CCOHS Backgrounder

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, education, management systems and solutions that support health, safety and wellness programs.

CCOHS was established in 1978 by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act, which was passed by unanimous vote in the Canadian Parliament. The purpose of the Act is to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment by creating a national institute concerned with the study, encouragement and cooperative advancement of occupational health and safety, in whose governing body the interests and concerns of workers, trade unions, employers, federal, provincial and territorial authorities, professional and scientific communities and the general public will be represented.

CCOHS is a federal departmental corporation reporting to the Parliament of Canada through the federal Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario and is governed by a Council of Governors representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and workers. This structure ensures a balanced approach to health and safety issues.

CCOHS promotes health and safety in the workplace by:

  • serving as a national centre for information relating to occupational health and safety.
  • facilitating consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions, and participation by workers and employers;
  • supporting the development and maintenance of policies and programs;

CCOHS fulfills its mandate to promote workplace health and safety and encourage attitudes and methods that will lead to improved worker physical and mental health, through a wide range of products and services. CCOHS also has an established history of collaborating with Canadian and international partners on projects that have expanded the quality and quantity of resources and programs available to workers and employers across the country. It is with a passion for and commitment to worker health and safety that CCOHS equips employers and workers with the information and tools needed to reduce hazards and eliminate risks, so that workplaces are healthy and safe for everyone.

More information about CCOHS can be found at www.ccohs.ca.