were very satisfied or satisfied:

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

Indicator	% satisfied
Timeliness	89%
Completeness	85%
Usefulness	92%
Clarity	86%
Reliability	87%
Overall satisfaction	80%

Source: Data for CCOHS is from a survey of users conducted by TNS Canadian Facts in 2005.

In terms of value for money, 96% of respondents who answered this question said that CCOHS products were above average value for money or average value. In addition, In terms of overall importance of CCOHS in meeting the health and safety needs of their organization, 78% of respondents said that CCOHS was very important or important to them.

In 2004, CCOHS had an independent client satisfaction survey completed to measure the satisfaction with services and products, in keeping with the Common Measurement Tool and Citizen's First Research. The purpose was to identify satisfaction with various products /service attributes and compare to the importance of these attributes. This can be used as a baseline for future client satisfaction research. Overall, performance scores were high and are summarized below.

The complete report can be viewed at: http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html.

Training and Education

Training and education are effective means of improving employers' and workers' awareness and knowledge of their rights and responsibilities with regards to OSH and are directly applicable to the workplace. Another recent study found only one in five Canadian workers received training in their first year of a new job. The risk to health is related to the workers newness to a job, a lack of training and hazardous work conditions. CCOHS offers courses in various environments that include traditional classroom, customized courses and e-learning to help meet the needs of Canadians. Courses are reviewed by tri-partite external reviewers to ensure relevancy and comprehensiveness.

In 2007-8, CCOHS continued to expand its delivery of Internet based e-learning courses. Currently there are thirty four courses available on-line (in both English and French) and in addition several are in development. User feedback indicates a high satisfaction rate with this service with 98.4% satisfied and a recommendation rate of 96.7%. The courses undergo an extensive tri-partite review prior to release. Course participants also have the opportunity to seek clarifications from a CCOHS instructor. These features are unique to CCOHS. Customized courses have been completed and additional partnerships are continually being sought.

Participants replied that 66% will use the information in this course to make changes in the workplace in order to improve occupational health and safety. Over 94% of participants felt the course helped them improve understanding of health and safety. Annual seat sales have grown from 1,773 in 2004, to an almost 24,000 seats this year. The strong sales, satisfaction ratings and improved understanding of health and safety demonstrates that this knowledge will be applied in the workplace.

Academic Support Package

The CCOHS Academic Support Program (ASP) is offered exclusively to universities and colleges as both a resource to support the education of students about environmental and occupational health and safety and to assist Universities and Colleges in their efforts to provide a safe and healthy working environment. In the ASP program there are 103 universities and colleges, many of them very prominent, serving over 3 million students, faculty and staff.

This information serves students, faculty, researchers and on-site health and safety staff, and workers. As future leaders, today's students need to be aware of occupational health and safety and how to prevent injuries and illnesses.

CCOHS also established the Dick Martin Scholarship, an occupational health and safety scholarship fund, in the memory of Dick Martin, a pioneer of workplace health and safety in Canada. This scholarship supports post secondary students to study subjects in occupational health and safety. Information about the program and the winners for 2007/8 are posted at: http://www.ccohs.ca/scholarship/winners/.

It is funded through private donations and by stakeholders. This program is promoted to 26 post secondary schools across Canada, and provides monetary awards to students who are successful in an annual competition for this scholarship.

CCOHS fosters collaboration and exchanges in ideas through increased applications in the workplace and improve practices through educational presentations and participation in conferences, workshops and webinars.

In September 2007, CCOHS hosted a national OHS forum in Vancouver to explore health and safety issues that are emerging from changing workplaces. With "Emerging Health & Safety Issues in Changing Workplaces: A Canadian Discussion" as the theme, this two-day event brought together subject experts, workers, employers and governments to share their knowledge and experience around this pan-Canadian issue and to discuss problems and solutions.

The topic was selected based upon a research project that identified the changing workplace as a current workplace health and safety issue of concern to Canadians. The Forum successfully met the objectives for the event: to encourage a dialogue between workplace participants and stakeholder groups searching for ideas, solutions and recommendations; increase impact and awareness of current occupational heath and safety issues in Canada. Participants rated overall satisfaction with the event at 4.2 out of 5.

The dialogue started at the Forum continued with a survey inviting Canadians to participate in the discussion. The results are available at: http://www.ccohs.ca/events/forum07/report.pdf

We also facilitate an on-line list serve, HS-Canada, as a means of distributing messages to a group of individuals with interests in occupational health and safety in a Canadian context.

Some of the events that CCOHS participated in are listed below:

Conferences, Exhibitions, Workshops and Presentations

CCOHS' objective of promoting OSH is supported by the activities in engaging diverse audiences by attending more than 37 events over this fiscal year through participation in meetings, conferences and presentations in most regions of Canada. Participation in these events serves both marketing and communications objectives by providing opportunities to showcase the wide range of products and services of the Centre. A complete list of events is included in our annual report.

Expected Result: Partial Recovery of Costs from User Fees

Financial Resources (in thousands $)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
1,157	1,245	1,163

Human Resources

Planned	Actual	Difference
24	22	2

CCOHS receives approximately 55% of its funding from appropriations and the balance of funds are generated through cost recovery initiatives and support from other organizations. CCOHS was a fully funded organization until 1989. A Cabinet decision was made at that time directing CCOHS to be become revenue self-sufficient. Appropriations were reduced a couple of years later with a directive that CCOHS cost recover to fund the Centre's program. It has been a long a difficult struggle to establish products and services and generate sufficient funds to offset costs. In 2002, a program review recommended re-aligning the funding balance to 50% appropriations and 50% cost-recovery. Products and services are developed with CCOHS' goal of improving occupational health and safety.

The trend of declining revenues from traditional information sources continues. CCOHS has changed its product line to include e-learning and management services for MSDS. This is helping to offset the loss of revenues. The availability of free information on the internet continues to strain CCOHS' ability to generate funds.

CCOHS fulfils its mandate to promote workplace health and safety, and encourage attitudes and methods that will lead to improved worker physical and mental health, through a wide range of products and services. These products and services are designed in cooperation with national and international occupational health and safety organizations with an emphasis on preventing illnesses, injuries and fatalities. A summary of revenues from our audited financial statements is listed below:

Revenue

	2008 $	2007 $
Proceeds from sales
Subscription - CCINFOdisc	389,169	417,646
Subscription - Specialty discs	200,903	255,198
CCINFOWeb	707,941	740,940
Specialty products - web	637,596	650,297
Publications	211,716	144,230
Training and education	405,685	403,549
Other	15,074	12,432
	2,568,084	2,624,292
Projects and collaborative agreements
Collaborative projects	748,210	863,263
Forum	121,780	-
Contributions to Inquiries Service	454,000	454,000
Recovery of travel expenses	113,794	57,093
	1,437,784	1,374,356
	4,005,868	3,998,648

Revenue Recognition

Revenues above are recorded using the full accrual method of reporting, recognizing revenues when earned. These amounts may differ from reporting for government reporting purposes as revenue is recognized when collected or credited to the vote. The difference in reporting methods is outlined and reconciled in the notes to the audited financial statements.

Section III. Supplementary Information

Financial Performance Overview

Revenues from sales of products and services continue to decline in many product areas. This is primarily due to changes in the market place for information due to competition from Internet providers of OSH information. To offset these losses, CCOHS has expanded its training service to include e learning and this has been very successful. A MSDS Management System Service has also been added and revenues are steadily increasing. Appropriations are consistent with prior years.

CCOHS generates approximately 55% of its budget from the sale of products and services. Expenditures are consistent with prior years other than the costs associated with new product development. Audited financial statements are published in our Annual Report.

Departmental Link to Government of Canada Outcomes

Strategic Outcome: Canadians will be provided with unbiased occupational health and safety information and services for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries
	Actual Spending 2007-08			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcome Area
	Budgetary	Non-budgetary	Total
Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration	$4,651		$4,651	Healthy Canadians

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

Healthy Canadians

• Occupational diseases, illnesses and deaths are serious health risks faced by Canadians. "These findings serve as a reminder that despite recent improvements, large numbers of workers are still being injured, and the risks are unevenly distributed within the workforce."⁶ Well over half a million Canadian workers were injured on the job in 2003. The government plans to strengthen our social foundations by improving the overall health of Canadians starting with health promotion to reduce the incidence of avoidable disease. One of the most effective strategies in reducing ill health is prevention of the causes. CCOHS' primary role is to support Canada's capability to improve prevention of work-related illness and disease by providing information and knowledge to enable Canadians to identify hazards and minimize or eliminate risks in the workplace and assist them to address issues and take remedial action. CCOHS advocates improvements in workplace health in the public and private sectors to improve the health of Canadians. Details of specific projects are noted throughout this report and in our annual report.
  
  Our public forum on Emerging Health and Safety Issues from Changing Workplaces http://www.ccohs.ca/events/forum07/ has increased awareness on important health and safety issues.

In addition, CCOHS delivers web portals "Pandemic Planning" and "Bringing Health to Work". The goal of these websites is to develop and provide information, tools and resources and to make it easily available to help employees, employers and practitioners participate in making their workplaces healthy and safe.

Canada's Role in the World

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

Sustainable Development

CCOHS provides extensive information on chemicals and their impact on health and the environment. CCOHS is a major source of information and is used by government regulators and the chemical industry, manufacturing industries and most sectors of the economy and many citizens. Environmental management is the shared responsibility of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments, and includes the participation of individuals, community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses. While federal departments and agencies share the responsibility of environmental management with other stakeholders, environmental issues at the international level are mainly the responsibility of the Government of Canada. ⁷

Table 1: Comparison of Planned to Actual Spending (including FTEs)

($ thousands)	2005-2006 Actual	2006-2007 Actual	2007-2008
			Main Estimates	Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual
Occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration	8,331	8,382	8,928	8,928	4,983	8,578
Less: Non-respendable revenue	3,830	3,876	4,300	4,300	4,300	3,927
Plus: Cost of services received without charge	749	1,175	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,163
Total Departmental Spending	5,250	5,681	N/A	N/A	N/A	5,814
Full-time Equivalents	90	90	96	96	N/A	90

Authorities for revenues are higher than current revenue generation patterns. Sales of database products have declined in recent years. This has been offset partially by new product sales. However, the product development cycle takes some time to realize returns. Changes were necessary as it has become increasingly difficult to achieve sales targets due to the rapid change in technologies and availability of alternative information. Expenditures relating to revenue generation were lowered to balance the decline in revenues. The cost of services provided by other departments represents accommodation services provided by PWGSC, audit services provided by the OAG and the costs of health and dental benefits provided by Treasury Board.

Table 2: Voted and Statutory Items $(000)

Vote or Statutory Item	Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety	2007-2008
		Main Estimates	Planned  Spending	Total Authorities	Actual
25	Operating expenditures	3,560	3,560	4,004	3,673
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	1,068	1,068	979	979
	Total	4,628	4,628	4,983	4,651

Additional funding was received during the year for rollover provisions, compensation and recoveries of pay-list shortfalls.

Table 3: 2007-8 User Fee Reporting

The User Fees Act is not applicable to the revenues generated by CCOHS.

Table 3B) Policy on Service Standards for External Fees

For supplementary information on the Policy on Service Standards for External Fees please visit: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dpr-rmr/2007-2008/index-eng.asp.

Table 4: Sources of Respendable Revenue

For supplementary information on CCOHS' sources of respendable revenue please visit: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dpr-rmr/2007-2008/index-eng.asp.

Table 5: Travel Policies

CCOHS follows the TBS Special Travel Authorities and the TBS Travel Directive, Rates and Allowances.

Table 6: Audited Financial Statements

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Audited Financial Statements are available in the Annual Report to Parliament 2007-8 at : http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html

Section IV: Departmental Overview

Mandate, Vision and Mission: The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was created in1978 by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act (R. S., 1985, c. C-13) which mandates the Centre to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment.

CCOHS is Canada's national resource for occupational health and safety information. It serves to promote health and safety in the workplace, to help establish high standards for occupational health and safety, and to foster consultation and co-operation among governments, labour and employers to reduce or eliminate occupational hazards.

The vision is for CCOHS to become the preferred occupational health and safety information resource centre that will enable Canadians to easily acquire high quality services.

CCOHS is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. It is a departmental corporation under Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act.

Objectives

To provide Canadians with information about occupational health and safety which is trustworthy, comprehensive, and intelligible. The information facilitates responsible decision-making, promotes changes in the workplace, increase awareness of the need for a healthy and safe working environment, and supports education and training.

Guiding Principles

CCOHS is governed and directed by a tripartite Council of Governors comprised of members from labour, business and government (federal, provincial and territorial) leaders representing their respective constituents across Canada. The Council meets three times a year to review policy and monitor progress of CCOHS. In January 1997, the Council adopted the following set of guiding principles for the Centre's future, which have been supported by federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for occupational health and safety:

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act allows the Centre to undertake a broad range of activities "to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment".

The Council of Governors intends these principles to guide the Centre for the short to mid term and to allow for continued growth in cost-recovery.

1. The Council reconfirms its support and commitment to the CCOHS and the valuable role the Centre provides to Canadian workers and employers. Further, the Council recognizes the importance of its tripartite nature in governing the Centre. The Centre is to continue to serve as a source of excellence for unbiased technical information and expertise to support labour, employers, and governments in maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. The Centre is to continue to provide critical analysis and interpretation of occupational safety and health information. Further, the three caucuses recognize the critical importance of maintaining a free inquiry service to support the right of working Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment.
2. The Council and the Centre shall communicate to respective Ministers regarding the excellence and role of the Centre in order to obtain broad public policy support and guidance.
3. The Council recognizes the high standard and non-partisan nature of the Centres undertakings. It recommends the Centre continue in its consulting and research efforts, while meeting the test of fairness in a competitive world. Joint funding of projects that target key areas of information needs should be a special focus of these efforts. The Council urges all governments and other organizations to consider the Centre as a potential source of consulting and research services.
4. The Council urges governmental and non-governmental organizations, including labour and employers, to work in partnership with the Centre to provide public access to the Centres CD-ROM, Internet and other services.
5. The Council recommends the Centre consider the future possibility of gathering and disseminating occupational health and safety statistical information.
6. The Council recognizes that the Centre has become a national repository for MSDS, and efforts to encourage companies to continue to supply data sheets to the Centre will continue, where practicable and feasible.
7. The Council recommends that health and safety materials be available in the form most useful to the user, including hard copy.
8. The Council encourages the development of partnerships, tailored to specific jurisdictions that enhance the visibility and distribution of CCOHS information. This could also include co-operation between various government inquiry services.
9. The Council recommends that jurisdictions and others systematically provide all technical, research, guidelines, codes of practice, and best practices to the Centre.

The President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) and CCOHS staff is committed to following these principles and plan to fulfil the Council's strategic priorities for the Centre by ensuring CCOHS provides:

A. a confidential occupational health and safety inquiries service to Canadians;

B. Economical fee-for-service occupational health and safety products and services which are delivered by various means, including:

• Compact Disc - Read Only Memory (CD-ROM)
• Digital Video Discs (DVD)
• Accessible computerized information services
• Publications and guides
• Training
• Memberships;

C. Non-biased occupational health and safety information;

D. A national occupational health and safety collaborating centre for the 14 Canadian jurisdictions and serving as Canada's representative as an international centre (i.e. World Health Organization, International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre);

E. A national occupational health and safety information repository.

CCOHS Council of Governors holds strategic planning meetings approximately every three years to focus on the future direction of CCOHS. In its latest session in 2005, the Council reaffirmed the above guiding principles. They also agreed to focus on the following priorities:

• Keep focused on "serving as a national center for information related to occupational health and safety". Continue to offer valued and needed information.
• Keep offering our core products and services. This includes continuing to improve products and services so they remain useful and relevant for Canadian workplaces and workers.
• Become the national center for statistics on occupational health and safety
• Continue to promote health and safety in the workplace in Canada, including the physical and mental health of working people.

Organization Composition

Organizational Structure: CCOHS reports to the federal Minister of Labour and Minister of Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. The Council of Governors are non-paid positions and hold their respective offices throughout Canada. The Chair of the Council is a non-paid position, which is normally occupied by the federal Assistant Deputy Minister, Labour. The President and Chief Executive Officer operates CCOHS from Hamilton, Ontario. CCOHS links its objectives and strategic priorities through an array of service lines.

Governance: The Centre is governed by tripartite Council of Governors consisting of a Chair and Governors representing employers, labour, and Canadian governments (federal, provincial, and territorial). Four Governors represent workers; four represent employers, and up to thirteen represent provincial and territorial governments. The Chair represents the federal government. All are appointed by the Governor General -in- Council. The Council meets three times a year to discuss and review policy direction and priorities.

Executive Management: The Centre is managed by its President and Chief Executive Officer who directs the work of CCOHS to fulfil its mandate.

Service Lines: Resources are aligned by service and program area so that every area includes the technical, marketing and subject specialists necessary for delivery. Systems Services maintains the infrastructure necessary to deliver products, support the developed products and services and the CCOHS website. The Inquiries Service provides direct free front line service to Canadians via telephone, fax, mail and internet. They also provide customer service for cost- recovery products. Communication promotes to promote the use of CCOHS products and services, delivers communications to Canadians and marketing activities. The Controller's group provides services to the service units including finance, operations support, facilities management and internal computer systems. Human resources support all service units.

Section V: Other items of Interest

A. Contacts for Further 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

S Len Hong President and Chief Executive Officer 905-572-2981, ext 4433 hongl@ccohs.ca P K Abeytunga Vice-President and Director General 905-572-2981, ext 4537 abey@ccohs.ca Bonnie Easterbrook Controller 905-572-2981, ext 4401 bonniee@ccohs.ca Norma Gibson MacDonald Manager, General Health and Safety Products and Services 905-572-2981, ext 4527 normag@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 David Brophy Manager, Computer Systems and Services 905-572-2981, ext 4498 davidb@ccohs.ca Louise Henderson Manager, Human Resources 905-572-2981, ext 4404 louiseh@ccohs.ca Chris Moore Manager, Training and Education 905-572-2981, ext 4462 chrism@ccohs.ca Lorraine Davison Manager, Chemical Services 905-572-2981, ext 4466 lorraind@ccohs.ca

B.  Legislation Administered by Name of Department

The federal Minister of Labour has sole responsibility to Parliament for the following Acts:

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act R.S., 1985, c. C-13

C. Key Reviews

During the period of this report, there were no new reports. All previous reports, evaluations and reviews can be accessed at: http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html.

D. Listing of Statutory and Departmental Reports

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Council of Governors' Annual Report to Parliament 2007-08
• Report on Plans and Priorities 2007-08
• Program Evaluation and Cost Recovery Study 2001
• CCOHS Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement Study, 2005
• Modern Comptrollership Capacity Assessment 2002
• Customer Satisfaction Research Report 2004

These items are available at http://www.ccohs.ca/ccohs/reports.html.

Details of the recent surveys quoted in the report:

CCOHS Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement Study, 2005

This study included four surveys during July 4 to July 19, 2005 as follows:

a) Product customers - Invitations were sent via e-mail to 1,299 customers from CCOHS existing client database. There were 262 responses or 20% response rate. This survey focused on clients who paid for products or services offered by CCOHS.

b) Inquiries clients - Invitations were sent via e-mail to 1,196 clients who recently used the service. There was a response rate of 20% (factoring in non-deliverable e-mails). This survey focused on users of the free public information service.

Two e-mail reminders were sent. A response rate of 20% is typical for this type of survey.

c) Web-site survey response of 513 for this self-selecting sample. This survey focused on users of CCOHS' website and was positioned on the home page and OSH Answers homepage, individual pages of OSH Answers and Web Information Services home page.

d) Key Informant interviews (20) representing a range of CCOHS stakeholders, including business, labour, government and non-governmental organizations.

Customer Satisfaction Research Report 2004

This study included two surveys:

a) Customer (Client) Survey: An invitation was mailed to current clients and customers to invite them to participate in an online survey from February 19 to March 26, 2004. There were 3,736 surveys mailed to users of the Inquiries Service and products. The survey was completed by 549 respondents for a response rate of 15%, which was less than anticipated. This is likely due to the mixed mode of mailed invitations with an on-line completion requirement.

b) Web Visitor Survey: The survey was posted on the CCOHS web site from February 13 to March 9, 2004. There were 603 visitors from this self-selecting sample. The target population was any user of CCOHS' website.

 

¹Gunderson, Morley and Douglas Hyatt (2001) "Workplace Risks and Wages: Canadian Evidence from Alternative Models" Canadian Journal of Economics, v. 34, no. 2, May.

²Kathryn Wilkins and Susan G. Mackenzie, "Work Injuries" Health Reports, Vol 18 No. 3, August 2007, Statistics Canada, Catologue 82-003

³Breslin, F.C. and Smith, P., Trial by Fire: a multivariate examination of the relation between job tenure and work injuries, in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2006, volume 63, number 1.

⁴CCOHS Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement Study, 2005

⁵Smith, Peter and Mustard, Cameron, How Many Employees Receive Safety Training During Their First Year of a New Job?, Injury Prevention, 2007, Volume 13, Issue 1