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CCOHS ANNUAL REPORT
April 1st, 2012 to March 31st, 2013
Background
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is Canada's national
resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. CCOHS promotes the total
well being - physical, psychosocial and mental health - 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.
Established in 1978, CCOHS is a federal departmental corporation reporting to the
Parliament of Canada through the federal Minister of Labour, and is governed by a council
representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and workers; a
structure that mandates CCOHS' impartial approach.
CCOHS promotes health and safety in the workplace by:
facilitating consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial
jurisdictions, and participation by labour and management;
assisting in the development and maintenance of policies and programs;
serving as a national centre for information relating to occupational health and safety.
CCOHS makes a wide range of occupational health and safety information as well as
training and educational courses readily available. The materials are written in clear
language and available in relevant formats that are appropriate for all users, from the
general public to the health and safety professional.
CCOHS partners and collaborates with agencies and organizations from Canada and around
the world to improve the quality and quantity of resources and programs, as well as
expand the breadth of usage of OSH information to many different segments of society.
CCOHS is a Collaborating Centre of the World Health Organization for occupational health
and safety, and is renowned internationally and at home, as an innovative, authoritative
occupational health and safety resource.
CCOHS fulfills its mandate to encourage attitudes and methods that will lead to improved
worker physical and mental health through a wide range of courses, products and services
designed in cooperation with national and international occupational organizations.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety services for specialty resources are
provided on a cost recovery basis. These include classroom courses and an extensive,
ever-growing collection of e-courses intended to extend outreach and accessibility to
occupational health and safety training; databases (legislation, MSDS); and CHEMINFO –
chemical health and safety information database on more than 1,700 workplace chemicals.
CCOHS has also developed software solutions such as: OSH Works, an occupational health
and safety management system; MSDS Management System (MMS) that provides
organizations access to a customized collection of MSDSs specific to their workplace; and
CANWrite – an MSDS authoring system.
CCOHS products are offered in English and French as well as in various formats (print, CD
ROM, DVD, PDF, and Internet). CCOHS offers posters and has sold thousands of health and
safety pocket guides and disseminated many thousands of information sheets, articles and
other publications to millions of people in Canada and other countries.
CCOHS provides a variety of free, public services including:
Inquiries Service - the confidential, person-to-person service for Canadians
"OSH Answers" - easy-to-read questions and answers on the CCOHS website
Health and Safety Report - monthly electronic newsletter
Healthy Workplaces portal with information on creating healthy workplaces
Webinar presentations on current topics
WHMIS Classification Database
Workscape online discussion board to facilitate the professional exchange of ideas and
information related to occupational and environmental health and safety.
Young Workers Zone website for new and young workers
CANOSH portal with links to OH&S information and service in federal, provincial and
territorial governmental agencies.
Since CCOHS began statistical tracking in 1980, tens of millions individual queries have
been handled between the website and the inquiries service. This past year* more than 4.1
million individual visitors accessed health and safety question-and-answers, in English and
French, through the free OSH Answers service on the CCOHS web site.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is governed by a tripartite council representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and labour, which assists in delivering a trustworthy and complete occupational health and safety service, and ensures that the information CCOHS disseminates is unbiased.
Government of Canada
Employer Associations
Labour Organizations
Provincial and Territorial Governments
* Term expired / resigned / retired
To read more about individual Council members, visit our Council of Governors web page.
Chairman's Message
KIN CHOI Chairperson
It was an honour to be appointed as Chair of the Council of
Governors at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health
and Safety (CCOHS), in May 2012.Over the past fiscal year,
I have had the pleasure of working with the other Governors
to advance the mandate of CCOHS by providing input into
new and innovative initiatives that address and promote the
total well-being- physical, psychosocial and mental health of
working Canadians.
CCOHS has had a very satisfying year. CCOHS' Inquiries and
Client Services team received 8,226 questions through its
traditional person-to-person information service, and over
4.5 million unique visitors accessed the OSH Answers site.
Other highlights include the 10th anniversary of the Health
and Safety Report, which continues to be a trusted source of
occupational health and safety information for Canadians
and others around the world.
On the financial side, overall sales of products and services were up, which is a testament
to the hard work and dedication of CCOHS staff who are adept at understanding the needs
of our clients.
CCOHS continued to be at the forefront of important occupational health and safety issues,
with subject matter experts presenting at 23 conferences in the last fiscal year, and
conducting 36 media interviews on various subjects. CCOHS continued to develop
partnerships at both a national and international level, and I look forward to supporting the
organization further to build these relationships in the coming years.
CCOHS clients, and the general public, trust that the information provided by the
organization is credible and unbiased. It is for that reason that CCOHS is governed by a
tripartite council made up of employers, employees and government representatives.
This approach ensures that unique perspectives are brought forth and considered in the
overall objective of providing complete occupational health and safety services.
I am proud to chair a Council of Governors that are leaders in Occupational Health and
Safety. We had three new members join our Council this year: Stephen Mansell,
representing Nunavut, Sari Sairanen, representing the Canadian Auto Workers and Helder
Botelho, representing the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. They all bring unique
experience and viewpoints to the Council, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to
work closely with them this fiscal year.
I would also like to extend my appreciation and well wishes to six outgoing Council
members – Nancy Hutchison (United Steelworkers), Matthew Firth (Canadian Union of
Public Employees), Jean Dalton (Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters), Normand Côté
(Canadian Bankers Association), Glennis Bihun (Saskatchewan) and Stuart MacLean
(Government of Nova Scotia). Their positive contributions to CCOHS will have a lasting
impact.
CCOHS is recognized as a leader, both here in Canada and abroad, in disseminating
high-quality and relevant information to aid in the elimination of workplace injuries and
illnesses. I look forward to continuing to work with CCOHS staff and the Council of
Governors in the pursuit of this important goal.
Kin Choi
Chair, Council of Governors
President's Message
STEVE HORVATH President and Chief Executive Officer
In April 2012, I marked my first year as President and CEO
at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
It has been a tremendous honour to be surrounded by staff,
stakeholders and clients who are as passionate about
workplace health and safety as I am. The 2012-2013 fiscal
year has been one of transformation, as we looked inwardly
to see how we could become more effective as a
customer-centric organization, adopted new technologies to
better serve our clients and raised awareness of important
workplace health and safety issues in the public sphere.
As Canada's authority on occupational health and safety
matters, CCOHS must lead by example and be a catalyst for
change. To do so, we have worked on strengthening our
relationships with new and existing stakeholders to not only
understand their needs, but also their decision-making
processes and priorities. In particular, we facilitated
cooperation and collaboration amongst diverse stakeholder
groups, including provincial governments and national and
international bodies to share each other's resources and
collaborate on new tools.
CCOHS also made great strides on the technology front. We are more effective at enacting
change in a workplace when we understand how our stakeholders intend to use our
information, in what format and what they hope to achieve. The information must be
presented in plain language and in a format that is universally accessible and flexible
enough to adjust to today's fast-paced society and new work environment. We are making
our information available in mobile readable formats through apps, online, and via web
portals (housing all relevant resources in one central repository). Continued outreach to our
audiences through social media channels and podcasts have resulted in building community,
and changes and improvements to our website to meet accessibility requirements have
resulted in a more user-friendly experience. As an organization, we must not only embrace
innovation, but leverage it to make our stakeholders more successful.
It was important for me to see a "transformational" culture evolve throughout the organization.
It is an open and networked environment where everything we do will have an impact on
our client organizations and promote the understanding that a progressive health and
safety strategy is an integral part of any organization's successful competiveness and
growth strategy.
CCOHS had the opportunity to lend its voice to a number of important issues this year. In
particular, this was a watershed year for the promotion of mental health in the workplace,
as a facet of overall employee well-being. CCOHS spread awareness of the new national
Standard for psychological health and safety in Canadian workplaces, unveiled by the
Mental Health Commission of Canada and CSA Group on January 16, 2013. Psychosocial
and mental health issues were also at the forefront of CCOHS' Forum IV: Better Together,
held in Halifax, Nova Scotia in October 2012. I was pleased to be a part of the dialogue that
occurred between the experts, leaders, professionals and workers from across Canada on
these very important subjects.
I would like to acknowledge the leadership and dedication of our Chair, Kin Choi, our
Council of Governors and the CCOHS staff for all they have done to help promote CCOHS
and advance the principles of occupational health and safety throughout Canada, as they
continue to reflect the core values of our organization.
In closing, as we look outwards and to the future, as an organization, we must nurture a
culture of prevention in all Canadians, where an unsafe work environment becomes as
socially unacceptable as driving without a seatbelt. It is a shared responsibility and we must
all become sensitized to the tragic consequences of not taking action.
Steve Horvath
President and Chief Executive Officer
Highlights
Communications
CCOHS is a leader in promoting occupational health and safety in Canada, producing and maintaining a myriad of credible resources to help Canadians work safer, and to create healthier workplaces. Informing Canadians of the resources that are available to them, as well as helping build awareness of the importance of health and safety at work are accomplished through the efforts of the CCOHS Communications Service.
CCOHS develops and, using its various channels, deploys services and initiatives that increase outreach and CCOHS' user population, and help advance health and safety in the workplace, and the physical, mental and total well being of working Canadians. CCOHS fosters stakeholder relations and collaborates with like-minded organizations toward fulfilling this vision
Information Dissemination
Website
The CCOHS website, a rich source of workplace health and safety and CCOHS product
information, is the go-to resource for many looking for looking for advice on occupational
health and safety issues. It also provides the delivery platform for many of CCOHS'
web-based products.
Home Page Reach
There were an average of 431,992 average unique visitors per month (12.6% increase from the previous year) and 9,904,119 page views this fiscal (3.5% increase from previous year). While it is difficult to accurately capture geographic location of the visitors, we can determine that on the English site, approximately 40% of the visits were from Canada, followed by 35% from the United States. On the French site, 26% of the visitors were from Canada and 56% were from France.
Health and Safety Report
The Health and Safety Report, our free monthly e-newsletter, is CCOHS' largest
communications channel. It aspires to help prevent work related injuries and illnesses by
providing credible, useful information to the health and safety community, and those who
influence occupational health and safety.
The Report is regularly and widely reproduced and reused by organizations to enhance
their own health and safety educational and information efforts and to develop health and
safety policy.This year marked the tenth anniversary of the newsletter. Over the past
decade 114 issues of the newsletter have been produced, containing 569 articles.
In the 2012-13 readership survey, to which 1,684 (5.2%) responded, the Report received
a 98.2% overall satisfaction rating with the content and format, with 38.2% being "very
satisfied". 96.3% of respondents said that the newsletter provides value to their organization.
Other highlights include:
The information is used for personal use, to develop health and safety policies and
procedures, for use by health and safety committees and for posting on bulletin
boards;
76.8% use the information – 21.3% frequently – to implement changes to make the
workplace healthier and safer;
91.2% of subscribers share the report with at least one other person; and
18.3% share it with 50 or more people.
use of smartphones/tablets to view the Health and Safety increased this year from
5.5% to 13.3%.
Reach
The scope and reach of this monthly newsletter has grown to 33,013 subscribers in
Canada and in 110 other countries. This represents 4.8% growth this year. The high
"share" rate of the Report represents an additional 563,000 readers, and combined with
the number of subscribers, represents an approximate monthly reach of almost 600,000.
The content from the Report was also heavily repurposed by other organizations/
publications this year, resulting in an exponential audience reach of 2.4 million.
Connecting Throughout Canada
CCOHS strategically selects relevant conferences and trade shows from across
occupational sectors and geographical regions in which to exhibit, speak, and participate.
Not only are these events opportunities for outreach and face-to-face connections with
Canadians, they are also an important channel for promoting and showcasing CCOHS
expertise, products, and services and demonstrating how they meet the needs of
Canadian workers, employers, and governments.
CCOHS' podcast program Health and Safety To Go, provides information in a current, portable format suitable for use on devices such as smart phones, tablets and MP3 players, that allow users to download content and access it at their own convenience. The program is offered as a free public service and increases accessibility and expands reach of health and safety resources to wider audiences (including those visually impaired).
Podcasts are created by repurposing CCOHS content - mainly from the Health and Safety Report and OSH Answers - are cost effective to produce, and yield an excellent "reach" return. CCOHS produced a total of 16 podcasts this year, bringing the total number of active episodes in the program to 111. The most-listened to podcasts this fiscal year were: Shift Work, Psychosocial
Reach
Over the year, the podcast program received a total 40,077 listens; 3,340 average listens per month. Generally the French language version of a podcast trends about 25-30% of the English listen rate, and in some instances it has been as high as 50-60%.
Webinar Program
CCOHS' webinar program has become an important initiative in promoting workplace health and safety in Canada, increasing impact as well as cultivating new stakeholder relationships. The program delivers workplace health and safety related informational programs.
NAOSH Week 2012 featured a free webinar, Psychological Health and Safety: An Action Guide for Employers, presented by Dr. Merv Gilbert and Dr. Dan Bilsker. It was the most attended webinar for CCOHS, with 248 locations tuning in to the live event, and at least 354 people viewing from these locations.
We have 18 recorded webinars in the Public Service Program which we continually crosspromote to achieve highest reach and impact possible.
Reach
New Events: 1
Views of all 18 webinars YTD: 1,129 views (248 live + 881 recorded webinar events)
Locations: 12 provinces/territories
Past webinars are also archived on the CCOHS site and continue to be viewed on
demand, representing an estimated additional reach of hundreds more.
Video Program
In support of our efforts to make health and safety information available in various formats to increase reach and impact, CCOHS is developing a series of short (1-2 minute long) videos on a variety of timely topics. Every effort is being made to produce both English and French language versions of the videos, which are hosted on the CCOHS YouTube channel. Three videos have been produced on the following topics: proper hand washing, hygiene tips to prevent the spread of germs, and lifting tips. Work on the fourth video on worker rights is underway, and will be released in May 2013.
Reach
Views: 1,455
Web Portals
Advancing Healthy Workplaces
Advancing Healthy Workplaces is a web portal service that provides Canadian employers, employees and practitioners, free and easy access to a comprehensive range of 300+ credible resources and practical tools for creating and promoting healthy workplaces.
Reach
Traffic to the content pages were viewed 52,568 times, and had 21% lower traffic as the previous year.
Young Workers Zone and Teaching Tools
The Young Workers Zone (YWZ) on the CCOHS website is a resource targeted to young workers and their parents, employers and teachers, with single-point access to information from all Canadian jurisdictions on workplace health and safety issues that affect young workers.
Reach
The Young Worker Zone had 36,378 unique page views (3,308 monthly average) of the content, and 59,070 total page views (5,370 monthly average).
The Health and Safety Teaching Tools manual was released in print as a cost recovery product ($129) to help teachers lay a foundation of health and safety with students. In May 2012, two web versions of Teaching Tools were made available: a free, public service basic version, and the comprehensive version - complete with tests, exercises, and viewing slides - available for a fee of $99.
Results
This year 37 Teaching Tools were sold, and in the six month period since the launch of the web version there were 11,176 unique page views of Teaching Tools content.
OSH Links
CCOHS maintains a directory of credible, high quality, occupational health and safety websites, to provide a convenient, single point of access. OSH Links is an extensive resource that organizes information that is easily navigated by major subjects, region, industry sector, or resource type. Although the primary emphasis is Canadian non-commercial occupational health and safety websites, OSH Links does include appropriate "buyer's guides" and government approved sites that list trainers, consultants, and other designated commercial organizations/suppliers.
Healthy Minds at Work
Healthy Minds at Work is a collection of quality online resources that offers information on how to create a healthy, supportive work environment, promote mental health, and effectively handle mental health issues that may exist - to improve workplace mental health for everyone. Later this year CCOHS assumed the hosting function of Guarding Minds at Work and also added this rich resource to the Healthy Minds at Work web portal.
Reach
Total Page Views: 21,574 (1,961 monthly average)
Pandemic Planning
Pandemic Planning is a web portal service that provides Canadians links to the information, tools and resources they need to learn about, and be prepared in the event of a pandemic. Concern by the Canadian public over this issue seems to have subsided somewhat in that the traffic to the website this year was decreased substantially for the second year in a row.
Reach
This year content pages were viewed 11,594 times, down approximately 20% from last year.
CanOSH
CCOHS offers the CanOSH website as an online information source to enable Canadians to easily find and access health and safety information provided by the federal, provincial and territorial government agencies, Workers' Compensation Boards and CCOHS.
Reach
This year traffic to the site was 12% lower with 14,009 unique visitors viewing 45,315 pages of content on the site.
EU-CANADA Collaboration
Developed and maintained by CCOHS, the Canada/ European Union Cooperation on
Workplace Safety & Health website provides links to occupational safety and health information available from Canadian government agencies that have OH&S responsibilities. It is linked from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work website to provide Europeans easy access to Canadian information.
Reach
This year 875 visitors viewed 1,489 pages of content.
Health and Safety in your language – Prototype
Migrant workers represent one of the most vulnerable groups with respect to workplace health and safety, as they are often working in a country that does not communicate in a language they understand. This past year CCOHS developed a portal that would be a central point of access for select, practical, health and safety information and guidance from around the world, in the languages in which they were created. The portal provides the facility to accept content reviewed and submitted by the more than 150 ILO-CIS Collaborating Centres. The prototype is completed and work continues to finalize development of submission and contact forms. The final piece of this initiative is identifying the logistics of populating the portal with content that can help protect workers and prevent injuries.
Stakeholder Relations and Community Engagement
Health and Safety Events
As part of our goal to undertake initiatives that lead to increased impact on Canadian
workplace health and safety, CCOHS hosted its fourth tripartite, national forum (Forum
IV) on October 29-30, 2012 at the Marriot Harbourfront Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The program included plenary sessions, a discussion panel of experts and interactive
workshops that provided an opportunity to share diverse perspectives and for delegates to
participate in the discussion. Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour, attended day one and
delivered opening remarks. The Innovation Showcase highlighted seven new and
innovative solutions and tools to enhance workplace health and safety. CCOHS worked
with the Mental Health Commission of Canada to facilitate a "soft" regional launch of the
Mental Health Standard at the Forum, to further raise the profile of the forum and of the
issue of mental health in Canada.
Results
There were 168 registrants for the forum; 150 paid (met target of 150) and 18
complimentary (sponsors, Council etc). There was representation from every province and
territory and attendees spanned the three caucus groups as follows: government 52%;
labour 24.5%; and employer 23.5%.
The $86,498 earned revenue more than covered the total event expenses of $82,709.
Close to 50% of the delegates responded to the evaluation survey: 91.3% were satisfied
with the knowledge enrichment from the event – 58% indicated that they thought it was
excellent; 91.3% of respondents indicated that they would consider attending a future
Forum hosted by CCOHS.
Other Events
National Day of Mourning
April 28th is set aside as the National Day of Mourning to honour those workers across the country whose lives have been lost, who have been injured or disabled on the job, or
suffer from occupational diseases. This day of observance offers employees and employers
the opportunity to remember the dead, injured and ill as well as publicly renew their
commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace.
CCOHS offers a selection of promotional materials to help Canadians show their support
for Day of Mourning as well as their commitment to strengthen the resolve to establish
safe conditions in the workplace for all. These include a series of bilingual Day of Mourning posters that can be downloaded for free or purchased in print, buttons, stickers, and free Facebook cover images that can be downloaded.
CCOHS maintains a permanent Day of Mourning section on the website with updated
fatality/injury statistics and materials to help promote this important day.
Reach
Overall Day of Mourning web page and poster downloads were lower than the previous
year. Eighteen pages of Day of Mourning web content were viewed a total of 18,595
times. In addition, 985 Day of Mourning posters were downloaded to Canadians free of
charge.
North American Occupational Health and Safety Week (NAOSH) Week
Every year during NAOSH Week communities and businesses throughout Canada, the
United States and Mexico work to raise awareness of workplace health and safety issues
and help prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. As a partner in NAOSH Week, CCOHS
updates and maintains the NAOSH Week web site (English and French versions), and also
participates on the planning committee for the national launch. CCOHS President and CEO
Steve Horvath spoke at the National Launch of NAOSH Week on Monday May 7, 2012 in
Toronto, Ontario.
CCOHS offered a series of free webinars and podcasts and promoted this special week in
our newsletters and social media channels. We also worked locally on the committee to
plan, promote and host the fifth Hamilton Steps for Life 5 km walk. This annual
fundraising event sponsored by Threads of Life, is intended to raise awareness about the
devastating impact of workplace fatalities, life-altering injuries and occupational disease
and the importance of injury prevention. Steps for Life kicked off NAOSH Week on Sunday
May 6, 2012 with the CCOHS Heart and Soles Team numbering a record 46 participants.
Reach
This year, 28,438 unique visitors frequented the NAOSH Week website and viewed content
pages 108,920 times.
Membership Program
The Annual Membership Program helps build a stronger and more dynamic relationship
with our clients. For the past four years the program has consistently exceeded both
revenue and membership targets. There are four levels of membership with varying
discounts and benefits: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze, as well as a $25 Student
Membership to help establish a strong relationship with future health and safety
professionals. The Silver level membership is now merging with the Gold level.
Results
Active members: 300
Revenue: $46,960 (21% increase over previous year)
Dick Martin Scholarship
The CCOHS Council of Governors established this annual, national award available to post-secondary students enrolled in degree/diploma granting occupational health and safety programs in Canada, to encourage interest in the field of workplace health and safety. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, there were several changes to the administration of the award.
The submissions were divided into two streams – college and university – with a winner
chosen from each stream. As well, students applying for the award had a choice of two
essay topics – a technical topic or a prevention topic.
A $3,000 scholarship was awarded to each of the following recipients:
Laure-Elise Forel, Quebec (Université de Montreal)
Bernard Kenny, Newfoundland (College of the North Atlantic)
Additionally, the academic institutions attended by the winners received a $500 award
each.
A total of 62 submissions were received – the highest number of submissions ever. The
breakdown of submissions by province is as follows (based on 58 eligible submissions).
Province
Ontario
British Columbia
Alberta
Newfoundland
Quebec
Nova Scotia
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Yukon
Applicants
13
10
10
8
6
4
3
3
1
Percentage
22%
17%
17%
14%
10%
7%
5%
5%
2%
Social Media and Media Relations
* A Klout Score is the measurement of someone's overall online influence. The score ranges from 1 to 100 (the higher the score, the better). Klout measures True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score to represent ones sphere of influence.
The use of social media is an important component of CCOHS' initiatives to promote a
comprehensive approach to workplace health and safety and to strengthen CCOHS'
position as a "go to" resource for tools, information and means to create healthy
workplaces. Through our main social media channels of Twitter, Facebook, and the CCOHS
Blog we have developed robust online communities that increase engagement and
encourage discussion. Recently CCOHS added LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ profiles to
the social media mix further expanding its social media presence.
Reach
Twitter: 3,960 followers (an increase of 46% from previous year); 341 tweets; 735 re-tweets with a potential reach of 1,174,536. CCOHS is listed on 215
user-created Twitter lists (up from 175 the previous year).
Facebook: CCOHS now has a community of 2,978 fans, an increase of more than 88% over the previous year.
Distributed six times per year via e-mail, the Liaison newsletter includes the latest CCOHS corporate news, product updates, and special marketing promotions. The readership
includes both CCOHS clients and non-clients who have opted in to subscribe, further
extending the reach of this important communications channel.
Reach
Liaison's subscriber base increased 37% over the previous year from 10,570 to 14,539.
The six electronic issues published averaged a 28% open rate, and a 33.3% click-through
rate, which is higher than the government average of 10.9%.
From the 576 responses received from the annual readership survey conducted in January
2013, 92.6% of respondents felt that, overall, Liaison delivers value to their organization.
81% said that they used information from Liaison in relation to current or planned
changes in their workplace to improve health and safety. In addition, Liaison has excellent
pass-along value, with over 86% of respondents indicating that they forward or share the
newsletter with others.
Building Awareness
Posters, Pins and Stickers
CCOHS expanded the awareness program to include several other products such as
buttons, pins, and stickers that convey important health and safety messages, to help
meet the demand for cost effective health and safety awareness tools. Used in
conjunction with the respective posters they are designed to help enhance organizations'
internal awareness campaigns.
CCOHS' poster program consists of 23 posters that are available as free downloads from
the CCOHS website and for sale in print. Recent poster topics include: Chemical Entry
Points to the Body; Three Basis Rights of Workers in Canada and GHS pictograms. The
top three downloaded posters include WHMIS Hazard Symbols; How Workplace Chemicals
Enter the Body and tied for third are GHS Pictograms and Safe Lifting Tips.
Reach
Approximately 3,105 printed posters were sold and an additional 31,825 (15% increase
from previous year) free electronic versions were downloaded.
Training and Education Services
Providing a high quality and dependable service to fulfill the health and safety related training
and education needs of Canadian workplace participants.
CCOHS offers both instructor-led classroom and e-learning programs (e-courses) to help meet
the occupational health and safety education and training needs of working Canadians.
E-learning continues to provide a significant and growing revenue stream for CCOHS. Courses
are developed following well-established procedures to ensure they are of the highest quality.
CCOHS staff create courses with assistance and advice from outside technical experts when
required. The tripartite external review of courses by representatives of government, employers
and labour helps ensure balance, accuracy and understanding by all parties in the workplace.
OSH Answers
OSH Answers provides a global web-based information service in a form suitable for
workplace participants to understand, identify and deal with workplace health and safety
concerns. There are currently around 550 documents, each in an easy-to-read, question
and answer format, accessible free-of-charge on the CCOHS website. All are available in
both English and French.
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
This year, eight new documents were added, 83 were revised, and 15 were confirmed
current. These numbers reflect the need to continually concentrate on providing the
most current information to optimize our impact on the health and safety of Canadian
enterprises. CCOHS continues to maintain a reputation as a dependable and trustworthy
source of information. As such, specialists continue to review and update the existing
documents to ensure continued accuracy of information.
Reach
OSH Answers continues to enjoy tremendous success in transferring health and safety
knowledge and in reaching both Canadians and the world. Indeed, statistics show that
over 7.5 million documents were delivered this year and almost 4.5 million unique
visitors visited the site. The service was also accessed by users from over 190 countries.
Additional Reach
The OSH Answers and Réponses SST documents provide additional outreach to the
public. Many inquirers have asked to reproduce these documents for education and
training use in schools and workplaces as well as for publication in newsletters,
magazines, text books, and for redistribution in offices of health care providers.
From April 1, 2012 until March 31, 2013, there were 78 requests for copyright
authorization, resulting in 201,799 copies of CCOHS information being made. The
organizations reproducing CCOHS content included government departments,
companies, unions, health care organizations and educational institutions. In addition,
the information is potentially shared with many more individuals because of the large
readership of these documents; safety professionals often tell us that they use our
information in their workplaces for training or educational purposes as well.
Emerging Issues and Trends
As a sample of the range of interest by visitors, the 20 most requested topics for this
period included:
WHMIS – MSDS
Hazards and Risks
What is an LD50?
Bill C-45 - Overview
WHMIS – Classification
OSH Answers Home Page
WHMIS – Introduction
Risk Assessment
Housekeeping
Bullying in the Workplace
What are the Effects of Dust on the Lungs?
Hazard Control
Raynaud's Phenomenon
Accident Investigation
Job Hazard Analysis
WHMIS - Labelling Requirements
Legionnaire's Disease
Thermal Comfort
Needlestick Injuries
Extreme Hot or Cold Temperature Conditions
Training and e-Learning
e-Learning Programs
e-Learning refers to learning and supportive resources that are made available through
a computer. CCOHS' e-courses were developed to help Canadians easily acquire and
apply workplace health and safety information that could help keep workers free from
injury and disease. CCOHS' series of e-courses continue to generate significant
participation by individuals and organizations.
Courses are available for purchase on an individual as well as a multi-user basis for
organizations. Multi-user purchases also include the full features of a Learning
Management System, providing the means to track learner activities, successful
completion and generate reports.
CCOHS develops e-courses in response to requests from workers, employers and
governments for high quality, affordable programs that provide education on a variety of
occupational health and safety topics. Each course is available in English and French,
with the ability to turn the audio option on or off to suit learner needs. Participants learn
at their own pace, anytime, anywhere they have access to an internet-enabled
computer.
As of the end of the year, CCOHS had developed 13 new e-courses, bringing the totalcourse count to 94. New courses added this year include:
Biological/Organic Hazards
Compressed Gases
Environmental Management Systems
HazCom 2012 for Workers
Mental Health: Awareness
Mental Health: Communication Strategies
Mental Health: Health & Wellness Strategies
Mental Health: Psychologically Healthy Workplaces
Mental Health: Signs, Symptoms and Solutions
OHS Management Systems
OHS/Environmental Management Systems
OHS/Environmental Management Systems: Awareness
Safe Driving: Backing Up
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In the past nine years, CCOHS has delivered approximately 138,000 seats (one seat
allows one person to access one course) and the e-learning programs continue to
experience tremendous growth (as illustrated above). This year over 35,000 e-learning
seats were purchased.
Fiscal
Unique Titles
Total Course Titles
(English & French)
Total Participants
2004-05
3
5
1,773
2005-06
12
22
6,253
2006-07
22
41
16,128
2007-08
32
59
24,641
2008-09
48
91
35,843
2009-10
56
103
47,980
2010-11
70
125
69,251
2011-12
75
133
104,491
2012-13
94
173
138,865
The courses with the most seat sales to date are:
WHMIS for Workers
Health and Safety for Managers and Supervisors
Canada Labour Code, Part II: An Overview
WHMIS for Saskatchewan Workers
Office Ergonomics
Violence in the Workplace: Recognize the Risk and Take Action
Ladder Safety
Health and Safety Committees
Accident Investigation
Health and Safety Committees in the Canadian Federal Jurisdiction
The outreach of our free awareness courses also continues to experience tremendous
growth. Collectively, they have been accessed over 118,000 times in this year.
Many organizations are using CCOHS' e-courses as part of a "blended learning" solution.
That is, the course is delivered in a classroom setting to support the need to educate
workers on occupational health and safety, and to discuss the topic as it pertains to their
organization's specific issues and practices. Employees then complete the e-course and
its evaluation component (final examination) and receive a certificate of completion
when a passing grade is obtained.
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
To ensure we are meeting the needs of our users, participants are invited to complete a
feedback form upon completion of the e-course. This year, 2,410 participants
responded to the survey (a decrease of 19% from last year). The survey covers all
areas including content, comprehension, imagery and functionality and indicates an
overall approval rating exceeding 90%.
Classroom Training
This year, the demand for public classroom-based training programs declined, however
there was continuing interest in on-site courses. Classroom training, however is not a
growth area, therefore the majority of our efforts have been directed towards the
expansion of our e-learning program. The classroom courses that are delivered at CCOHS
as well as on-site include:
Health & Safety Training for Managers and Supervisors; and
Health & Safety for Managers and Supervisors in the Federal Jurisdiction.
Reach
Fourteen courses have been held in various cities in Canada, for a total of 175 participants.
Publications
CCOHS publishes guides and other documents that respond to the need in Canadian
workplaces for information that is practical, authoritative and balanced. CCOHS' popular
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. These guides are also available as electronic PDF files. Some titles are also
available in ePub format.
CCOHS publications are widely used as tools for managers, supervisors, workers, and
health and safety committee members to become more knowledgeable about issues
(e.g. indoor air, ergonomics, workplace violence) or workplace safety functions (e.g.
health and safety committees or emergency planning).
Another important aspect of publications is that they – like OSH Answers, e-courses, and
CHEMINFO – are developed by CCOHS and represent the Centre across Canada and
around the world. CCOHS publications are purchased by government agencies for
distribution to workplaces – a testament to the credibility and reputation of CCOHS as a
trustworthy source.
There are currently 29 titles in both English and French in the CCOHS library. Guides updated this year were:
Safety Data Sheet: A Guide to First Aid Recommendations (English and French)
WHMIS After GHS: Preparing for Change (English and French)
Work has begun on new titles, including:
WHMIS (After GHS) Trainer's Tool Kit (will include instructor manual, PowerPoint
slides and participant workbook)
PPE for Workers
Reach
Seventy six percent of purchasers state that guides and other publications are used to
decide on changes and improved procedures that increase health and safety for many
more workers. With 7,359 publications purchased this year, the impact of CCOHS
publications extends beyond the information provided to the thousands of purchasers
directly by CCOHS.
Health and Safety Management Systems
OSH Works™
OSH Works is a service to help organizations improve their occupational health and safety
performance. It provides a framework and guidance material to help organizations
develop and improve workplace health and safety programs to meet regulatory
compliance; develop comprehensive workplace health and safety programs; or achieve
certification to national or international Occupational Health and Safety Management
System standards.
Occupational health and safety legislation in Canadian provincial, territorial and federal
jurisdictions requires organizations to have an occupational health and safety program.
Because of this legal requirement, many organizations will already have an occupational
health and safety program in place, with all the necessary documentation and records
available. Others will be highly motivated to have a demonstrable occupational health and
safety program in place. CCOHS created the Program version of OSH Works for these
organizations.
The trend with health and safety programs today is to go beyond the consideration of
traditional workplace hazards, and to take a more holistic approach. As well as
considering the physical work environment, organizations are considering the psychosocial
work environment; personal health resources; and enterprise community involvement. For
organizations that want to address these 'avenues of influence', CCOHS created the
Comprehensive Workplace Health and Safety version of OSH Works. Organizations with
well established health and safety programs may choose to implement an Occupational
Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) and receive certification to either the
Canadian OHSMS standard CSA Z1000 or one of the international OHSMS standards such
as OHSAS 18001. An OHSMS involves integrating health and safety into all aspects of an
operation including production, human resources, administration, finance, maintenance,
and purchasing. CCOHS has created an OHSMS version of OSH Works to provide a
framework for organizations implementing and continually improving an OHSMS.
OSH Works benefits organizations by helping them to establish an occupational health and
safety program, improve an existing OH&S program and/or create a healthy workplace
through effective employee awareness programs and implementation of standards. As a
result of using any of the OSH Works programs, organizations will not only be able to
meet or exceed regulatory compliance, but create a healthier workforce, enhance
productivity and foster a culture of safety and prevention of injury and illness.
In the second half of the fiscal year, CCOHS began developing a simplified compliance
version of OSH Works, intended for small to medium sized enterprises. This new version
will be available in fiscal 2013-2014.
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OSH Works is being actively promoted, and has ten subscribing organizations. These
organizations use OSH Works and are contributing towards its ongoing development.
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
A Technical Specialist is assigned to each client account to provide the necessary support
needed to set-up the service and to improve the health and safety program. CCOHS staff
check in with each client quarterly to monitor the progress and to identify areas of the
service for improvement.
Inquiries and Client Services
Inquiries and Client Services provides free, confidential access to occupational health and safety information, in both English and French, to Canada's working population. The service responds to telephone, e-mail and in-person inquiries, providing information that is unbiased and relevant to workers, employers, unions and governments alike. The service also provides information regarding CCOHS products and services.
Inquiries
This year, the Inquiries Service received financial support from the following Provincial and Territorial establishments:
British Columbia
WorkSafe BC
Manitoba
Workplace Safety and Health Division, Manitoba
Labour and Immigration
New Brunswick
WorkSafe New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Occupational Health and Safety Branch
Department of Government Services
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission
Nova Scotia
Occupational Health & Safety Division, Nova Scotia
Department of Environment and Labour
Ontario
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
Prince Edward Island
Occupational Health and Safety Division, Workers'
Compensation Board
Saskatchewan
Occupational Health and Safety Division, Saskatchewan Labour
Reach
8,226 questions were received through its traditional person-to-person information service, from every province and territory in Canada. The three largest provincial users of the service are Ontario (47%), Alberta (14.6%) and Quebec (14.1%). The map above summarizes the inquiries received by geographic breakdown by province.
Categories of Inquiries Received
During this period, inquiries received covered subjects and concerns such as chemicals and reproductive hazards, ergonomics, indoor air quality, occupational cancer, and a large number of concerns regarding harassment, bullying and violence in the workplace. A breakdown according to the subject categories is shown above.
Client Satisfaction Survey
From this year's client satisfaction survey, we received feedback from 765 users of the Inquiries Service. Fifty eight percent of respondents stated that their use of CCOHS information will lead to current or future changes to the workplace that may result in improved occupational health and safety performance.
Respondents were asked how many individuals within their organization access the information provided by CCOHS. These answers showed substantial use:
9% of respondents indicated that more than 500 individuals did benefit from or share
CCOHS information in their organization
14% shared CCOHS information with up to 499 individuals
32% shared CCOHS information with 1-99 individuals
45% shared CCOHS information with 1-4 individuals
Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
Through regular monitoring to ensure both the quality and efficiency of the responses provided, users of the service were asked to rate the responsiveness, timeliness, clarity and usefulness of the information received. During this year 85% of users indicated they were very satisfied or satisfied overall.
Employers, government, labour and others are users of the service. A breakdown of the usage during the period is shown above.
Users Comments
"The staff member I spoke to was clear and concise in answering my inquiries. The information I received was very helpful and the service was prompt. Thank you so very much. You have helped make my workplace safer and gave me the tools to bring to our safety reps for consideration and action. Thank you."
"J'ai utilisé à plusieurs reprises vos services et à chaque fois la réponse était tout à fait satisfaisante et émise dans des délais raisonnables. Souvent ma référence pour les questions en santé-sécurité dont je n'arrive pas à trouver les réponses dans les différentes
réglementations."
Client Services
CCOHS' Client Services respond to telephone and e-mail questions addressing the benefits
of CCOHS products and services and how they may be used to achieve compliance and
improved occupational health and safety performance.
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This year staff answered 5,065 questions (90% English language; 10% French language). Client Services is continuously monitored to ensure both the quality and efficiency of the responses provided.
Users Comments
" I was extremely appreciative of the professional demeanor of your staff, of the timeliness and relevance of the information provided, and for the offer of future support (if required). Many thanks!"
Chemical Services
Providing a comprehensive information service on all aspects of chemical safety to fulfill the
needs of Canadian workplaces.
CCOHS has for many years provided support to thousands of its clients - suppliers, employers
and regulators who prepare or evaluate MSDSs for their accuracy, consistency and reliability. New
tools have been developed to create more reliable and accurate MSDSs, label information and
also to support and manage workplace programs. The CCOHS MSDS Management Service (MMS)
also ensures that workplaces have a well-managed collection of MSDSs on hand to respond to
workplace requirements. CCOHS supports every Canadian's right to know about hazardous
chemicals through its product and service lines.
Special Projects include: WHMIS after GHS, WHMIS Classification Discrepancy, MSDS Evaluation
Study, GHS Implementation Variances, WHMIS/GHS Education and Communication Ad Hoc Committee.
The service includes the following performance areas and products and services:
MSDS Services
MSDS Management Service (MMS)
The MSDS Management Service (MMS) allows employers to build collections of all data
sheets required for their workplace, with the support and assistance of CCOHS. MMS is a
web-based service, and provides a number of features to allow for the easy distribution
of MSDSs within the workplace. Options are available for distribution of data sheets
including providing direct web access, download and paper binders. The primary goal of
the service is to ensure currency of the client's data sheets within the service, since this
is an important aspect of meeting all the regulatory requirements of employers.
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MMS continues to grow significantly each year. This year, MMS achieved over 20%
growth in the total number of clients served, as well as a high retention of existing
clients with over 95% renewing their service for another year.
MMS serves client organizations in diverse industries and organizations of many different
sizes. Much of the recent growth has been from smaller organizations, which indicates
that the benefits of a management service for compliance are being understood by small
businesses.
MSDS and FTSS Databases
The basic MSDS and FTSS database service has been available from CCOHS for over
25 years and was developed to support Canadian workplaces for WHMIS compliance.
Clients who already have internal management systems or who require access to a
general library of MSDSs find that the MSDS database product meets their needs. The
MSDS/FTSS databases are also an important resource for universities and academic
institutions through the Academic Support Program.
Reach
MSDS and FTSS databases are key resources for organizations meeting their WHMIS
workplace requirements. MSDS' were viewed by subscribers close to 900 times per
working day this year, indicating that the service continues to have an active group of
users, even as more organizations choose to use the more comprehensive MSDS
Management Service. A decision was reached to retire the CD-ROM service.
Chemical Information
CHEMINFO
The CHEMINFO database contains summarized, reliable, understandable information on
workplace chemicals. It provides key health and safety information needed to control
workplace exposures and prevent accidents, and includes scientifically supported
regulatory classifications.
CHEMINFO, a unique database created by CCOHS, was developed more than 25 years
ago to support the need for authoritative and reliable information on chemicals. It
continues to fulfill this function by meeting the needs of diverse clients such as workers,
employers, committee members, MSDS writers and evaluators, industrial hygienists,
safety officers, physicians, nurses, emergency responders, regulators and inspectors.
CHEMINFO is available through many avenues – via revenue generating and public
service offerings. CHEMINFO is created, developed and provided exclusively by CCOHS.
CHEMINFO priorities continue to be focused on maintaining and developing the collection
to better meet client needs. The CHEMINFO database had significant updates and new
chemical records added this past year. Based on client use and feedback, nine new
records were added (eight long), 46 priority records were updated (36 long), and 91
records were modified (e.g. for exposure guidelines, and carcinogenicity evaluations).
Thirty-three regulatory records were enhanced to short records and 3 long records were
retired due to low use.
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CHEMINFO clients viewed almost 31,000 records online with additional use from
CD-ROM. In addition, a CHEMINFO spin-off in OSH Answers named Chemical Profiles was
viewed 45,000 times each month in English and 11,000 in French.
Users came from 170 different countries. CHEMINFO's spin-off product the WHMIS
Classifications Database (available as a public service on the CCOHS website) was used
28,000 times last year.
Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances
RTECS contains critical toxicological information with citations on more than 174,000
chemical substances, from 2,500 plus sources. RTECS® includes toxicological data such
as:
LD50 and LC50 values for short and long term exposures;
Skin and eye irritation data;
Carcinogenicity, reproductive, embryotoxic effects; and
References to toxicological reviews; international workplace exposure limits;
analytical methods; and exposure and hazard survey data.
Toxicologists, MSDS writers, industrial hygienists, product safety specialists, health and
safety specialists and pharmacologists need this database to find out what the reported
toxic effects are on specific chemicals, including LD50 and LC50 data, carcinogenicity
status, as well as sensitization and reproductive effects. For many clients, access to this
type of chemical data assists them with OSH and environmental compliance
requirements such as determining hazardous waste designations. The addition of two
new acute toxicity fields this year: Aquatic Toxicity and In Vitro Toxicity enhance the
value of RTECS to our clients.
The content was originally developed by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH). It is now kept updated under license through Accelrys, Inc.
CCOHS is unique in offering an English and French language version of the database, as
well as subscriptions to an intranet version of the database to further meet the needs of
our clients. With the implementation of GHS (Globally Harmonized System for
Classification and Labelling of Chemicals), RTECS is expected to continue to be essential
for its toxicological data.
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RTECS is used by 360 subscribers. Forty percent are from the United States, while 25%
of subscribers are from Canada (the remaining are from 33 other countries). The online
version was used 62,700 times this year and a decision was reached to retire the
CD-ROM service.
CHEMpendium™
CHEMpendium is a collection of essential databases that meets the broad needs of
environmental, health and safety practitioners. CHEMpendium, a comprehensive
resource of chemical hazard information for workplaces and the environment, covers
transport of hazardous materials and includes descriptions of chemical toxicity, fact
sheets on the hazards and safe use of industrial chemicals and environmental
contaminants, and much more.
CHEMpendium improves productivity and effectiveness by offering reliable information
with cross-database searching of the following authoritative databases:
Chemical Evaluation Search and Retrieval System (CESARS)
Chemical Hazards Response Information System (CHRIS)
CHEMINFO
Domestic/Non-Domestic Substances List (DSL/NDSL)
Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
New Jersey Hazardous Substance Fact Sheets
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG)
Transport of Hazardous Materials databases
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CHEMpendium offers information on 91,000 chemicals and is available online or via
CD-ROM.
The CHEMpendium database collection usage via the web dropped slightly this year as
45,000 database records were viewed online. A decision was reached to retire the
CD-ROM service.
DOMESTIC/NON-DOMESTIC SUBSTANCE LISTS (DSL/NDSL)
CCOHS created the Domestic Substances List and the Non-Domestic Substances List
(DSL/NDSL) as a resource for Canadians, as well as international manufacturers and
importers who needed access to Canada's domestic inventory list. This regulatory list
was created under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) by Environment
Canada.
The lists act to identify chemicals or other substances that are manufactured or used
in Canada or those that, while not used in Canada, are used in world commerce. These
lists are an important way for the government to be aware of new substances and to
assess them for safety before widespread use occurs in Canada.
Chemical manufacturers, suppliers and importers who may have to submit information
under CEPA, use the database, which is updated regularly. Government regulators and
enforcers, MSDS writers and regulatory compliance specialists find that the DSL/NDSL
database helps them to meet their compliance requirements.
Currently the DSL contains 26,935 substances and the NDSL contains 49,099
substances. These substances are searchable in a database as part of the
CHEMpendium™ collection on the Web Information Service (WIS) and the Disc
Information Service (DIS). The DSL and NDSL are not static lists. Regulatory
amendments, additions and deletions may occur at any time, so the DSL/NDSL
database is an important way to ensure users remain in compliance. Live updating of
the database on WIS provides current regulatory changes including Significant New
Activity (SNAc) Notices for regulated substances. Steady database traffic –
approximately 5,000 searches through out the year, shows strong client loyalty to this
database.
Chemical Tools
CANWrite™
MSDS and SDS Authoring Software
CANWrite is CCOHS' own software which was developed to support suppliers and
manufacturers of chemical products to author MSDSs and SDSs in English and French –
efficiently and accurately. It features the CCOHS authoring order, built-in assisted logic
and MSDS templates. It also provides users with the ability to auto-populate exposure
limits and acute toxicity data, while providing seamless access to critical resources,
such as CHEMINFO, RTECS® and a new CCOHS regulatory database.
CANWrite was developed so that users can rely on a standard phrase library which
follows clear language principles to help ensure that the information on MSDSs is
understandable to a broad audience. The software offers these clear language phrases
in English, French and Latin American Spanish, and it also allows the author to save
their own "custom translated" phrases. Authors can then generate multi-language
versions of MSDSs automatically.
US OSHA implementation of GHS requirements began in May 2012 with full SDS
compliance required by June 2015. These developments have resulted in increased
interest in, and sales of, CANWrite since many Canadian chemical supplier companies
ship workplace chemical products to the United States, and CANWrite was developed
with GHS in mind.
CCOHS is finalizing the development of CANWrite GHS 2013, a version which will
produce an OSHA GHS compliant SDS. In Canada, the GHS requirements which will be
implemented in WHMIS, are expected to be harmonized with the US OSHA
requirements. Canada is expected to finalize GHS requirements in WHMIS by 2014,
and once these requirements are known an update to CANWrite which will comply with
both US OSHA and Canadian WHMIS requirements will be released. There is some
expectation that Canada will have GHS requirement in WHMIS "in force" by June 2015.
Reach
Interest in CANWrite from small and medium-sized chemical manufacturers this year
has increased significantly. Sales have come primarily from Canadian suppliers
however, there have also been sales to suppliers in the United States, as well as to
consultants specializing in MSDS authoring in the United States and United Kingdom.
Sales of this product are expected to continue their steady increase over the next few
years as organizations convert to the 16-heading SDS format, and implement GHS
classifications.
CANLabel
CANLabel is an online service that creates WHMIS, OSHA and GHS labels, and
includes label management, custom phrases, translated phrases and Workplace
labels for employers. Clients have the option of subscribing annually or monthly and
have continual access to the labels regardless of period.
Collaborative Projects
International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)
IPCS INCHEM
For many years the IPCS INCHEM service has been one of the most important chemical
information services delivered by CCOHS. Located at INCHEM.org this resource contains
thousands of chemical-related health, safety and environment documents and databases
from several international organizations – including the World Health Organization (WHO),
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the IPCS, the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD). INCHEM contains information essential for the sound
management of chemicals that affect the environment and human health. Support for
hosting and updating of INCHEM is funded by the World Health Organization. This year
INCHEM was updated with new documents to the CICADS, JECFA monographs, JMPR
monographs, International Chemical Safety Cards and Harmonization Project Publications
collections. INCHEM is updated annually. In addition, CCOHS provides indexing links to
Global Chemical web portal to ensure that INCHEM documents are accessible from that
website.
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INCHEM has tremendous impact and reach as a public service. There were more than 1.1
million visitors from over 200 countries this year to INCHEM. The collection of 8,850
authoritative documents were viewed over 2.1 million times.
IPCS INTOX
IPCS INTOX has been a collaborative program between CCOHS and the World Health
Organization (WHO) for 25 years. IPCS INTOX is an integrated operational system that
strengthens and enhances Poison Centres around the world saving lives and minimizing
damage to health from toxic exposures. This programme includes poison data management
system software (INTOX DMS), a supporting databank (INTOX Databank) and development
of Poison Information Monographs (PIMs) on poisoning agents to manage information on
poisonings.
The INTOX Data Management System (INTOX DMS) was a software system developed
several years ago, and enables a poison centre to compile three integrated databases, for
enquiries, substances and products. It is available in English, French, Spanish and
Portuguese.
CCOHS supports existing users of the INTOX DMS, particularly to enable ongoing use and
reporting, however due to technological change and declining subscriptions, ongoing
development of the software is not planned for the future.
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The INTOX DMS is being used to actively support about 10 Poison Control Centres in
countries around the world. Many centres have been using this management system for
many years. These centres in turn support national, provincial or state-wide populations.
Health Canada Projects
WHMIS After GHS Resources
GHS will be implemented into Canadian Workplace Hazardous Materials Information
System (WHMIS) laws in the next few years. CCOHS, with the financial support of
Health Canada's National Office of WHMIS (NOW) developed, released and have
hosted free awareness resources since 2009. There is an ongoing agreement
between our organizations to keep these resources updated over the next few years.
These resources are available in English and French and include two e-courses (An
Introduction, How Suppliers Can Prepare) as well as WHMIS After GHS fact sheets.
The most frequent questions we receive are related to: when GHS may be adopted
in WHMIS?; when will suppliers be expected to issue new labels and SDSs?; and
when will workplaces be expected to start training? These dates are still unknown in
Canada however, it usually takes two years for Canada to implement proposed
regulations into final laws.
Reach
Over 3,600 users accessed the e-courses and fact sheets last year (13% French and
87% English). Almost 90% of users were from Canada and included employers,
workers and trainers.
WHMIS after GHS e-course
>2012-13
>2009-13
• Introduction
- English
1,881
3,912
- French
228
538
• Suppliers
- English
405
886
- French
63
167
TOTAL e-Course Reach
2,577
5,503
WHMIS after GHS Fact Sheets
2012-13
2010-13
- English
871
871
- French
158
158
- Combined English/French
1,869
TOTAL Fact Sheet Reach
1,029
2,898
WHMIS Classification Discrepancy
CCOHS continues to collaborate with the Quebec Commission de la santé et de la
sécurité du travail (CSST) and the Health Canada National Office of WHMIS (NOW) to
harmonize WHMIS classifications available on the CCOHS and CSST websites and to
respond to classification questions submitted by stakeholders. During this fiscal year,
CCOHS and the CSST exchanged information and reached consensus on the WHMIS
classification of propylene and hydrogen iodide.
CCOHS' participation in WHMIS Classification Discrepancy impacts WHMIS stakeholders
across Canada, in that technical agreement on WHMIS classifications – when challenges
or concerns are raised by industry, labour or government – are achieved, providing a
mechanism for resolution of concerns for Canadians.
CCOHS participates and provides support for this national activity as a public service.
CCOHS' involvement in this committee over more than a decade has been seen as vital
for supporting Canadian WHMIS harmonization.
MSDS Evaluation Study
Health Canada and CCOHS have a mutual interest in the quality of Material Safety Data
Sheets (MSDSs) as a hazard communication tool in Canada. Research evaluating the
quality of MSDSs for workplace chemicals has shown that many MSDSs fail to
adequately communicate health hazards. The overall objective of this work was to use a
research approach to review, and evaluate the accuracy of hazard information disclosed
on MSDSs for products containing lead compounds that are intended for use in
Canadian workplaces. During Phase 1 of the study, which was completed in March 2012,
CCOHS identified the lead compounds of interest, the health effects to be evaluated,
and approximately 90 MSDSs for evaluation. Phase 2 of the study was completed in
June, 2012. The selected MSDSs were audited, the data collected was analyzed, and a
final report was submitted to Health Canada.
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The study provided information to help improve the quality of MSDSs for products used
in Canadian workplaces. The results will help support WHMIS enforcement at the
federal, provincial and territorial levels.
GHS Implementation Variances Project
At the request of Health Canada, CCOHS analyzed the impact of several potential
variances between the U.S. OSHA implementation of the GHS and the proposed Canadian
WHMIS implementation. CCOHS assessed the potential scope and magnitude of the
implications of specific variances and identified the general value of retaining the variance
from a health and safety perspective.
Principles which guide the implementation of the GHS in WHMIS include:
harmonization to the greatest extent possible both internationally and with other
sectors in Canada;
no reduction to the current level of protection for workers in Canada;
respect of the GHS building block approach; and
that recommendations should be founded on consensus agreements by regulators,
industry, organized labour and employers, to the extent possible.
In addition, the Government of Canada, as part of the Canada-U.S. Regulatory
Cooperation Council (RCC), has agreed to work with US-OSHA to use the implementation
of GHS as an opportunity to achieve as much regulatory alignment as possible between
Canada's workplace hazard system (WHMIS) and that of the US.
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CCOHS provided information to Health Canada and its stakeholders to assist in identifying
the impact of retaining or eliminating variances between the Canadian implementation of
the GHS as compared to the U.S. implementation. This work helped increase
harmonization of chemical hazard classification and communication between Canada and
the US, while maintaining the current level of worker protection in Canada.
WHMIS/GHS Education and Communication Ad Hoc Committee
CCOHS has been asked to participate on the CAALL-OSH/AWCBC/Health Canada Ad Hoc
Committee for WHMIS/GHS Education and Communication. This committee will
encourage cooperation and sharing among jurisdictions to ensure efficient and timely
resources for workers, suppliers and regulators.
Occupational and Environmental Cancer e-course
The Occupational and Environmental Cancer: Recognition and Prevention e-learning course
was released in April 2008, and the French language version was released in January 2009.
The e-course is interactive, has case studies, a final exam and many pages of resources
particularly lists of carcinogens.
This course is aimed at the family doctor and health professional but is of great interest to
the workplace health and safety community. It supports the recognition of occupational
and environmental exposures and occupational cancers. It was developed by members of
the National Committee on Environmental and Occupational Exposures (NCEOE) in
cooperation with CCOHS and funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC).
The English course has been viewed by 1274 learners since its release in March 2008, the
French version by 139 learners since its release in 2009 and the Spanish version by 311
learners since its release in 2010. Survey feedback for the course has been extremely
positive. Of the 160 registrant that provided feedback, all indicated that they would
recommend this course to others and 99% were completely satisfied with the course.
CCOHS will continue to host, update and maintain the e-courses for next year.
General Health and Safety Services
Legislation Services
Canadian enviroOSH Legislation plus Standards
This service provides Canadians with the essential legislation and referenced standards
to identify and understand their rights and responsibilities under the law. Employers and
workers can immediately find the current information they need for each jurisdiction in
one place, without the time-consuming effort of viewing multiple government websites.
The full text of referenced Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Canadian General
Standards Board (CGSB) standards provides a key benefit, and demonstrates the
partnerships that CCOHS has undertaken to ensure Canadians have the tools they need
to comply with the law.
Reach
Over 400 organizations in Canada and internationally subscribe to the enviroOSH
Legislation service in its various packages and formats: regional, national, PLUS
Standards, on the Internet and on DVD. Thousands of additional users access individual
pieces of legislation through links from relevant CCOHS e-courses.
CANADIAN EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION
Canadian Employment Legislation was added to the web legislation service in May 2011
offering employment standards, industrial relations, human rights and privacy acts,
regulations and guides from all jurisdictions. Designed to help support human resources
and related duties and responsibilities under the legislation, this service was
discontinued in November 2012 due to lower than expected sales.
Databases
National Labour Operations Resources
Produced in cooperation with the Labour Program of Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada (HRSDC), this service provides the full text of the Canada Labour
Code and related CSA and CGSB standards as well as interpretive material and guidelines.
Other key federal legislation relating to topics such as employment equity is included
along with HRSDC publications for the workplace. In addition to the CD-ROM, a web-based
version is also available.
Reach
The content of this product is critical to both government inspectors and federally
regulated organizations in such industries as transport, banking and broadcasting. For
example, CD-ROM portability ensures that HRSDC Labour Affairs Officers in workplaces
where Internet access may be unavailable can access this information.
Academic Support Program
The CCOHS Academic Support Program (ASP) is offered exclusively to universities and
colleges as both a tool to educate students about environmental and occupational health
and safety and as a guide to assist academic institutions in their efforts to achieve a safe
and healthy working environment. This program includes MSDS, FTSS, CHEMINFO,
RTECS®, the OSH References collection (comprised of OSHLINE® with NIOSHTIC®/
NIOSHTIC-2, CISILO, HSELINE, INRS Bibliographie, Canadiana and a PubMed subset), and
several free resources.
Reach
The Academic Support Program has clients across Canada and in the USA, as well as in
other countries including Australia, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom, New
Zealand, Denmark, Fiji, and Hong Kong. The reach of the total subscriptions around the
world represents 3 million students, faculty and staff.
Bibliographic Databases and the ILO Encyclopaedia
The bibliographic databases and the ILO Encyclopaedia form an important part of CCOHS'
Web Information Service. The OSH References collection includes OSHLINE, the CCOHS
database of references to occupational health and safety journal articles, reports and
conference proceedings. Other databases include: NIOSHTIC®/ NIOSHTIC-2 from the US,
HSELINE from the UK, CISILO from Geneva, INRS Bibliographie from France, CCOHS' own
Canadiana, and a customized PubMed health and safety subset from the US National Library
of Medicine. Adding over 100,000 references on occupational health and safety topics, the
PubMed subset enriches and expands available content, and allows clients to conveniently
search PubMed references alongside our other databases.
The ILO Encyclopaedia project is a collaborative effort between the ILO and CCOHS, in
which CCOHS delivers the encyclopaedia together with the CIS/ILO database in English and
French on the web.
Reach
OSH References currently has 66 subscribers in Canada (31), the USA (13) and
internationally (22) from countries including Spain, Brazil, Japan, Italy, France, Australia
and Germany. The ILO Encyclopaedia has subscribers in Canada (12), the USA (3), and
other countries (9). Clients throughout the world include research institutes, universities,
health and safety associations, government departments and industries. These bilingual
products represent an invaluable and uniquely focused collection of references to
occupational health and safety literature.
Collaborative Projects
Marine Inspectors' Bookshelf
The Marine Inspectors' Bookshelf (MIB) CD-ROM was created at the request of Transport
Canada personnel who were familiar with the work that CCOHS had completed for
HRSDC on the National Labour Operations Resources CD-ROM. Previously, it was
impractical for those working in marine safety to carry around print publications, and
getting accurate information was very time consuming, especially for those aboard ships
and in remote areas without Internet access. The MIB is an excellent example of how
CCOHS has worked with its partners in Marine Safety to create an innovative and
proven solution to improving access to information. Over 300 Transport Canada Marine
Inspectors are the sole users of this product. The 22nd release of the MIB was issued in
March 2013 and the 10th anniversary of this collaborative project was celebrated in 2012.
Canadian School Board Safety Zone Web Portal
The Canadian School Boards Web Portal is a bilingual gateway to Canadian school board
specific health and safety information, resources and networking opportunities.
The web portal focuses on three key areas:
Discussion among school boards throughout Canada on school board-specific
health and safety issues via the customized discussion board;
Sharing policies, procedures, best practices and other health and safety resources
among school boards across Canada through a members-only repository;
Easy access to evidence-based CCOHS resources including OSH Answers and the School Workers Health and Safety Guide.
This is an opportunity for all school boards to increase and enhance their health and
safety awareness at a national level. Measures to encourage school boards across
Canada to join the portal and share their efforts with each other have been undertaken.
Systems
The Systems group is responsible for system design and implementation, and providing technical support for CCOHS systems hardware and software related infrastructure, including network, servers, desktops, supporting equipment and application systems. The team works with internal staff and outside technical resources to ensure that CCOHS systems infrastructure work effectively and run smoothly. It also provides systems analysis, programming and technical support to other working groups in various projects.
Product Delivery
The software and processes necessary to ship products on CD/DVD-ROM reached their
end of life in February. The discs shipped in February 2013 will be supported until the end
of the calendar year. The retirement of this format represents our transition to a new era
of technological development- in recognition that Canadians are accessing information
differently and that we must respond proactively with innovation. As such, CCOHS is
incorporating current and emerging technologies with online versions of our databases
and other programs, progressive web portals, downloadable versions of packages for
clients with inconsistent internet service, social media tools and mobile apps. These apps,
along with mobile accessible versions of our services, provide our stakeholders with
additional options when it comes to the retrieval of OH&S information.
eCommerce
Sales via the CCOHS e-commerce system were 29% higher than the previous year. The
e-commerce system is continually monitored and updated to improve security, usability
for clients, and overall quality. The order fulfillment email sent to clients upon completion
of their purchase was redesigned to better highlight the important information for clients
and to reduce the number of questions directed to Client Services. The programming for
tighter integration with the finance systems and electronic renewals was completed.
Testing is underway with a launch of these enhancements in 2013-2014. Internal
reporting functions were improved to provide better sales intelligence to staff.
Support
Annual IT security awareness training was provided to all staff. This succeeded in
improving staff's ability to recognise and deal with malware threats. Threat and risk
assessments were conducted to identify potential vulnerabilities and provide mitigation
of the vulnerabilities. Security certificates are renewed yearly and deployed to provide
proper encryption of sensitive information (e.g. credit card numbers and passwords).
A new corporate firewall was deployed, which provides improved protection, flexibility,
and reliability. The end result is an improvement to the overall security posture of
CCOHS.
Numerous enhancements were completed to improve the performance and usability of
CCOHS' internal Planning Tool. Connections between the various internal systems were
enhanced to further improve data transfers and work processes.
Technical support is provided to internal users on a regular basis. Regular maintenance
was performed on workstations and servers for both hardware and software required
to allow internal users to complete their daily work. New servers, workstations and
disk units were deployed to improve the reliability and performance for internal users
and outward facing services.
Support is also provided to Inquiries and Client Services to help solve problems with
CCOHS products and services encountered by clients.
Culture
Corporate Culture
CCOHS is active, both within their organization and throughout the community. Every year, staff at CCOHS participate in over 25 activities that demonstrate their commitment to healthy workplaces and the community.
Health and Fitness
This past year, on any given day, CCOHS staff members could be seen staying active at
lunch by walking, jogging or playing a variety of sports. They also take part in healthy
workplace challenges, such as decorating their workspaces with garden flowers, photos of
family and friends, or holiday trimmings; learning more about work-life balance or high
blood pressure at various Lunch 'n Learn seminars; taking part in a "recipe makeover to
healthier versions" challenge, eating nutritious soups, salads and meals prepared by
CCOHS staff and organizing a weight loss/weight maintenance support group. This year,
the Healthy Workplace Committee even organized a desk drop of cold/flu packages,
containing instant soup mix, pack of tissues, cough drops and hand sanitizer, for all
employees.
Giving Back
In addition to staying active, healthy and safe at work, staff pay it forward with their
dedication to the community. This year CCOHS staff members contributed in a variety of
ways to several charities:
Steps For Life – supporting Threads of Life
Hamilton Food Share – 2 separate events (baby food drive) and (donation of 300
pounds of food and $225 in staff donations)
Pink Shirt Day – against bullying
Purple Day – Wear Purple for Epilepsy Awareness
Canadian Cancer Society – daffodil sales
United Way – pledge challenge and Government of Canada Workplace Charitable
Campaign
The Lung Association – tulip sales
Martha House – Christmas campaign
Over the next year, CCOHS employees will continue their devotion to their own healthy
behaviours and the community through innovative and fun activities, and look forward to
surpassing their past goals – and the friendly competition that results.
Recognition
Eleanor Westwood, Manager of Communications, was awarded the prestigious Queen
Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, given to Canadian citizens who have demonstrated
distinguished service to their fellow citizens, their community and their country.
Two CCOHS employees were recognized for having volunteered for the United Way for
over 20 years. Flora Simpson, Technical Specialist, and Steve Angelo, Programmer
Analyst were given plaques honouring their dedication by the United Way of Burlington
and Greater Hamilton.
Dr. P.K. Abeytunga, CCOHS' Vice-President and Director General (now retired) received
the 2012 APEX Award for Career Contribution, presented by the Association of the
Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada and the Certified General
Accountants Association of Canada.
Finance
Financial Review
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT
Statement of Management Responsibility Including Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Approved by:
Kin Choi Chairperson
Steve Horvath
President and Chief Executive Officer
Bonnie Easterbrook, CGA
Chief Financial Officer
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended March 31, 2013 (in dollars)
Authority and Objectives
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was established in 1978 under the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act and is a departmental corporation named in Schedule II to the Financial Administration Act. The objectives of CCOHS are to promote the right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment and to enhance the physical and mental health of workers. CCOHS' operating expenditures are funded in part by its operating revenue and by a budgetary lapsing appropriation.
CCOHS has one program activity for reporting purposes, in addition to internal services. The activity is occupational health and safety information development, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.
The goal of this program is to provide free information on occupational health and safety to support 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.
Through health and safety information development, CCOHS collects, processes, analyzes, evaluates, creates and publishes authoritative information resources on occupational health and safety for the benefit of all 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 product or service provided by CCOHS is to 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 partners and stakeholders and result in advancement of the health and safety initiatives.
Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Material Services; 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.
Significant Accounting Policies
These financial statements have been prepared using the Government's accounting policies stated below, which are based on Canadian public sector accounting standards. The presentation and results using the stated accounting policies do not result in any significant differences from Canadian public sector accounting standards.
Significant accounting policies are as follows:
Parliamentary authorities
CCOHS is financed in part by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary authorities. Financial reporting of authorities provided to CCOHS do not parallel financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles since authorities are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the statement of operations and net financial position and the statement of financial position are not necessarily the same as those provided through authorities from Parliament. Note 4 provides a high-level reconciliation between the bases of reporting.
The planned results amounts in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position are the amounts reported in the future-oriented financial statements included in the 2012-13 Report on Plans and Priorities.
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Centre will encounter difficulty in meeting its obligations associated with financial liabilities. The entity's objective for managing liquidity risk is to manage operations and cash expenditures within the appropriation authorized by Parliament or allotment limits approved by the Treasury Board.
The entity's risk exposure and its objectives, policies and processes to manage and measure this risk did not change significantly from the prior year.
Net Cash Provided by Government
CCOHS operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). The CRF is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by CCOHS is deposited to the CRF and all cash disbursements made by CCOHS are paid from the CRF. The net cash provided by Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements, including transactions between departments of the Government.
Net cash provided by government
Amounts due from or to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) are the result of timing differences at year-end between when a transaction affects authorities and when it is processed through the CRF. Amounts due from the CRF represents the net amount of cash that CCOHS is entitled to draw from the CRF, without further authorities, in order to discharge its liabilities. This amount is not considered to be a financial instrument.
Revenues
Revenues are accounted for in the period in which the underlying transaction or event occurred that gave rise to the revenues. Subscriptions revenues are recognized in the period when the initial shipment is made for all physical goods, such as CD-ROM, and DVD. Revenues for subscriptions of internet based products are recognized over the term of the subscription.
Subscriptions are based upon the right to use the information for a specified period. Information may be updated during the subscription period.
Contributions to inquiries service received in advance are recognized in the next fiscal year as this relates to the service period for the contribution.
Cash that has been received but not yet earned is recorded as deferred revenue. The deferred revenue represents cash received in advance of initial and ongoing product delivery, services or granting of access to the website.
Expenses – Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis:
Vacation pay and compensatory leave are accrued as the benefits earned by employees under their respective terms of employment.
Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation, the employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans and audit services are recorded as operating expenses at their estimated cost. A corresponding amount is reported as government funding.
Employee future benefits
Pension benefits: All eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, a multiemployer plan administered by the Government of Canada. CCOHS' contributions are currently based on a multiple of an employee's required contributions and may change over time depending on the experience of the Plan. CCOHS' contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year in which the services are rendered and represent its total obligation to the Plan. Current legislation does not require CCOHS to make contributions for any actuarial deficiencies of the Plan.
Severance benefits: Employees are entitled to severance benefits under laboured contracts or conditions of employment. These benefits were accrued as employees render the services necessary to earn them and are estimated based on employees' salaries, duration of service and age. Entitlements stopped accruing on April 1, 2011. The remaining balance will be paid upon termination.
Accumulated sick leave: employees are entitled to sick leave benefits that accumulate but do not vest. No amount has been recorded in the financial statements in respect of these benefits as they are not significant.
Accounts receivable
Accounts receivable are stated at amounts expected to be ultimately realized. A provision is made for receivables from external parties where recovery is considered uncertain.
Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an obligation. The entity is not exposed to significant credit risk. The entity provides services to other government departments and agencies and to external parties in the normal course of business. Accounts receivable are due on demand. The maximum exposure the entity has to credit is risk equal to the carrying value of its accounts receivables.
Contingent liabilities
Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities that may become actual liabilities when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. To the extent that the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, and a reasonable estimate of the loss can be made, an estimated liability is accrued and an expense recorded. If the likelihood is not determinable or an amount cannot be reasonably estimated, the contingency is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.
Foreign currency transactions
Transactions involving foreign currencies are translated into Canadian dollar equivalents using rates of exchange in effect at the time of those transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the rate of exchange in effect at year end. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included in the statement of operations and net financial position according to the activities to which they relate.
Inventories for resale
Inventories for resale are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Inventories for resale are primarily print materials held for resale.
Tangible capital assets
All tangible capital assets and leasehold improvements having an initial cost of $1,000 or more are recorded at the acquisition cost. Tangible capital assets are amortized over their estimated useful life on a straight-line basis, as follows:
Measurement uncertainty
The preparation of these financial statements are in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements. At the time of preparation of these statements, management believes the estimates and assumptions to be reasonable. The liability for employee future benefits and the estimated useful life of tangible capital assets are the most significant items where estimates are used. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimated. Management's estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.
Net Debt
The net debt is calculated as the difference between liabilities and financial assets. Employee severance benefits and vacation pay obligations represent the most significant components of net debt as these obligations are paid from future parliamentary authorities.
Parliamentary Appropriations
CCOHS receives its funding through annual Parliamentary authorities and external revenues. Items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and the Statement Financial Position in one year may be funded through Parliamentary authorities in prior, current or future years. Accordingly, CCOHS has different net results of operations for the year on a government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. These differences are reconciled as follows:
Revenues
Tangible capital assets
Accounts receivable
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
The accounts payable and accrued liabilities are measured at cost, all of which are due within the next 12 months. The following table presents details of accounts payable and accrued liabilities:
Deferred revenue
Donations
CCOHS, by virtue of subsection 6(3) of its Act, may acquire money or other property by gift or otherwise and expend or dispose of those donations subject to their terms, if any. CCOHS received $7,095 in donations in 2013 (2012 – $1,500). The balance at March 31, 2013 is $106,402 (2012 – $99,307).
Contributions to Inquiries Service
CCOHS receives contributions from agreements with provincial parties to support the Inquiries Service for a fiscal year. The contributions are meant to be used in the year of contribution by the provincial organization, which may differ from the year end of CCOHS. Deferred contributions may occur when cash is received in advance of the funded year.
Employee future benefits
Pension benefits
CCOHS employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionable service, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Quebec Pension Plans benefits and they are indexed to inflation.
Both the employees and CCOHS contribute to the cost of the Plan. The 2013 expense amounts to $787,772 (2012 – $808,152), which represents approximately 1.7 (2012 – 1.8) times the contributions by employees.
CCOHS' responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan's sponsor.
Employee severance benefits
CCOHS provides severance benefits to its employees based on eligibility, years of service and final salary which provides for one week of salary per year of service up to 30 years. These severance benefits are not pre-funded. Benefits will be paid from future authorities. Information about the severance benefits, measured as at March 31, is as follows:
As part of the collective agreement negotiations and changes to conditions of employment for other employees, the accumulation of severance benefits under the employee severance pay program ceased for these employees commencing in 2012. Employees subject to these changes have been given the option to be immediately paid the full or partial value of benefits earned to date or collect the full or remaining value of benefits on termination from CCOHS. These changes have been reflected in the calculation of the outstanding severance benefit obligation.
Related party transactions
CCOHS is related as a result of common ownership to all Government departments, agencies, and Crown Corporations. CCOHS enters into transactions with these entities in the normal course of business and on normal trade terms. During the year, CCOHS received common services which were obtained without charge from other Government departments as disclosed below.
Services Provided Without Charge by other government departments
During the year, CCOHS received services without charge from certain common service organizations, related to accommodation, audit services, the employer's contribution to the health and dental insurance plans. These services provided without charge have been recorded in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position as follows:
The Government has centralized some of its administrative activities for efficiency and cost-effectiveness purposes so that one department performs these on behalf of all without charge. The costs of these services, which include payroll and cheque issuance services provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada are not included in CCOHS' Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position.
Other Transactions With Related Parties
Segmented information
Presentation by segment is based on CCOHS' program activity architecture. The presentation by segment is based on the same accounting policies as described in summary of significant accounting policies in note 2. The following table presents the expenses incurred and revenues generated for the main program activities, by major object of expense and by major type of revenues. The segment results for the year are as follows:
