Safety and well-being is at the COR of everything we do
The City of Colwood now belongs to a prestigious list of just 53 organization in BC who have achieved Certificate of Recognition (COR) status from the BC Municipal Safety Association and WorkSafeBC.
Safety is a top priority for the City of Colwood throughout all levels of the organization. This certification acknowledges the culture of health and well-being within the City as well as the commitment of staff to continuous learning, improvement, and implementation of safety standards.
What is COR?
COR is a voluntary employer program facilitated by the BC Municipal Safety Association and is intended to motivate employers to take a proactive role in occupational health and safety. The COR program recognizes and rewards employers who go beyond the minimum legal requirements with their health and safety programs.
How did the City work to earn COR certification?
With the support from Colwood Council during the 2023/2024 annual service review, a goal was established to achieve COR certification in 2024.
Led by the City’s Occupational Health and Safety Advisor and the Human Resources team, staff began preparations for the COR Audit. This included identifying COR Champion volunteers from departments across the organization to serve as leaders and ambassadors, working to promote health, safety and well-being both within the organization and throughout the community.
Overall score of 92% on the COR Audit
The external COR audit took place in early May and reviewed eight Occupational Health and Safety elements within the organization. To achieve this recognition, organizations are required to score greater than 70% across 8 elements during the audit with no individual element falling below 50%.
The City of Colwood passed the audit with an overall score of 92% and a no element scoring below 80% - a big accomplishment as this was the first ever attempt at COR recognition.
“Achieving COR has reinforced the culture of safety and well-being among staff, allowed us to address areas for improvement and provided the opportunity to celebrate areas where our teams excel.”
~Shaun Bradley, Occupational Health and Safety Advisor
The City of Colwood embodies a strong culture of workplace safety and the COR certification further validates that for the team. The work does not stop here. We are reminded that safety is everyone’s responsibility and staff will continue to foster a culture of health, safety, and well-being here in Colwood.