canada’s national occupational

Canada’s National Occupational Health and Safety Resource

Contents

2 Fundamental Right

3 Council of Governors

4 President’s Message

5 Products & Services

7 Inquiries & Client Services

11 Training & Education Services

19 General Health & Safety Services

25 Chemical Services

33 Communications

40 Financial Report

2 / Report of the Council 2006 – 2007

Fundamental Right

he act to create the Canadian Centre for

Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was

based on the concept that all Canadians have

“... a fundamental right to ahealthy and safe workingenvironment.”

T A national centre would be an essential requirementto enable people to exercise this right everywhere inthe country, a concept launched and supported bystakeholders across Canada. The resulting Act in 1978had unanimous support from every federal party.

The primary goal of CCOHS was to provide Canadianswith access to information on workplace hazards andconditions – a goal firmly entrenched in the CCOHSmandate.

From the Centre’s first official day of operation inJanuary 1980 as Canada’s National OccupationalHealth and Safety Centre, CCOHS has been providinginformation on workplace health and safetyconditions to assist all Canadians in reducing injuriesand illnesses.

J. Howard Currie (left), Chairman of the Council of Governors, and Federal Labour Minister Charles Caccia (right) at CCOHS opening ceremonies, June 15, 1982.

Council of Governors

Report of the Council 2006 – 2007 / 3

Executive S. Len Hong (Chair)Board Otto Peter

Marie Clarke WalkerRoberta EllisMurray SunstrumHelle TosineNancy Hutchison

Audit John McKennirey* (Chair)Committee Jean Dalton

Murray Sunstrum (Alt)Nancy Hutchison Mona Sykes (Alt)Stuart MacLeanDon Hurst (Alt)

*Resigned/Term Expired

Chair John McKennirey*, Government of Canada

Labour Anthony Pizzino, Canadian Union ofPublic Employees/CLC

Nancy Hutchison, United Steelworkers Mona Sykes, BC Government & Services

Employees’ Union / CLC

Marie Clarke Walker, Canadian LabourCongress

Employer Jean Dalton, Canadian Manufacturersand Exporters

Otto Peter, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’Association

Murray Sunstrum, Canadian PetroleumSafety Council

Provincial Douglas Stanley, New Brunswick& Territorial David Clark*, Northwest Territories &

NunavutRoberta Ellis, British ColumbiaDon Hurst, ManitobaKimberly Dunphy, Newfoundland

and LabradorHelle Tosine, OntarioStuart MacLean, Nova Scotia

COHS is governed by a tripartite council representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and labour. The Council of Governors assists in delivering a trustworthy and complete occupational health andsafety service, and ensures that the information CCOHS disseminates is unbiased.

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President’s Message

bringing the total number of courses offered to 23.The fact that 11,541 “seats” were sold this year alone is a clear indication of the strong demand for crediblehealth and safety education.

We continue to work closely with workplaces todetermine their OSH needs and how resources areintegrated and used to improve health and safety forworkers. In response to such needs, CCOHS launchedthe pilot program for OSH Works, the newmanagement system it created to help Canadianorganizations manage and improve their occupationalhealth and safety programs. This system meets therequirements of national and international OHSManagement System standards such as CSA Z1000-06 and OHSAS 18001. It includes everything fromhazard awareness tools, reports for incidents andaudits, sample emergency response plans and otherprograms.

We are living in times of change and uncertainty aswell as great opportunity. CCOHS will continue totake a leadership role in promoting the health, safetyand well-being of working Canadians and thosearound the world.

In closing, I would like to thank CCOHS staff for theirefforts and valued contributions. I would also like toextend appreciation to the Council of Governors,who support our work and share our goal – one thatremains unchanged: to eliminate workplace injuries,illnesses and deaths, and that, at the end of everyworking day, Canadians come home healthy and safe.

Len HongPresident and Chief Executive Officer


he past year was one of continued evolution andchange for the Canadian Centre for OccupationalHealth and Safety. It was also a rewarding year inwhich CCOHS met its strategic, operational, andfinancial goals; responded effectively to newchallenges that emerged; and continued to worktoward improving and expanding our impact onworkplace health and safety and the physical andmental well being of working people in Canada.

Building on the changes that were initiated a yearago that involved establishing a new managementprocess that aligned the key performance areas intoWorking Groups, and laying a solid foundation tosupport improved performance, CCOHS is nowstrongly poised for the future. CCOHS is betterpositioned to make the right decisions and take theright actions today, while adapting to the evolvingneeds of a rapidly changing world.

As new challenges arise in our world and in ourcommunities CCOHS has worked to be proactive, toanticipate and respond to the ever-changing needs of Canadians. As part of the endeavour to addressthe emerging issues and needs of Canadians, CCOHScreated a new addition to its collection of web portalsthat provide access to a single source of credibleinformation. Our newly released Pandemic Planningportal offers resources that can help businesses,workers and communities to plan and be betterprepared for an influenza pandemic, and helpminimize the impact in our daily lives, work, andactivities. In response to the increasing interest ofCanadians in the issue, the Bringing Health to Workportal was developed by CCOHS and providespractical tools and resources to help create healthyworkplaces. The steady, increasing number of visitorsto the site since its release one year ago is atestament to its relevance.

CCOHS continues to increase its focus on educationto help create safer workplaces, developing newofferings of e-learning and classroom courses to extendour reach and impact. During the last 12 monthsCCOHS developed and launched 12 new e-courses,

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Products & Services


COHS is a recognized leader in providing effectiveprograms, products and services, which are based onthe Centre’s core knowledge, its collection of OH&Sinformation, and its application of informationmanagement technologies. CCOHS strives to operatewithin a feasible and sustainable financial frameworkand progressively improve and expand its impact onworkplace health and safety and its service level, byworking to achieve the improvements needed to:

Broaden the scope of CCOHS services in areasdirected by the Council of Governors;

Expand outreach, user population and impact ofservices;

Intensify the identification of specific needs ofCanadians and responding well to fulfill thoseneeds;

Achieve excellence in quality, delivery,responsiveness, and cost-effectiveness ofservice;

Gain from the advancing knowledge,experience and relevant developments acrossCanada and globally for the common benefitof Canadians;

Strengthen the infrastructure, managementprocess and systems to enhance performance,accountability and continuous improvement;and

Build a healthy and productive workplace fortoday and into the future.

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CCOHS fulfills its mandate to promote workplacehealth and safety, and encourage attitudes andmethods that will lead to improved worker physicaland mental health, through a wide range of productsand services. These products and services are designedin cooperation with national and internationaloccupational health and safety organizations with anemphasis on preventing illnesses, injuries andfatalities. CCOHS products and services are structuredand managed under the following distinct serviceareas and working groups.

Inquiries & Client Services

Training & Education Services

Courses (classroom & e-courses)

OSH Answers

Publications

Health & Safety Management Systems

General Health & Safety Services

Legislation

Databases

Projects

Chemical Services

MSDSs

Databases & (M)SDS Writer

Projects

Communications

Promoting CCOHS and its Products & Services

Promoting OH&S in Canada

Systems

Systems & Hardware

Infrastructure

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Organization of Staff and Working Groups

Inquiries & Client Services


rovides a client-friendly, bilingual service to all

Canadians who seek assistance or information

about any occupational health & safety concern,

as well as information regarding any CCOHS

product or service.

P The Service

The CCOHS Inquiries Service is the national resourcecentre that provides free and confidential access tooccupational health and safety information, in bothEnglish and French, to the Canadian workingpopulation.

The Inquiries Service responds to telephone, e-mail,mail and in-person inquiries, providing informationthat is unbiased and relevant to workers, employers,union and governments alike.


In the fiscal year 2006-07, the Inquiries Servicereceived financial support from the followingProvincial and Territorial establishments:

Impact

During the fiscal year April 1, 2006 to March 31,2007, the Inquiries Service staff answered 15,022questions received through its traditional person-to-person information service, from every province andterritory in Canada. The three largest user provincesof the service are Ontario (57.1%), Alberta (14.2%)and Quebec (9.7%). Table 1 summarizes the Inquiriesgeographic breakdown by Province.

During the same period Inquiries covered subjects andconcerns such as chemicals and reproductive hazards,ergonomics, indoor air quality, occupational cancer,avian flu, and a large number of concerns regardingharassment, bullying and violence in the workplace. A breakdown according to the subject categories isgiven in Table 2.

British Columbia WorkSafe BC

Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Division,Manitoba Labour and Immigration

New Brunswick Workplace Health, Safety andCompensation Commission of New Brunswick

Newfoundland / Occupational Health and Safety Branch,Department of Government Services

Northwest Territories Workers' Compensation Board of theNorthwest Territories and Nunavut

Nova Scotia Occupational Health & Safety DivisionNova Scotia Department of Environment andLabour

Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Prince Edward Occupational Health and Safety Division, Workers' Compensation Board

Saskatchewan Occupational Health and Safety Division,Saskatchewan Labour

Labrador

Nunavut

Island

Broad Subject Categories of Inquiries ReceivedFiscal Year April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007

Broad Subject Categories Percent

Chemical hazards, trade names, industrial processes 15.7%

Physical hazards 6.2%Statistics 0.4%Legal – General 4.9%OH&S – General / Information sources 9.9%Medical, psychosocial and biological 8.9%Safety / ergonomics / oh&s administration 28%Referrals 22%Other 4%

Total 100%

Inquiries Geographic Breakdown by ProvinceFiscal Year April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007

Province Percent

Alberta 14.2%British Columbia 6.8%Manitoba 2.8%New Brunswick 2.3%Newfoundland/Labrador .7%Nova Scotia 1.7%Northwest Territories .2%Nunavut .1%Ontario 57.1%Prince Edward Island .7%Quebec 9.7%Saskatchewan 3.6%Yukon .1%

Total 100.0%

Table 1

Table 2

In January 2006 the Inquiries Service adopted a newmonitoring system. In addition to the customersatisfaction survey, information relating to the reachand impact of the service is being collected. Users areasked the number of people with whom theinformation was shared, how the information wasused, and if specific changes in their workplace wereimplemented or planned.


This fiscal year we have received feedback commentsfrom 676 users of the Inquiries Service.

58% of Inquiries Service respondents said that theiruse of CCOHS information relates to current or futurechanges to the workplace that may result in improvedoccupational health and safety.

Respondents were asked how many individuals withintheir organization access the information provided byCCOHS. These answers showed substantial use:

11% of respondents indicated that more than 500 individuals did benefit or share CCOHSinformation in their organization

16% shared CCOHS information with up to 499 individuals



The information obtained from the CCOHS' InquiriesService by respondents is put to a number of uses.The most common are:

• Assist in complying with occupational healthand safety regulations

• Use with workplace health and safety committees

• Personal use or information

Inquiries Service Satisfaction SurveyFiscal Year April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007

Very Very NotDissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Satisfied applicable

Has staff understood your question? 4.3% 3.9% 5.6% 26.3% 58.5% 1.3%

Time required to receive the response 5.4% 4.3% 7.7% 29.2% 52.4% 1.0%

Completeness of the response received 5.5% 5.8% 8.9% 27.3% 51.4% 1.0%

The usefulness of the information 7.3% 5.8% 9.3% 25.8% 50.6% 1.2%

The clarity of the response 4.8% 4.0% 8.0% 27.7% 54.2% 1.2%

The courtesy of the staff 3.7% 0.1% 2.1% 16.6% 72.5% 4.9

Overall, your satisfaction with the response 6.0% 6.4% 6.0% 24.3% 56.3% 1.2%

Table 3

• Health and safety programs or policies

• Education or training purposes

• Develop best practices

• Keep current on health and safetydevelopments

• Academic or other research purposes

• Assist in developing legislation or standards

• Gather information on workplace chemicals

• WCB claims

• Preparing MSDSs

Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

Since its launch, the Inquiries Service has answeredover 382,000 questions through its traditionalperson-to-person service. The Inquiries Service willcontinue to be a key, core service of CCOHS, with asubstantial impact on occupational health and safetyperformance in Canadian workplaces.

The Inquiries Service is continually monitored toensure both the quality and efficiency of theresponses. Users of the service were asked to rate itfor responsiveness, timeliness, clarity and usefulnessof information received. During this fiscal year 56.3%of users indicated they were overall very satisfied asshown in Table 3.

Employers, government, labour and others are usingthe service. A breakdown of the usage during thesame period is shown in Table 4.


Inquirers – Usage by Tripartite GroupFiscal Year April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007

Tripartite Group Percent

Employers 28%Government 2%Labour 33%Other 37%

Total 100%

Table 4

Users Comments

“You spent a lot of time on this. Thank you very muchfor your help. This information is very good and weintend to use it in our safety meetings and toolsafety program. Not many people would take thetime to provide this kind of detailed information.Thank you.”

“Merci de m’avoir laisser un e-mail j’espère qu’ils vonttrouver un remède pour cette maladie (Hep c). Auplaaisir d’avoir des informations. bye.. Un grosmerci.”

“Excellent service, received supporting information bye-mail within days. Person who answered my calllistened patiently and answered all my questions andconcerns. First rate employee.”

“Thanks for gathering all this information and gettingback to me so quickly, it will be veryhelpful!”


Training & Education Services

The Service

Training and education remain one of the mosteffective ways to improve both employers’ andworkers’ awareness of their rights and responsibilitiesfor health and safety. CCOHS offers both traditionalclassroom and e-learning courses to help meet theOSH education needs of working Canadians.

Courses continue to provide a significant and growingrevenue stream for CCOHS. Courses are developedfollowing established procedures to ensure they are of the highest quality. CCOHS staff create the courseswith assistance and advice from outside technicalexperts when required. The tri-partite external reviewof courses by representatives of government,management and labour helps ensure balance,accuracy, and understanding by all parties in theworkplace.

rovides a high quality and dependable service to

fulfill the health & safety related training and

education needs of Canadian workplace participants.

The service consists of:

Courses (classroom and e-courses)

Publications

OSH Answers


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Classroom Courses

Classroom-based training remains popular, especiallyfor the long-standing Health and Safety for Managersand Supervisors course. This course fills a unique needof the key role and responsibilities of managers andsupervisors.

Two new classroom courses were delivered to meetthe expressed needs of our clients, in addition to ourtraditional Health and Safety for Managers andSupervisors (2-day) course:

• A one-day course, Health and Safety forManagers and Supervisors in the FederalJurisdiction aimed primarily at the federalgovernment

• A half-day course entitled Health and Safety forSenior Managers

Impact and Reach

Classroom courses had more than 220 participantsbetween the various offerings. This year the reachextended beyond Hamilton as courses wereconducted in other cities across the country, includingOttawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Fort McMurray andRichmond.

e-Courses

CCOHS’ e-courses were developed to help Canadianseasily acquire and apply workplace health and safetyinformation that could help keep the workplace freefrom injury and disease. The CCOHS web-basedseries of e-courses continue to generate significantparticipation by individuals and organizations. Eachcourse is available in English and French, with voice-overs. Courses are delivered on a fee-basis forindividuals, as well as on an organization-wide basis.

CCOHS has developed e-courses in response to manyrequests from workers, employers and governmentsfor high quality, affordable OH&S programs. Thefollowing e-courses were released this year, bringingthe overall total to 23 courses available:

Lockout

Violence in the Workplace: Awareness

Violence in the Workplace: Recognize the Risk and Take Action

Violence in the Workplace: Establish a PreventionProgram

WHMIS: Understanding MSDSs

Return to Work: The Basics

Confined Space: The Basics (3 Modules)

Part 1: Hazard Awareness

Part 2: Hazard Control

Part 3: Working Safely

Confined Space: Management

Contractor Health and Safety

Canada Labour Code, Part II: An Overview

Emergency Preparedness for Workers

Emergency Response Planning

Development Continues

Since the introduction of the e-courses, userscontinue to express the need for additional differentweb-based courses from CCOHS. Work is underwayto develop more web-based courses and broadenCCOHS offerings to respond to users needs.

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Outreach

E-courses continued to see exponential growth. In thisfiscal year alone, 11,541 “seats” were soldthroughout Canada, as well as some internationalorganizations. Since the e-courses were first offered inJune 2004, over 18,673 “seats” have been sold.Customers represent a wide range of industries andoccupations, including universities, insurance andbanking, newspapers, longshoremen, manufacturing,construction, and public (primarily federal)organizations.


To ensure that we are indeed meeting the needs ofour participants, a more formal feedback form wasadded to each course. Participants regularly use thisfeature; of over 280 respondents, 96% indicated theywere satisfied with their e-course.

Customized Courses

Customized e-courses based on existing coursesincluded:

Health & Safety Committees for the University of Ottawa

Health & Safety for Managers and Supervisors(8 modules) for Canadian Pacific Railway

Health & Safety for Managers and Supervisors (8 modules) for Unilever

Lockout for Inspectors for CAALL-OSH

For Astra Zeneca Canada, a completely new course onHealth and Safety for Office Managers wasdeveloped. In addition, we are working with Ontario’sWSIB to bring the Safe Communities IncentiveProgram’s (SCIP) 9 e-courses into our design anddelivery platform.

We are investigating further partnership opportunitiesto develop this targeted area of learning.


Feedback

The following comments were extracted from the e-course feedback form that participants are invitedto complete upon completion of a course:

“ For our purposes this course not only met but exceededour requirements.”

“ I think everyone should take this course.”

“ ... once I started the program I could not stop. It was veryenlightening and well layed out. Thanks.”

“ Very clear and concise.”

“ Well organized and useful training.”

“ Very good course, laid out well with vocal descriptionsand illustrations.”

“ Very easy to understand and complete. Well laid out andable to keep interest of participant.”

“ I found a lot of useful information and procedures tofollow in this course.”

“ The topics presented are easy to understand and can beused in the workplace.”

“ For a basic straight forward Electrical Hazards course, I thought that it was very well done. I most certainly willbe taking more of these. Thanks.”

“ ... Should be an industry requirement that ALL JHCmembers have this type of training. Even supervisorsshould understand this.”

“ Excellent course. All safety professionals should take it.”

“ Easy to follow – nice to have the option of the 'readalong' instructor, or to be able to 'mute' and work atone's own pace...”

“ Excellent course.Very in depth.”

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Publications

CCOHS provides a publications service on workplacehealth and safety concerns delivered through bothprint and electronic media to fulfill the needs ofCanadian workplace participants.

CCOHS publishes guides, Infograms and otherdocuments that respond to the needs in Canadianworkplaces for information that is practical,authoritative and balanced. CCOHS’ popular healthand safety guides inform people of workplace hazardsto reduce risk and help prevent injury, and aredesigned for use on-the-job as reference tools andinformation sources.

Printed publications are a traditional and effectiveway to inform and educate people about hazards,safe work practices, and other topics in occupationalhealth and safety. They are popular in all sizes oforganizations.

CCOHS publications are widely used as tools formanagers, supervisors, workers, and health and safetycommittee members to become more knowledgeableabout issues (e.g. indoor air, ergonomics, workplaceviolence) or workplace safety functions (e.g. H&Scommittees or emergency planning).

Another important aspect of publications is that they –like OSH Answers, e-courses, and CHEMINFO – aredeveloped by CCOHS and represent the Centre acrossCanada and around the world. CCOHS publicationsare purchased by government agencies for distributionto workplaces – a testament to the credibility andreputation of CCOHS as a trustworthy source.

Impact

With close to 20,000 publications sold each year foruse in the workplace, CCOHS publications havesubstantial impacts on health and safety in Canada.

Most publications are purchased by the employer(e.g. manager with safety or HR responsibility) fordistribution and use in the workplace. Health andsafety professionals, occupational healthprofessionals, trainers, and consultants also purchasepublications.

The impact of CCOHS publications extends farbeyond the information provided to the thousands ofpurchasers directly by CCOHS. In collaboration withCCOHS other organizations such as safetyassociations distribute customized versions of theseto suit their customer needs. Surveys of customersshow that guides and other publications are used todecide on changes and improved procedures thatincrease health and safety for many more workers.

The newest guide Health and Safety for CustodialWorkers was published late in the fiscal year. Overallsales revenues for 2006-07 were $142,000.

Going Forward

Future plans for the service include to:

• further expand the service with increasedproduction of new titles.

• establish procedures and standards aimed athigh quality and efficient performance

• enhance the promotion of sales of currentpublications, particularly through well-targetedmarketing.

• improve the process for development andpreparation of new titles and updating ofexisting publications

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OSH Answers

OSH Answers provides a global web-basedinformation service in a form suitable for workplaceparticipants to understand, identify and deal withworkplace health and safety concerns.

OSH Answers (and the French counterpart RéponsesSST) were created to allow all Canadians to haveaccess to reliable and relevant health and safetyinformation 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days aweek. There are now 670 documents, each in aneasy-to-read, question and answer format, accessiblefree-of-charge on the CCOHS website. All areavailable in both English and French and a limitednumber are available in Spanish via Respuestas OSH.

While OSH Answers does not directly contribute tothe financial goals of CCOHS, it enhances the visibilityand credibility of our organization as a whole.

Target Audience

The primary target audience of OSH Answers is allCanadian workers and their employers. However, itsreach has spread far beyond just Canada as it is nowenjoyed by millions of users worldwide.


This year 12 new documents were added and 32 wererevised. These numbers reflect the need to continuallyconcentrate on always providing the most currentinformation to optimizing our impact on the healthand safety of Canadian enterprises.

Work plans for 2007-08 continue to emphasize thetwo most critical aspects for OSH Answers and placeutmost importance on this renewed focus – we planto create approximately 24 new documents (equivalentto 1 new document every two weeks) about new andtopical interests to Canadian workers and employers,and other topics to support other CCOHS initiatives(e-learning, publications, The Health & Safety Report).

In addition, in order to maintain our reputation as adependable and trustworthy source of information,we are also placing a major focus on reviewing theexisting 670 documents to ensure continued accuracyand currency that is expected from CCOHS asapproximately 500 of these documents are older than3 years (an age considered “ancient” by mostInternet users). Involvement of a number of staff fromall of CCOHS is required to accomplish this large butimportant goal.

Additional project goals include a user survey plannedfor later in the year that will investigate further thereach and impact of OSH Answers, as well as theneeds and wants of our many worldwide users.Reformatting and reorganizing of the OSH Answersdocuments is also being examined in order to createan ease of use for our visitors, and to create ways toincrease the contribution of OSH Answers by pointingto the relevant products and services at CCOHS andthus further improve their impact on CCOHSpromotion and revenue generating efforts.

Impact and Outreach

OSH Answers continues to enjoy tremendous successin transferring health and safety knowledge and inreaching both Canadians and the world. Indeed,statistics prove this fact:

• 6.6 million documents delivered in the fiscalyear 2006-07

• 2.5 million unique visitors

• 145 countries represented

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The use of this free question-and-answer service hasincreased dramatically – from about 0.5 millionunique visitors (or “inquirers”) in 2000 to 2.5 millionin 2006-07 (see Figure 1a) and the documents werevisited more than 6.6 million times in 2006-07 (seeFigure 1b), up from 1.5 million times in 2000. Reachhas also extended to the world with almost 145countries accessing our information (from Australiato Zimbabwe and most points in between).

Additional Reach

The OSH Answers and Réponses SST documents provideadditional outreach to the public. Many inquirers haveasked to reproduce these documents for educationand training use in schools, workplaces and fornewsletters, magazine articles, text books, and evenfor redistribution in offices of health care providers.

In 2006-07, 92 requests were received for copyrightpublication. We ask the requester for informationabout how copies will be made (e.g., number ofbooks being printed, circulation size of newspaper orpublication, classroom handouts, etc.). These 92requests resulted in almost 400,000 copies of CCOHSinformation being made. In addition, the informationis potentially shared with many more individualsbecause of the large readership of many suchpublications. The organizations included governmentdepartments, companies, unions, health careorganizations and educational institutions.

Discussions are also underway to translate selectedOSH Answers into Portuguese, via work with ServiçoSocial da Indústria (SESI) of Brazil.

Interesting Facts

Most popular documents/subjects continue to include(not in exact order):

• Office Ergonomics – various documents (how tobuy/set up a chair, stretching, etc)

• Diseases, especially ergonomic and RSI related,such as Ganglion cysts, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,but also includes Raynaud’s Phenomenon,Legionnaires' disease & Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus Aureus

• Stress in the Workplace

• Personal Hygiene documents such as HandWashing: Reducing the Risk of CommonInfections, and Universal Precautions

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

002-03 03-04 04-05 05-06

EnglishFrenchTotal

7

02 03 03-04 0 05 06Year

Year

8

3,000,000

06-07

OSH Answers and Réponses SST Number of Inquirers (Visitors)

7,000,000

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0

EnglishFrenchTotal

02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06Year

Y

8,000,000

06-07

3 000,000

• Bullying, and Violence in the Workplace

• Legislation issues such as Due Diligence

• Chemical information such as WHMIS and What is an LD50?

• Microwave Ovens

• Seasonal subjects such as Extreme Hot and ColdTemperature Conditions, Maximum TemperatureLimit for Working, and Driving Tips for Winter

Usage of OSH Answers and Réponses SSTNumber of Inquiries (Document Clicks)



OSH Works

OSH Works, the new Occupational Health and SafetyManagement Service (OHSMS) from CCOHS, is nowin the pilot testing phase and is planned for publicrelease in Summer 2007. It is a customizable systemfor use in meeting the specific occupational health andsafety needs of Canadian enterprises. Focus has beenon the development and implementation of this web-based Occupational Health and Safety ManagementService to help organizations maintain and enhancetheir existing OH&S programs, as well as to understandand meet the requirements of the national andinternational OHSMS standards such as OHSAS 18001and CSA Z1000.

Occupational health and safety legislation in theCanadian provincial, territorial and federal jurisdictionsrequire organizations to have an occupational healthand safety program. Because of this legal requirement,many organizations will already have an occupationalhealth and safety program in place, with all thenecessary documentation and records available.Others will be highly motivated to have a demonstrableoccupational health and safety program in place. Anoccupational health and safety management systeminvolves integrating health and safety into all aspectsof an operation including production, human resources,administration, finance, maintenance, and purchasing.

OSH Works was created by the Canadian Centre forOccupational Health and Safety to help an organization:

• Improve an existing occupational health and safetyprogram

• Inspire and motivate employees towards improvedhealth, safety and wellness, both at work and athome

• Improve workplace health and safety performance

• Ensure all employees are aware of existing andpotential health and safety issues and how to dealwith them

• Demonstrate that the organization has an effectiveoccupational health and safety program in place

• Implement an occupational health and safetymanagement system that meets the requirementsof national and international occupational health

and safety management system standards, such asCSA Z1000-06 and OHSAS 18001

• Form a flexible framework through which allworkplace health and safety standards can beappropriately applied.

Using OSH Works means that the organization will:

• Integrate occupational health and safetyresponsibilities into an everyday businessmanagement

• Meet and exceed regulatory compliancerequirements

• Manage and enhance an occupational health and safety program

• Enhance productivity in an workforce

• Promote a superior safety culture

• Keep their employees and workplace safe andhealthy

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Using the Plan, Do, Check, and Act cycle set out inmost of the Occupational Health and SafetyManagement Service standards, an organization willbe able to show continuous improvement towardsreducing, and eventually eliminating, workplaceinjuries and illnesses.

The initial phase for development of the service wascontracted to an external organization. When theinitial phase was completed, the entire service wasmigrated to an internal CCOHS server to allow formore effective management and enhancement of the service.

General Health & Safety Services


rovides a comprehensive service of information and

supports work-related health and safety initiatives on

all areas of workplace health and safety (other than

chemical safety) to improve the total health of the

individual – mental, physical and psychosocial. CCOHS

provides this information through the following

products and services:

Canadian enviroOSH Legislation plus StandardsServices

National Labour Operations Resources

Academic Support Program

Bibliographic Databases and the ILO Encyclopaedia

WorkSafe Saskatchewan Website

P Prevention Practices Database and OSH for Everyone

Marine Inspectors’ Bookshelf

Canadian Health Network (CHN)

Enhancement of Occupational Health & Safetyin Brazilian Industry (EOHSBI)

Indoor Air Quality Tool Kit

Pandemic Planning Web Portal

Public Policy Investigation on OccupationalHealth and Safety of Migrant Laborers in China

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The Services

By providing a comprehensive service of informationcovering all areas of workplace health and safety,CCOHS helps fulfill the information needs ofCanadian workplaces. These services includeinformation sources that assist Canadians in creatingsafe and healthy workplaces that encompassoccupational health and safety practices, well-beinginitiatives, job design, organizational systems, HRmanagment practices and the culture of theworkplace.

Canadian EnviroOSH Legislation plus Standards

This service provides Canadians with the essentiallegislation and referenced standards to understandrights and responsibilities under the law. Employersand workers can immediately find the currentinformation they need for each jurisdiction in oneplace, without the time-consuming effort of reviewingofficial gazettes and other documents. The full text ofreferenced CSA and CGSB standards provides a keybenefit and demonstrates the partnerships thatCCOHS undertakes to ensure Canadians have thetools they need to comply with the law.

Reach

Almost 500 organizations both in Canada andinternationally subscribe to the enviroOSH legislationservice in its various formats: regional, national, PLUSstandards, on the Internet and CD-ROM. Userfeedback provides many insights into the use of thedata: for example, writing policies, keeping currentfor compliance, and implementation of standardssuch as ISO 14000 and CSA Z1000.

National Labour OperationsResources CD-ROM

Produced in cooperation with the Labour Program ofHuman Resources and Social Development Canada,this service provides the full text of the CanadaLabour Code and related CSA and CGSB standards aswell as interpretive material and guidelines. Otherkey federal legislation relating to topics such asemployment equity is included along with HRSDCpublications for the workplace.

Reach

The content of this product is critical to both govern-ment inspectors and federally regulated organizations insuch industries as transport, banking and broadcasting.For example, its portability ensures that it can be usedby HRSDC Labour Affairs Officers in workplaceswhere Internet access may be unavailable.

Academic Support Program

The CCOHS Academic Support Program (ASP) isoffered exclusively to universities and colleges as botha tool to educate students about environmental andoccupational health and safety and as a guide toassist Universities and Colleges in their efforts toachieve a safe and healthy working environment. Thisprogram includes MSDS, FTSS, CHEMINFO, RTECS®,Canadiana, CISILO, HSELINE, OSHLINE® with NIOSHTIC®/NIOSHTIC-2, and several free resources as well.

Impact

As of March 31, 2007 CCOHS had 103 ASP clients:55 in Canada, 32 in USA, and 16 in other countries.The reach of the total subscriptions represents:

• 1.7 million full-time students

• 1.0 million part-time students

• 450,000 faculty/staff

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Bibliographic Databases and the ILO Encyclopaedia

The bibliographic databases and the ILO Encyclopaediaform an important part of the CCOHS Web InformationService. This collection includes OSHLINE, the CCOHSdatabase of references to Occupational Health &Safety journal articles, reports and conferenceproceedings. The ILO Encyclopaedia project is acollaborative effort between the ILO and CCOHS inwhich CCOHS delivers the encyclopaedia togetherwith the CIS/ILO database in English and French onthe web.

Reach

The bibliographic databases and the ILO Encyclopaediaare used by hundreds of organizations throughoutthe world particularly research institutes, universities,health and safety associations, government departmentsand industries. These products represent an invaluableand uniquely focused collection of references to oh&sliterature. Whether to support an in depth literaturesurvey on a particular topic, or help answer everydayhealth & safety questions, these information sourcesprovide credible references when needed. For examplea health and safety manager can search for a specifictopic such as “health and safety training of temporaryemployees” and find information ranging from journalarticles and reports to the full-text ILO Encyclopaediaand know that this information has been carefullyselected and added to the CCOHS collection. A searchon this topic on Google uncovers approximately 1 millionreferences and on Google Scholar, 33,000. Thereferences may be good but this is too muchinformation to access and evaluate.

The Projects

Worksafe Saskatchewan Website

Worksafe Saskatchewan website was developed incollaboration with Saskatchewan WCB andSaskatchewan Labour, as an information resource tohelp prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. Thewebsite statistics demonstrate the demand for practicalinformation not just on hazards and their control butalso the need for information on setting up basicworkplace programs, inspections and preventionprograms. New topics, such as workplace health andmental health, along with the addition of fragrancesin the workplace to the indoor air quality topic, ensurethat the web service is timely and relevant.

Reach

Use of the Worksafe Saskatchewan website continuesto grow: 2006 saw over 270,000 website sessionsfrom over 128,000 unique visitors. Such trafficindicates that CCOHS is helping Saskatchewan’s WCBand Labour departments to reach a wide range ofworkplaces with ready to use and readily understoodinformation for use in a variety of workplaces: offices,industry, mining. Satisfaction indicators suggest thatthis information is shared in the workplace and usedto improve workplace health and safety.

Prevention Practices Database andOSH for Everyone

Projects such as the web-based WSIB PreventionPractices Database and OSH for Everyone wereinitiated by outside organizations familiar with theunique skills and products produced by CCOHS. Theexperience developed in these projects has been usedon projects with other jurisdictions. For example, theOSH for Everyone service created for the OntarioWSIB has led to the creation of similar services for theNWT/Nunavut and Saskatchewan.

Reach

Over 10,000 OSH for Everyone CD-ROMs have beenissued while the OSH for Everyone website has formany years been an important injury and illnessprevention resource for Ontario workplaces. Thewebsite has an average of 22,000 visitor sessionsviewing 62,000 to 79,000 pages of hazard andprevention information monthly. We know from the

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feedback that OSH for Everyone has made an impactin the workplace. Health and safety committeemembers, employers, and intermediaries use thisinformation to increase and share their knowledgeand make changes in their workplaces. ThePrevention Practices website averages 6,500 visitorsper month, who take advantage of this database ofgood practices.

Marine Inspectors’ Bookshelf

The Marine Inspectors’ Bookshelf was created at therequest of Transport Canada personnel who werefamiliar with the work that CCOHS had done forHRSDC on the National Labour Operations ResourcesCD-ROM. Previously, it was impractical for thoseworking in marine safety to carry around printpublications, and getting accurate information wasvery time consuming, especially for those aboard shipsand in remote areas without Internet access. TheMarine Inspectors’ Bookshelf is an excellent exampleof how CCOHS with its partners in Marine Safetyhave worked together to create an innovative andproven solution to improving access to information.Over 300 Transport Canada Marine Inspectors are thesole users of this product. The Marine Inspectors’Bookshelf is now in its 10th release.

Canadian Health Network

The Canadian Health Network is another outstandingCCOHS partnership. CCOHS staff members work withother leading Canadian health organizations as wellas the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) toprovide a wide variety of free, reliable, up-to-date andrelevant e-health promotion, disease, and injuryprevention information. The aim of CHN is to givepeople the information they need to help preventdisease and make healthy choices for themselves andtheir communities.

Reach

CCOHS is responsible for the Workplace Healthcollection. We promote CHN through articles for theCHN homepage, our periodic Health@Work/Sante @utravail e-bulletin, conferences and workshops. In thefall of 2006 visits to the CHN Workplace Healthsection reached an all time high, due to wide

promotion of the website and a feature article onworkplace health prepared by CCOHS. An onlinesurvey of users in the fall of 2006 highlighted leadingtopics of interest (such as workplace stress); that mostvisitors are finding information to meet their needsand that almost all respondents indicated they wouldrefer the Workplace Health section to family, friendsor colleagues. The top three user groups areworkplace health and safety practitioners, workers,and workplace health promoters in all regions ofCanada.

Enhancement of Occupational Healthand Safety in Brazilian Industry(EOHSBI)

CCOHS is a member of a consortium of Canadianpublic and private sector organizations who formed aBrazilian-Canadian partnership to address occupationalhealth and safety needs within selected industrialsectors in small and medium-sized industries in Brazil.In this project which is funded by the CIDA-ABC Transferof Technology Fund for Brazil, CCOHS is leading thedevelopment of an OSH information portal appropriatefor workplace participants in Brazilian industry. In April2006, two CCOHS staff conducted a workshop inBrazil where all the specifications for a mature systemwere finalized. In December 2006, two CCOHS staffdelivered a workshop in Brazil, reviewing the functionalityof the mature system during its final development. In

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February 2007, representatives of SESI participated inan extensive training session at CCOHS on how topromote the OSH web portal, using CCOHS' servicesand activities as case studies.

EOHSBI is coordinated by the National Department ofthe Brazilian Social Service of Industry (SESI), and byRyerson University in Canada.

Impact

The international scope of the EOHSBI project hasgiven CCOHS the opportunity to showcase the widerange of products and projects that we undertake aswell as benefit from the on-going partnership withthe consortium participants. It is anticipated that allthe tools developed for the project will have a positiveimpact on improving health and safety in theworkplaces of Brazil.

Indoor Air Quality Tool Kit

This project was undertaken for Alberta Employment,Immigration and Industry to develop a practicalresource for Alberta office and other workers. Thepublication will provide a basic introduction to indoorair quality (IAQ), identify key workplace problems,provide survey tools, a primer on HVAC systems,provide help in assessing and resolving a wide rangeof IAQ issues, plus provide current standards andguidelines that are of Canadian interest. The

publication was delivered in March 2007 and alsoidentified best practices in IAQ related topics.

Reach

Alberta HRE will disseminate this publication toAlberta workplaces. Based on information gatheredduring the publication development CCOHS will alsore-use the IAQ information to update and create newIAQ OSH Answers documents, plus update its ownIAQ H&S Guide.

Pandemic Planning Web Portal

CCOHS created the Pandemic Planning website toprovide a credible, single source of practical pandemicinformation and planning resources for Canadianbusinesses and workers. CCOHS developed practicalcontent and tools for this resource-rich website,specifically for use in the community, at home, and atwork. These planning resources are designed to behelpful and easy to use by businesses and employeesin developing both personal and business pandemicplans. The goal is to provide information that canhelp keep workplaces healthy and working andpeople thriving during an influenza pandemic. Thisendeavour was funded by HRSDC. The website wasreleased in English and French in early March.

Reach

In the first month of its launch in March 2007, thePandemic Planning Portal already has had 783 visitorsaccessing the site 1559 times, and subsequentstatistics point to a steady growth in users.

Public Policy Investigation onOccupational Health and Safety ofMigrant Laborers in Chongqing,China

CCOHS has joined with key legal and governmentalorganizations in Chongqing, China in a project toaddress the issues of injury prevention and insurancefor migrant workers. The organizations are theChongqing Bureau of Labor and Social Security (CQBLSS),the Southwest University of Political Science and Law(SWUPL), and the Office of Arbitration of the Laborand Social Security Bureau of Chongqing.

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Their goals are:

1. To work toward protection of the rights ofmigrant workers with work-related injuries andillnesses,

2. To enhance the health and safety and quality ofworking life of migrant workers, and

3. To develop local legislation, which will provideguidance for national legislation through theresearch and experience of Chongqing.

The role of CCOHS is to organize the study tours inCanada which will enable members of theorganizations:

1. To learn from Canada about our experience ofworkplace health and safety and insurance ofnew and migrant workers, and

2. To use the Canadian experience to help perfectthe local legislation of Chongqing.

CCOHS staff travelled to China in December 2006 to meet with the organizations involved in the projectand plan the visits to Canada in April 2007.

Chemical Services


rovides a comprehensive information service covering

all aspects of chemical safety (other than those related

to the management of MSDSs) to fulfill the needs of

Canadian workplaces. This performance area includes

the following products and services:

MSDS Service

IPCS INCHEM

IPCS INTOX

CHEMINFO

RTECS®

CHEMpendium™

DSL/NDSL

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(M)SDS Writer

WHMIS Classification Discrepancy Project

Health Canada Ad Hoc Expert Working Group

Projects

Overview

Chemical exposures in the workplace and environmentpose serious health and safety concerns to Canadians.Exposures to chemicals occur at work, in the homeand through the environment resulting in significantcosts to Canadian society - to business, the medicalsystem and in personal costs through the impact onpersonal health.

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Almost all human health effects known about variousindustrial chemicals have been the result of reportedexposures in the workplace. In workplaces theconcerns to workers are clear – reducing contact withhazardous chemicals. When chemicals are handledresponsibly and safely in the workplace, the impact onworkers is controlled and the impact on theenvironment can be expected to be minimal.

Canadians are concerned about the hazards ofchemicals in their workplace, passing through theircommunities and into their environment, andgovernment has set up regulatory and advisorysystems to assist them. They have a need to knowabout hazardous chemicals, to access information onthose chemicals to better protect themselves and theirenvironment.

The Service

The CCOHS Chemical Health & Safety Service helpsCanadians to understand:

• what chemicals pose hazardous risks,

• how to control those risks

• how to reduce injuries and illness at work, incommunities, and in the environment, and

• what the regulatory requirements are and howto comply with them

CCOHS supports the need to know the hazards ofchemicals and to control these hazards through anumber of key product and service lines. These areoutlined with objectives and a brief description below.

MSDS Service

The MSDS Service consisting of MSDS, FTSS,MSDS/FTSS Combo and the MSDS ManagementService (MMS) provides a comprehensive service thatenables user organizations to efficiently manage all oftheir MSDSs, while assuring organization-widemeasures for legislative compliance under WHMIS.

Chemical substances are a vital component for manyuses in the modern world, and their potential effecton people and the environment remain an importantissue for Canadians. One of the goals of legislationsuch as WHMIS is to ensure that appropriateinformation about hazards and how to deal withthem be made available in workplaces.

One of the keys to providing this information is theMaterial Safety Data Sheet, and the CCOHS MSDSService helps Canadians provide a safer workingenvironment by ensuring that organizations using theservices meet their legislative obligations to makecurrent and accurate MSDS documents widelyavailable within the workplace.

MSDS and FTSS Databases

The MSDS and FTSS databases are available on theWeb, DVD, and Intranet and consist of approximately450,000 data sheets which represents a 14% growthover last year in the overall size of the collection. Inthe past year, users of the MSDS and FTSS databaseswere provided with MSDSs about 220,000 times,which averages out to over 600 viewed per day.Although there has been some transition in the pastseveral years from the CD-ROM and DVD versions ofthe databases, usage of the web version continues togrow with about 6% increase in the number of datasheets viewed by over 700 clients.

MSDS Management Service (MMS)

The MSDS Management Service (MMS) was designedto complement the existing MSDS/FTSS DatabaseService, in that this new customized service wouldhelp clients achieve 100% coverage of the datasheets required for their workplace. MMS includes a broad range of features including automaticmaintenance and updating of datasheets in a

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collection, printed binders or archive CD-ROMs, andMSDS publications. CCOHS also works closely withMMS clients and suppliers to resolve any complianceissues that arise. As the MMS service continues to berefined, additional options and levels of service arebeing investigated to help an even broader range ofclients achieve their objectives for making materialsafety information available to their staff and meettheir WHMIS obligations.

Impact and Reach

There has been substantial growth in the MMS serviceover the past year, which now provides customizedservice for 34 clients, representing a wide range ofindustries including manufacturing, governments,automotive, and the hospitality industry. The increasein the size of the MMS service has resulted in almosttripling of revenue.

Continuous Improvement

The services are continuously being improved throughclient feedback and suggestions. In particular,customized services such as the MSDS ManagementService provide an opportunity to work closely withvarious clients to identify and fill specific needs fromvarious types of workplaces. In addition, furtherrefinement of processes for auditing and dealing withcompliance issues in a transparent way will ensurethat clients meet their regulatory requirements at alltimes.

IPCS INCHEM

The IPCS INCHEM service compiles chemical-relatedhealth, safety and environment documents anddatabases from several international organizations -including the World Health Organization (WHO), theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), theInternational Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS),the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UnitedNations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),and the Organization for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD).

The IPCS INCHEM service, containing informationessential for the sound management of chemicals thataffect the environment and human health, is availablefree from its website and through the CCOHS WebInformation Service. It is also provided free via CD-ROMto hundreds of organizations in developing countries.This service has been funded by the InternationalProgramme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) of the WorldHealth Organization as well as some funding supportfrom Health Canada.

IPCS INCHEM has achieved worldwide recognitionfor its high quality service, disseminating authoritativeand peer-reviewed publications from trustedintergovernmental organizations to help preventworkplace injury and illness.

Impact

• On average, 182,000 unique visitors from 170countries read and use INCHEM informationevery month.

• Visitors viewed the over 8,100 INCHEM documentsmore than 10.5 million times during 2006. Onaverage, someone in the world is using an IPCSINCHEM document every three seconds.

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• Visitors from the United States, Canada andAustralia were the most frequent viewers ofINCHEM documents. Other frequent viewerswere from Australia, the United Kingdom, Japanand Germany.

IPCS INTOX

IPCS INTOX is a collaborative project with the WorldHealth Organization that supports the work ofnumerous poison centres worldwide throughintegrated operational systems containing datamanagement software and the IPCS INTOX Databank.

The INTOX Data Management System (INTOX DMS) isa software system that enables a poisons centre tocompile three integrated databases, for enquiries,substances and products. The system is currentlyavailable in English, French, Portuguese and Spanishand is being translated into Chinese.

The IPCS INTOX Databank is a collection of documentsaimed at those working in poisons centers or who areinvolved in the diagnosis and management ofpoisoning or in dealing with health aspects ofchemical incidents. The content includesinternationally peer-reviewed documents on industrialchemicals, pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals andplant, fungal and animal toxins, and about thetreatment of poisoning, analytical toxicology andpoisons center operations.

The IPCS INTOX databank is available free on its website.The software system is provided via CD-ROM. Thisservice has been funded by IPCS of the World HealthOrganization as well as through Health Canada.

Impact

• During fiscal year 2006-07 over 67,500 uniquevisitors from over 145 countries used the websiteto access information about pesticides,pharmaceuticals, pure chemicals, bacteria andfungi

• INTOX documents were viewed more than 2.4million times this year. Each month, on average,INTOX documents were viewed over 204,500times.

• Visitors from the United States, Brazil andMexico were the most frequent viewers ofINTOX documents. Other frequent viewers werefrom Canada, Australia and France.

CHEMINFO

The CHEMINFO database contains summarized,reliable, understandable information on workplacechemicals. It provides key health and safetyinformation needed to control workplace exposuresand prevent accidents, and includes scientificallysupported regulatory classifications.

CHEMINFO was originally developed in response to anoverwhelming number of requests to the InquiresService for authoritative, unbiased health and safetyinformation on chemicals. It continues to fulfill thisfunction along with meeting the needs of the broaderOH&S community. CHEMINFO helps many differenttypes of people such as workers, employers, Healthand Safety Committee members, MSDS writers,industrial hygienists, safety officers, physicians, nurses,emergency responders, regulators and inspectors.CHEMINFO is available through many avenues – viarevenue generating and public service offerings.

Impact and Reach

CHEMINFO has a remarkable impact on workplaces.Information from CHEMINFO, in one form or another,is accessed approximately 250,000 times annually –almost 1,000 each working day. Access is through avariety of methods reaching different user groups:

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• Most CHEMINFO use is through free ‘partial’records available on the IPCS INTOX databankand through the chemical profile OSH Answersthat are based on CHEMINFO content.

• About one quarter of the use is through paidsubscription services through the CCOHS WebInformation Service.

• Half of the approximately 75,000 accessesannually from paid subscription use are by staff,faculty and students at universities and collegesacross North America through the AcademicSupport Program.

• CHEMINFO also supports CCOHS MSDSManagement Service clients making it a uniqueservice in the marketplace.

CHEMINFO is created and owned by CCOHS andthere is no dependency on outside contributors toprovide this content.

Initiatives

During 2006-07, significant effort was invested inenhancing the value of CHEMINFO for our users. Inaddition to ongoing database maintenance andcurrency work, the following noteworthy contentenhancements and initiatives were achieved based onuser needs:

• Key chemical ingredients in workplace productswere identified as high priority additions forCHEMINFO. Over 200 of these chemical“ingredient” records were added to CHEMINFO.These database records follow the short styleformat with credible data on physical, chemicaland other hazard properties.

• Any chemical with an occupational exposure limitis a critical chemical for most workplaces. To ensuregood coverage of these chemicals almost 100new "short" records were added to CHEMINFO.Now all chemicals with an exposure limit (ACGIHTLV® or AIHA WEEL) are represented in thedatabase.

• Many clients require LD50 data or skin and eyeirritation information on hazardous chemicals.This selected toxicity data was added to over 400existing CHEMINFO short records that previouslycontained no toxicity information, and to over60 of our new ingredient records.

• CHEMINFO was launched as a stand-alonesubscription product at the beginning of July2006.

In the new fiscal year, a user satisfaction survey isplanned as well as surveys of clients and stakeholdersto identify user needs and requirements for chemicalinformation. Results will help us focus our resources tobetter meet our user needs.

RTECS®

The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances(RTECS®) contains critical toxicological informationwith citations on more than 165,000 chemicalsubstances, from 2,500 plus sources. RTECS® includestoxicological data such as:

• LD50 and LC50 values for short and long termexposures

• Skin and eye irritation data

• Carcinogenicity, reproductive, embryotoxiceffects

• References to toxicological reviews; internationalworkplace exposure limits; analytical methods;and exposure and hazard survey data.

Toxicologists, MSDS writers, industrial hygienists,product safety specialists, health and safety specialistsand pharmacologists need this database to find outwhat the reported toxic effects are on specific

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chemicals, including LD50 and LC50 data,carcinogenicity status, as well as sensitization andreproductive effects.

In 2006, over 5,000 new records were added to thedatabase – ensuring excellent coverage for users.Users of RTECS on the web accessed information ontoxic effects of chemical substances more than 41,000times in 2006.

The content is kept updated by MDL InformationSystems. CCOHS is unique in offering an English,French and Spanish language version of the database.

CHEMpendium™

CHEMpendium™ is a collection of essential databasesthat meets the broad needs of environmental, healthand safety practitioners (i.e. industrial hygienists,emergency responders, occupational health nurses andphysicians, regulators and environmental, health andsafety coordinators). CHEMpendium™, acomprehensive resource of chemical hazardinformation for workplaces and the environment,covers transport of hazardous materials and includesdescriptions of chemical toxicity, fact sheets on thehazards and safe use of industrial chemicals andenvironmental contaminants, pesticide label text, andmuch more.

CHEMpendium improves productivity and effectivenessby offering reliable information with cross-databasesearching of the following authoritative databases:Chemical Evaluation Search and Retrieval System(CESARS), Chemical Hazards Response Information

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System (CHRIS), CHEMINFO, Domestic/Non-DomesticSubstances List (DSL/NDSL), Hazardous SubstancesData Bank (HSDB), New Jersey Hazardous SubstanceFact Sheets, NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards,Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) and Transport ofHazardous Materials databases. CHEMpendium isavailable as an online service or on CD-ROM.

The CHEMpendium database collection usage via theweb remained steady over the past year, during whichmore than 75,000 records were viewed.

DSL/NDSL

CCOHS created the Domestic Substances List and theNon-Domestic Substances List (DSL/NDSL) as aresource for Canadians as well as internationalmanufacturers and importers who needed access toCanada’s domestic inventory list. This regulatory listwas created under the Canadian EnvironmentalProtection Act (CEPA) by Environment Canada.

The lists act to identify chemicals or other substancesthat are manufactured or used in Canada or thosethat, while not used in Canada, are used in worldcommerce. These lists are an important way forgovernment to be aware of new substances and toassess them for safety before widespread use occurs inCanada.

Chemical manufacturers, suppliers and importers whomay have to submit information under CEPA, use thedatabase, which is updated regularly. Governmentregulators and enforcers, MSDS writers and regulatorycompliance specialists find that the DSL/NDSL databasehelps them to meet their compliance requirements.

Currently the DSL contains about 26,870 substancesand the NDSL contains about 47,000 substances.These substances are searchable in a database as partof the CHEMpendium™ collection on the WebInformation Service (WIS) and the Disc InformationService (DIS). The DSL and NDSL are not static lists.Regulatory amendments, additions and deletions mayoccur at any time, so the DSL/NDSL database is animportant way to ensure users remain in compliance.

Highlights during this period include:

• 1,800 new records were added.

• CCOHS participated in the ICG CEPA UpdateConference in March 2007. The focus of thismeeting was to review amendments to the New

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Substances Notification Regulations and reviewthe status of the Existing Substances Programincluding activities related to the categorizationand screening of substances on the DSL.

(M)SDS Writer

In 2006, CCOHS undertook a new initiative to helpsupport Canadian small and medium sized companieswho produce chemical products. The initiative is thedevelopment of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)Writer software. This product is built on the bestpractices available for hazard and safety communicationand is designed to meet Canadian manufacturer andsupplier needs for today and will be adapted to meetGHS needs in the future.

Through its communication with clients and stakeholders,CCOHS became aware of the need to have softwaredeveloped to meet user needs for creating andmaintaining good product safety data sheets. Thesoftware will be a web hybrid solution using CCOHSweb chemical information resources along with thesoftware located on the client’s own computersystems.

The service will capitalize on CCOHS’ rich resources inchemical information, using CHEMINFO, RTECS, HSDB,DSL/NDSL and other new resources needed by theseclients. CHEMINFO content is being enhanced tosupport the (M)SDS Writer development (see theCHEMINFO section for more details on chemicalcontent changes).

Currently the production team has completed a numberof key milestones in the development of the softwareincluding technical specifications, functional capabilities,field specifications and section layouts. Phrases will becompleted for dozens of fields and logic drivers willenhance control phrase selection. The collection ofSDS content phrases and the accompanying help willassist clients in selecting appropriate information invarious fields.

CCOHS hopes to pilot the software during 2007,releasing a bilingual version before the year-end.

Health Canada Projects

WHMIS Classification DiscrepancyProject

CCOHS continues to collaborate with the QuebecCSST and Health Canada National Office of WHMIS(NOW) to harmonize WHMIS classifications availableon the CCOHS and CSST websites and to respond toclassification questions submitted by stakeholders.

During this period, discrepancies were resolved onnine chemicals. In addition, specific requests for inputwere received from Health Canada NOW on WHMISclassification interpretation issues related to titaniumdioxide (carcinogenicity), sodium hydroxide (corrosivity),and perlite (carcinogenicity). These issues were discussedand resolved in accordance with Health Canada’sstandard operating procedure (SOP) on responding to classification information requests.

CCOHS also participated in meetings with the CSSTand NOW to prioritize outstanding policy issuesubmissions and to discuss issues of interpretation of the Controlled Products Regulations specificallyregarding the criteria for classifying chemicals orproducts as D2A/B chronic toxicity hazards.

The impact of these activities is that when any partyraises concerns or challenges about WHMIS classifications– whether industry, labour or government, the issuescan be discussed and resolved through collaborativeefforts of this group, providing an authoritativeresource for all Canadians. CCOHS participates andprovides support for these national activities.

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Health Canada Ad Hoc ExpertWorking Group

CCOHS continues to participate in the Health CanadaAd Hoc Expert Working Group: Chronic Hazards. ThisExpert Group is examining whether chemical productsregulated under the Consumer Chemicals andContainers Regulations, 2001 of the HazardousProducts Act should include consideration of theGlobally Harmonized System (GHS) chronic hazardclasses (i.e., mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, reproductivetoxicity, respiratory or skin sensitization, and targetorgan systemic toxicity - repeated dose). Currently,consumer chemical products are not classified forthese hazard classes. The Ad Hoc Expert WorkingGroup will provide recommendations to the ConsumerChemical Sectoral Working Group, who will thenreview the recommendation and make a finalrecommendation to government. The work of thisWorking Group is nearing completion.

Ingredient Disclosure List Report

As Health Canada prepares to engage stakeholders inconsultations regarding the implementation of theGlobally Harmonized System for the Classification andLabelling of Chemicals (GHS), CCOHS was asked toprepare a report that provides background on theWHMIS Ingredient Disclosure List (IDL). Informationabout the origin and process of IDL development inthe context of WHMIS development, accuracy of theIDL relative to WHMIS classifications, possibleprocedures and costs for ongoing development of anIDL program were included.

WHMIS Label Report

Health Canada’s National Office of WHMIS requestedthat CCOHS research and prepare a report on theWHMIS label format and border. This request was theresult of multi-stakeholder consultations regarding theimplementation of the Globally Harmonized Systemfor the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).The report reviews the various systems used for labelsin Canada and internationally. It outlines characteristics

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of labelling systems that have demonstrated benefitsfor effective hazard communication. The report willhelp to inform and guide decisions on thedevelopment of GHS label formats in Canada.

Pan-Canadian WHMIS HazardCommunication Symposium

CCOHS facilitated this symposium on February 8 and 9,2007 in Ottawa. CCOHS assisted the hosts of themeeting, Health Canada’s National Office of WHMIS,who invited a variety of governmental, industry andlabour participants. Over 40 participants took part inthe two-day symposium which focused on preventionof chronic disease arising from occupational exposurethrough hazard communication WHMIS compliance;and the quality of health and safety informationdisclosed on labels and MSDSs. The workshopsummary is posted on the WHMIS meeting event webpage on the CCOHS website.

Nanotechnology OHS Working Group

Health Canada’s National Office of WHMIS recommendedthat CCOHS participate in this meeting held March26-27, 2007 in Ottawa as experts in WHMIS andhuman health toxicology and risk assessment. Theobjective of the workshop was to discuss nanotechnologyand its applications, and identify knowledge gapsconcerning the potential risks associated withnanoparticles in an occupational health and safetycontext. The results of the discussions will helpdevelop risk communication tools and support policyand regulatory development.

WHMIS Refresher Course

CCOHS was asked to send a WHMIS expert toparticipate in a WHMIS refresher course for federalinspectors. This course was held in Toronto on March27-28, 2007. The participation in this course will leadto further developments in assisting Health CanadaNOW with WHMIS inspector training to be held inVancouver in June 2007.

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Communications


The Service

Communications are key to ensuring Canadiansknow of the national resources available to them aswell as help in building awareness of the importanceof occupational health and safety in keeping themsafe and healthy at work. Through two primarycommunications campaigns – Promotiing CCOHS andits products and services, and Promoting OSH inCanada – CCOHS will develop and deploy initiativesthat enhance outreach, CCOHS’ user population, theimpact of advancing health & safety in the workplace,and the physical and mental well-being of workingCanadians.

rovides a comprehensive communications service for

CCOHS that includes:

Promoting Occupational Health & Safety andStakeholder Relations in Canada

Promoting CCOHS and its Products & Services

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Forum 2007

As part of our goal to undertake initiatives that leadto increased impact on Canadian workplace healthand safety, CCOHS is hosting a national forum toexplore health and safety issues that are emergingfrom changing workplaces. Forum '07 will be heldSeptember 17-18, 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbiawith Emerging Health & Safety Issues in ChangingWorkplaces: A Canadian Discussion as the theme.

The Forum venue, program and speakers have beenconfirmed and an informational website was launchedto promote the event and keep visitors up to date.Promotion of the event is ongoing and registrationsfor delegates and exhibitors are in progress.

It is expected that Forum '07 will generate an interestand enthusiasm similar to that of Forum ‘05, and willhelp stimulate creative solutions among Canadians tohelp ensure people can be safe and healthy at work.

The Health & Safety Report e-Newsletter

The Health & Safety Report, CCOHS’ free e-newsletter,is an initiative that aspires to increase impact onCanadian workplace health and safety. In addition to providing relevant content to a broad audience,the Report is regularly and widely reproduced byorganizations to enhance their health and safetyeducational and information efforts.

Impact and Outreach

This service, launched in January 2003, now has a distribution of 16,325 subscribers in more than 100 countries. This represents 39.6% growth insubscribers from the previous fiscal year.

In the February 2007 readership survey, the Reportreceived a 98.4% overall satisfaction rating, with69.4% of the respondents being “very satisfied”.74% say they share the Report with 4 or more otherpeople. The survey also indicated that a third of thereaders print the Report and use the informationwithin to develop health and safety policies andprocedures, for training purposes and as a resourcefor their own newsletters, bulletin boards andemployee orientation kits. In fact, over 83.7% of the respondents to the survey said they use theinformation – 35% frequently – to make theworkplace safer. 76% replied that they will or areplanning to use the information in the Report tomake changes that may improve health and safety in their workplaces. As the readership of the Reportcontinues to grow, so does CCOHS’ commitment and efforts to increase outreach and provide credible,useful information that could help prevent workrelated injuries and illnesses.

Subscribers to The Health & Safety Report providedthe following comments:

“ I try to use the information for handouts toemployees in the mill on anything that I think theywill read, and maybe keep in mind the safety attheir work areas. “

“ Provides knowledge for employees in anappropriate context and easily comprehended evenby those with English as a second language.”

“ The Information comes from a trusted source that I could refer to if required.”

Bringing Health to Work Web Portal

A web portal service that makes healthy workplacesinformation and knowledge widely and easilyaccessible to Canadians titled Bringing Health toWork was created and launched December 2005 as a crucial component of a wider healthy workplacesinitiative through funding support from HRSDC.

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This web portal service provides Canadian employers,employees and practitioners, free and easy access to acomprehensive range of more than 300 credibleresources and practical tools for creating andpromoting healthy workplaces. The URL for this portalis www.ccohs.ca/healthyworkplaces/.

Impact and Outreach

For fiscal year April 2006 – March 2007 the BringingHealth to Work portal has served:

• 25,002 visitors, accessing the English-languageportal 42,429 times.

• 6,646 visitors to the French language version of the portal, accessing it 10,252 times (June 2006 – March 2007)

National Day of Mourning – April 28

The National Day of mourning offers employees andemployers the opportunity to remember the dead,injured and ill as well as publicly renew theircommitment to improve health and safety in theworkplace.

The promotion of this important day, includes abanner ad and headline on the home page of theCCOHS website, linking to our permanent NationalDay of Mourning pages. For 2006 Day of Mourning2,234 people in March and April 2006 accessed theDay of Mourning web pages 5,875 times. CCOHSfilled 163 requests (1,000 English and 144 French) forthe free poster designed by CCOHS staff to increaseawareness of this important issue and day. The poster,redesigned and produced in a bilingual format for2007, was well received and requests for the freeposter were brisk.

Webinars

As part of the effort to establish CCOHS as a leaderin promoting healthy workplaces in Canada, CCOHSconducted several webinars (live and recordedbroadcasts) to coincide with OH&S events. Peoplewere encouraged to run the webinars in boardroomsand venues, as an easy, efficient means to share theinformation.

NAOSH Week – May 1-6, 2006

Presented by CCOHS Subject Specialists andoffered as a free public service to Canadians:

OHS Best Practices

Orientation Training for Workers in Canada

Violence in the Workplace: Awareness

Discovering Workplace Health

Integrating Workplace Health

Impact: 100+ locations participated.

Healthy Workplace Week – October 2006

Offered as a free public service to Canadians:

Discovering Workplace Health on the Web

Impact: 27+ locations participated.

CCOHS continues to develop a plan to leveragewebinar technology to deliver OH&S relatedinformational programs (both public services and costrecovery) as well as promote the use of CCOHSproducts and services that can help organizationsmeet their OH&S objectives.

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North American Occupational Safety and Health(NAOSH) Week – April 30 – May 6, 2006

Every year during NAOSH Week communities andbusinesses throughout Canada, the United States andMexico work to raise awareness of workplace healthand safety issues and help prevent occupationalinjuries and illnesses.

The 2006 theme of Review. Refresh. Revitalize servedas a reminder for all of us to take stock of ourworkplace environments, and then work together tobring about the changes in policies and practicesnecessary to create healthy workplaces.

In keeping with the theme, CCOHS presented acomplimentary series of recorded webinars that ranMay 1-5th to provide information and knowledge toCanadians that support prevention initiatives. Topicsof the webinars included: OHS Best Practices,Orientation Training for Workers in Canada, Violencein the Workplace: Awareness, Discovering WorkplaceHealth, and Integrating Workplace Health.

As a partner in NAOSH Week, CCOHS is responsiblefor the NAOSH week web site and promoted theevent through a media release, web headlines,newsletter articles and promotional emails.

CCOHS also participates in the planning of theNational Launch and continues to participate on theOntario committee, and manages the NAOSH weekwebsite – www.naosh.ca. CCOHS President and CEOLen Hong participated in the National Launch ofNorth American Occupational Safety and HealthWeek in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday,May 1, 2006.

Stakeholder Relations

Initial discussions have been held with the OntarioMunicipal Health and Safety Association and withEnvironment Canada Weather Service to exploreopportunities for future collaborations. A full plan fordevelopment of key initiatives will be developed forfiscal 2007-08.

Dick Martin Scholarship Award

The CCOHS Council of Governors established thisannual, national award available to post-secondarystudents enrolled in occupational health and safetyprogrammes in Canada, to foster interest in the fieldof workplace health and safety. The Dick MartinScholarship Award (DMSA) was created in 2002 inrecognition of Mr Martin’s contribution to CCOHS asone of its governors; his powerful voice for the rightsof workers; his commitment to securing justice forworking men and women; and, promoting action toprotect people’s environments inside and outside theworkplace.

This is the fifth year CCOHS has offered the scholarshipawards to students enrolled, either full-time or part-time, in an occupational health & safety related courseor program at an accredited college or university inCanada leading to an OH&S certificate, diploma ordegree. Programs include mine safety, occupational orindustrial health and safety, industrial hygiene, safetymanagement or other related health and safetydegree programs.

This year Council agreed to increase the amount ofthe Dick Martin Scholarship Award (DMSA) awardsfrom $1,000 each to $3,000 each.

Applicants submit an essay on a topic that best fitstheir aspirations in the field of occupational healthand safety. The essays are scored anonymously by aCCOHS scoring team according to published criteria.A total of 41 submissions were received, a 24% increasein the number of essays received the previous year.The breakdown of submissions by province is as follows:

British Columbia 9Alberta 6Saskatchewan 1Ontario 13Quebec 10Nova Scotia 1Newfoundland & Labrador 1

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A $3,000 scholarship was awarded to each of thefollowing three recipients:

Craig Journeay – Milton, Nova Scotia, Brent Macdonald – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Robin Van Driel – Vancouver, British Columbia.

Conferences, Presentations andExhibitions

Participation at conferences and exhibitions providesopportunities for outreach, and promotion of CCOHSproducts and services across Canada. They alsoprovide a forum for showcasing and demonstratinghow the products and services meet the needs ofCanadian workers, employers and governments.

CCOHS’ outreach efforts included more than 32 eventsover this fiscal year and maintained its vigorousparticipation in meetings, conferences and presentationsin each region of Canada. See the Conferences,Presentations and Exhibitions listing on page 41.

Promotion

In continuing efforts to increase awareness of CCOHSas a national occupational health and safety resourceand promote the free public services available toCanadians, a complement of print and electronicadvertising ran in a variety of print trade publicationsand websites in that first part of the fiscal year.

Media releases and product announcements areimportant tactics in:

• promoting the role of CCOHS in improvingworkplace health and safety in Canada.

• publicizing the ways in which CCOHS products,services and activities can support theimprovements on health and safety of Canadianenterprises.

The broader value of a media release, over and abovethe face value of the information contained within, isthe impact it has on increasing our ranking with websearches (makes us easier to find) as well as providingopportunities to keep CCOHS top of mind with thevarious audiences we serve.

CCOHS released thirty media releases and webannouncements – many of which were reprinted/reproduced by related organizations, groups andbusinesses to enhance their own initiatives.

CCOHS Sightings – in the Media andOther Places

Awareness of The Canadian Centre for OccupationalHealth and Safety continues to grow and the Centreis becoming known as a “go to” resource fortrustworthy health and safety content, perspective,advice and reference. In fiscal 2006-07 CCOHS notedmore than 111 media sightings in which CCOHS wasquoted as the source of information, CCOHS OSHAnswers, articles or media releases were reprinted inpublications, and/or CCOHS staff were quoted orreferenced. These various “mentions” of CCOHSrepresented a minimum potential reach of 4 millionwhen the circulation and web traffic of the mediaciting CCOHS was considered.

More than ever CCOHS’ information and website isbeing referenced and linked in blogs – almost toomany to mention. This represents a more informal –but growing grassroots type of outreach. In fact, theusers who post CCOHS on their blogs are actuallypushing out our information and helping to expandoutreach and awareness.

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CCOHS’ free public services continue to be primesources of essential information on work-relatedhealth and safety issues for Canadians.

ILO/CIS National and CollaboratingCentres Web Portal

CCOHS maintains a web portal for the InternationalLabour Organization/CIS National and CollaboratingCentres. There are some 140 CIS National andCollaborating Centres in 102 countries.

The portal presents a structure consisting of variouscategories of occupational health and safety informationand can provide information from the respectivecountries of the CIS National and CollaboratingCentres. The input of information content is beingcoordinated by CIS. A powerful search engine allowssearching of information under various categoriesfrom any one Centre or a selected combination ofCentres. This web portal structure is trilingual(English, French and Spanish) and will accommodatethe information contained in any language. It alsocontains an e-mail-based discussion group forexchanging information among the CIS National andCollaborating Centres. This work is performed on acost-recovery basis. In fiscal 2006-07 more than71,102 visitors accessed the portal 1,658,154 milliontimes. The URL is www.ciscentres.org.

Network of WHO CollaboratingCentres In Occupational Health

The network of Collaborating Centres makes anextensive contribution to the goal of occupationalhealth for all. Collaboration is being further developedwith the sharing of information and experiencesbetween countries and institutions.

CCOHS collaborated with the World Health Organization(WHO) to create a web portal for WHO CollaboratingCentres. This website provides information about theNetwork of WHO Collaborating Centres in OccupationalHealth, including the activities, priorities and plans ofindividual centres. The WHO portal provides eachcollaborating centre with a site to present its ownoccupational health information, and links to otherinformation within its country. This fiscal year 21,821visitors accessed the portal 574,000 times.

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Tri-National Website

CCOHS maintains a website to facilitate communicationsamong the Working Group Of Government Experts InOccupational Safety And Health members fromCanada, USA and Mexico, and to provide a source of government OH&S information from the threecountries. CCOHS is also providing discussion forumsfor members of the Working Group and fourSubgroups. The site provides valuable informationlinks to promote public involvement and education aswell as to encourage the exchange of good practiceson programs, projects and activities focusing onOH&S. The site is delivered in English, French andSpanish. The URL for this website is www.naalcosh.org/

National Young Worker Website

CCOHS continues to work with the Cross-CanadaYouth Advisory Committee to enhance the content of JobOne.ca, a national website for young workers.The site provides one-point access to informationfrom all Canadian jurisdictions on OSH issues thataffect young workers. The information is targeted toyoung workers as well as their teachers and parentsand the number of visitors to the site continues togrow across Canada. An average of more than 2,000visitors access the site monthly. In fiscal 2006-07,24,742 visitors access the site more than 207,477times. The URL for this website is www.jobsafecanada.ca

CanOSH

CCOHS created and maintains CanOSH as an onlineinformation source for Canadians. The purpose ofthis site is to enable Canadians to easily andindependently locate Canadian occupational safetyand health (OSH) information for the purpose of legalcompliance, improving workplace health and safetypractices and ultimately to facilitate the acquisition ofinformation required for reduction in workplacefatalities, injuries and illnesses. It is designed to provideCanadians with a convenient and efficient way toaccess the health and safety information provided bythe federal, provincial and territorial governmentagencies responsible for OSH, Workers' CompensationBoards and the Canadian Centre for OccupationalHealth and Safety (CCOHS). In fiscal 2006-07 62,425people accessed the site 363,626 times. The URL forthis website is www.canoshweb.org/

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Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations(SAHO) Conference 2006Regina, SK – Apr 9-11Exhibit

Workplace Workgroup – Healthy WorkplaceInnovation SeriesHamilton, ON – Apr 19Task Force Committee

OPSEUToronto, ON – Apr 20-21Exhibit

Truck World 2006Toronto, ON – Apr 20-22Exhibit

Canadian Occupational Health Nurses Assoc NationalConferenceHalifax, NS – Apri26-28Exhibit

63rd OASBO Annual Conference & Education Industry ShowOttawa, ON – April 27Table Exhibit

Corrections and Public Safety and JusticeSaskatchewan OH&S ConferenceSaskatchewan – May 1Materials Only

NAOSH Week National LaunchVancouver, BC – May 1Speaker / Table Exhibit

IAPA Health and Safety 2006Toronto, ON – May 1-3Exhibit / Speakers

McMaster University’s NAOSH Week 2006Hamilton, ON – May 4Table Exhibit

Canadian Conference on Disaster Management andEmergency PlanningToronto, ON – May 1-2Exhibit

PIASS Annual Safety Seminar 2006Banff, AB – May 3-5Exhibit

Western Conference on Safety 2006Vancouver, BC – May 8-9Materials Only

AQHSST-28 CongresQuebec City, PQ – May 9-11Exhibit

Automotive Parts Manufacturers Assoc AnnualConference and ExhibitionHamilton, ON – May 10-11Table Exhibit

OALT / ABO 2006 ConferenceSt. Catherines, ON – May 10-14Speaker

American Industrial Hygiene Conference andExposition (AIHCE) 2006Chicago, Ill – May 13-18Exhibit / Speakers

Transportation Health and Safety Assoc of Ontario(THSAO) 64th Annual General MeetingToronto, ON – May 24-25Exhibit

International Conference of SafetyNet and CanadianAssoc for Research on Work and Health (CARWH)St. John's, NL – Jun 7-10Exhibit / Speaker

Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain andDisability Vancouver, BC – Jul 7-9Materials Only

Canadian Society for Safety Engineering (CSSE)Conference 2006Ottawa, ON – Sept 10-13Exhibit / Speaker

2006 Professional Conference on Industrial HygieneSan Jose, CA – Sept 16-19Exhibit

International Forum on Chemical SafetyBudapest, Hungary – Sept 25-28Attended

Chemical Hazard Communication MeetingWashington, DC – SeptAttended

Le Grande Rende-Vous en sante et securite du travailQuebec – Oct 11-12Exhibit

Health, Work and Wellness Conference 2006Vancouver, BC – Oct 12-14Materials Only

WHSCC New Brunswick 25th Annual Health andSafety ConferenceSt. John, NB – Oct 22-23Exhibit

Peterborough Health Unit Peterborough, ON – OctSpeaker

Alberta Health & Safety Conference And Trade FairEdmonton, AB – Nov 21-22Speaker

Human Resource Professionals Conference of Ontario(HRPAO) 2007Toronto, ON – Jan 31-Feb 2Exhibit / Speaker

McMaster Faculty of EngineeringHamilton, ON – JanSpeaker

Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario SpringSymposiumMississauga, ON – Mar 28Speaker

Conferences, Presentations & Exhibitions


Financial Review

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Responsibility for the integrity and objectivity of the accompanying financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2007 andall information contained in these statements rests with Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)management. These financial statements have been prepared by management in accordance with Treasury Board accountingpolicies which are consistent with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector and year-endinstructions issued by the Office of the Comptroller General.

Management is responsible for the integrity and objectivity of the information in these financial statements. Some of theinformation in the financial statements is based on management’s best estimates and judgment and gives due consideration tomateriality. To fulfill its accounting and reporting responsibilities, management maintains a set of accounts that provides acentralized record of CCOHS’ financial transactions. Financial information submitted to the Public Accounts of Canada andincluded in the CCOHS’ Departmental Performance Report is consistent with these financial statements.

Management maintains a system of financial management and internal control designed to provide reasonable assurance thatfinancial information is reliable, that assets are safeguarded and that transactions are in accordance with the FinancialAdministration Act, are executed in accordance with prescribed regulations, within Parliamentary authorities, and are properlyrecorded to maintain accountability of Government funds. Management also seeks to ensure the objectivity and integrity ofdata in its financial statements by careful selection, training and development of qualified staff, by organizational arrangementsthat provide appropriate divisions of responsibility, and by communication programs aimed at ensuring that regulations, policies,standards and managerial authorities are understood throughout CCOHS.

An Audit Committee appointed by the Council of Governors of CCOHS has reviewed these statements with management andthe auditors, and has reported to the Council of Governors. The Council of Governors has approved the financial statements.

The financial statements of CCOHS have been audited by the Auditor General of Canada, the independent auditor for theGovernment of Canada.

Approved by:

S. Len Hong Bonnie Easterbrook, CGAPresident and Chief Executive Officer Controller/Senior Financial Officer

Hamilton, CanadaJune 1, 2007


AUDITOR’S REPORT

To the Council of Governors of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

and the Minister of Labour

I have audited the statement of financial position of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety as at March 31, 2007 and the statements of operations, equity of Canada, and cash flow for the year then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Centre’s management. My responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on my audit.

I conducted my audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Thosestandards require that I plan and perform an audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financialstatements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidencesupporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing theaccounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating theoverall financial statement presentation.

In my opinion, these financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position ofthe Centre as at March 31, 2007 and the results of its operations and its cash flow for the year thenended in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles.

Richard Flageole, FCAAssistant Auditor Generalfor the Auditor General of Canada

Ottawa, CanadaJune 1, 2007


STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONAt March 31

Assets 2007 2006Financial assets:

Due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund $ 203,580 $ 265,383Inventory for resale 103,578 115,465Accounts receivable (note 6) 449,140 258,394

756,298 639,242Non-financial assets:

Tangible capital assets (note 5) 363,530 447,425 1,119,828 1,086,667

LiabilitiesAccounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 7) 457,580 406,404Deferred revenues 34,697 35,665Vacation pay 376,314 372,232Employee severance benefits (note 9) 1,447,902 1,342,403Deferred revenues - donations (note 8) 98,177 90,427

2,414,670 2,247,131Equity of Canada (1,294,842) (1,160,464)

1,119,828 1,086,667The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONSFor the year ended March 31 2007 2006

Revenues (note 4)Proceeds from sales $ 2,624,292 $ 2,386,996Projects and collaborative agreements 1,374,356 1,469,297Total revenues 3,998,648 3,856,293

ExpensesOperations

Salaries and employee benefits 6,935,415 7,436,168Professional and special services 905,511 955,521Accommodation 713,537 732,390Information 211,147 225,521Transportation and communications 218,733 216,220Purchased repair and upkeep 107,552 128,348Utilities, materials and supplies 131,276 115,143Rentals 22,525 20,076

9,245,696 9,829,387Administration

Salaries and employee benefits 261,777 290,100Governors and committees 27,247 13,790Travel 34,573 33,063Professional and special services 126 453Utilities, materials and supplies 86 102

323,809 337,508Other expenses

Amortization of tangible capital assets 226,565 255,303Loss on disposal of tangible capital assets 2,528 301

229,093 255,604Total expenses 9,798,598 10,422,499

Net cost of operations (5,799,950) (6,566,206)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

Restated (note 12)

Restated (note 12)


STATEMENT OF EQUITY OF CANADAFor the year ended March 31 2007 2006

Equity of Canada, beginning of year $ (1,160,464) $ (315,022)Net cost of operations (5,799,950) (6,566,206)Services received without charge from other government Departments (note 10) 1,174,584 1,223,043Net cash provided by Government 4,552,791 4,834,347Change in due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (61,803) (336,626)

Equity of Canada, end of year (1,294,842) (1,160,464)


STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWFor the year ended March 31 2007 2006

Operating ActivitiesNet cost of operations $ 5,799,950 $ 6,566,206

Non-cash items:Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 5) (226,565) (255,303)Loss on disposal of tangible capital assets (2,528) (301)Services received without charge from other government departments (note 10) (1,174,584) (1,223,043)

Variations in Statement of Financial Position:Decrease (increase) in accounts payable and deferred revenue (50,208) 309,956Decrease (increase) in liability for vacation pay and compensatory leave (4,082) 239(Increase) in liability for employee severance benefits (105,499) (623,647)Increase in accounts receivable 190,746 4,388(Decrease) increase in inventory (11,887) (1,609) (Increase) in deferred revenue – donations (7,750) —

Cash used by operating activities 4,407,593 4,776,886

Capital investment activitiesAcquisitions of tangible capital assets (note 5) 145,198 57,461

Financing activitiesNet cash provided by Government of Canada 4,552,791 4,834,347


Approved by:

S. Len Hong Bonnie Easterbrook, CGAPresident and Chief Executive Officer Controller/Senior Financial Officer

Restated (note 12)

Restated (note 12)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – March 31, 2007

1. Authority and Objectives

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was established in 1978 under the Canadian Centre forOccupational Health and Safety Act and is a departmental corporation named in Schedule II to the Financial AdministrationAct. The objectives of CCOHS are to promote the right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment and toenhance the physical and mental health of workers. CCOHS’ operating expenditures are funded in part by its operatingrevenue and by a budgetary lapsing appropriation.

CCOHS has one program activity for reporting purposes. The activity is occupational health and safety informationdevelopment, delivery services and tripartite collaboration.

2. Significant Accounting Policies

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistentwith Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector and year-end instructions issued by the Office ofthe Comptroller General. Significant accounting policies are as follows:

a) Parliamentary appropriations

CCOHS is financed in part by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary appropriations. Appropriations providedto CCOHS do not parallel financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles since appropriations areprimarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the statement of operations and thestatement of financial position are not necessarily the same as those provided through appropriations from Parliament.Note 3 provides a high-level reconciliation between the bases of reporting.

b) Due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and net cash provided by government

CCOHS operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). The CRF is administered by the Receiver General forCanada. All cash received by CCOHS is deposited to the CRF and all cash disbursements made by CCOHS are paid fromthe CRF. Due from the CRF represents the amount of cash that CCOHS is entitled to draw from the CRF, without furtherappropriations, in order to discharge its liabilities. Net cash provided by government is the difference between all cashreceipts and all cash disbursements including transactions with departments of the federal government.

c) Revenues

Revenues are accounted for in the period in which the underlying transaction or event occurred that gave rise to therevenues. Subscriptions revenues are recognized in the period when the initial shipment is made or web access is given.Subscriptions are for information products delivered on CD-ROM, DVD or web access. Subscriptions are based upon theright to use the information for a specified period. Information may be updated during the subscription period.

Revenues that have been received but not yet earned are recorded as deferred revenue. The deferred revenue representscash received in advance of initial product delivery or granting of web access. The majority of cash received is for CCOHS'subscription information products. These products are shipped in subsequent periods.

d) Expenses – Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis:

Vacation pay and compensatory leave are expensed as the benefits accrue to employees under their respective terms ofemployment.

Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation, the employer’s contribution tothe health and dental insurance plans and audit services are recorded as operating expenses at their estimated cost.

e) Employee future benefits

i) Pension benefits: Eligible employees contribute to the Public Service Pension Plan, a multiemployer plan administeredby the Government of Canada. CCOHS’ contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year incurred andrepresent CCOHS’ total obligation to the Plan. Current legislation does not require CCOHS to make contributions forany actuarial deficiencies of the Plan.

ii) Severance benefits: Employees are entitled to severance benefits under labour contracts or conditions of employment.These benefits are accrued as employees render the services necessary to earn them and are estimated based onemployees' salaries, duration of service and age.



f) Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable are stated at amounts expected to be ultimately realized. An allowance is made for receivables fromexternal parties where recovery is considered uncertain.

g) Contingent liabilities

Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities that may become actual liabilities when one or more future events occur or failto occur. To the extent that the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, and a reasonable estimate of the loss can bemade, an estimated liability is accrued and an expense recorded. If the likelihood is not determinable or an amount cannotbe reasonably estimated, the contingency is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

h) Foreign currency transactions

Transactions involving foreign currencies are translated into Canadian dollar equivalents using rates of exchange in effect atthe time of those transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using therate of exchange in effect on March 31st. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included in thestatement of operations according to the activities to which they relate.

i) Inventories for resale

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Inventories are primarily print materials held for resale.

j) Tangible capital assets

All tangible capital assets and leasehold improvements with an acquisition cost of $1,000 or more are capitalized at cost.Tangible capital assets are amortized over their estimated useful life on a straight-line basis, as follows:

Asset Class Amortization PeriodComputer equipment 3 yearsFurniture and equipment 5 yearsSoftware 1-5 years Leasehold improvements 5 yearsMeasuring equipment 5 years

k) Measurement uncertainty

The preparation of these financial statements in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistentwith Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector and year-end instructions issued by the Officeof the Comptroller General. This requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reportedamounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements. At the time of preparation ofthese statements, management believes the estimates and assumptions to be reasonable. The liability for employee futurebenefits and the estimated useful life of tangible capital assets are the most significant items where estimates are used.Actual results could differ significantly from those estimated. Management’s estimates are reviewed periodically and, asadjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.

3. Parliamentary Appropriations

CCOHS receives its funding through annual Parliamentary appropriations and external revenues. Items recognized in thestatement of operations and the statement of financial position in one year may be funded through Parliamentaryappropriations in prior, current or future years. Accordingly, CCOHS has different net results of operations for the year on agovernment funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. These differences are reconciled in the following tables:

a) Reconciliation of net cost of operations to current year appropriations used:2007 2006

Net cost of operations $ 5,799,950 $ 6,566,206 Adjustments for items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting

appropriations

Add (Less)Amortization of tangible capital assets (note 5) (226,565) (255,303)Services provided without charge from other Government departments (1,174,584) (1,223,043)Loss on disposal of tangible capital assets (2,528) (301)Bad debts (4,408) (3,920)

4,391,865 5,083,639

Restated (note 12)


Changes in accounts not affecting current year use of appropriationsAdd (Less)

Inventory for resale (11,887) (1,609)Employee severance benefits (105,499) (623,647)Vacation pay (4,082) 237Revenue not available for spending 90,217 (14,682)

4,360,614 4,443,938

Adjustments for items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting appropriationsAdd

Acquisition of tangible capital assets 145,198 57,461

Current year appropriations used 4,505,812 4,501,399

b) Appropriations provided and used: 2007 2006Human Resources Skills Development Canada – Vote 35 $ 3,418,000 —Human Resources Skills Development Canada – Vote 25 — 3,498,000Human Resources Skills Development Canada – statutory 962,477 1,018,614Human Resources Skills Development Canada – Vote 35B 7,000 —Treasury Board - Governor General special warrants — 50,029 Treasury Board – Vote 15 – collective agreements 162,000 —

4,549,477 4,566,643Less:

Lapsed appropriations – operating 39,624 65,244Frozen allotment 4,041 —


c) Reconciliation of net cash provided by Government to current year appropriation used: 2007 2006Net cash provided by Government $ 4,552,791 $ 4,834,347Revenue not available for spending 90,217 (14,684)Bad debts (4,408) (3,920)(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable (190,746) (4,388)(Decrease) increase in accounts payable and deferred revenue 50,208 (309,956)Incresase (decrease ) in deferred revenue – donations 7,750 —


4. Revenue 2007 2006Proceeds from sales

Subscription – Disc Information Service $ 417,646 $ 436,061Subscription – Specialty Discs 255,198 308,187Subscription – Web Information Service 740,940 670,696Specialty Products - Web 650,297 617,127Single Copy Publications 144,230 154,147Training and Education 403,549 188,299Other 12,432 12,479

2,624,292 2,386,996

Projects and collaborative agreementsCollaborative projects 863,263 986,883Contributions to Inquiries Service 454,000 454,000Recovery of travel expenses 57,093 28,414

1,374,356 1,469,297

3,998,648 3,856,293


5. Tangible Capital Assets

Cost Accumulated Amortization

Disposals Disposals Net Book Net BookOpening Acqui- and Closing Opening Amorti- and Closing Value ValueBalance sitions Writeoffs Balance Balance zation Writeoffs Balance 2007 2006

Computerequipment 1,543,005 74,930 112,227 1,505,708 1,255,234 130,512 109,699 1,276,047 229,661 287,771

Furniture andequipment 509,464 1,645 555 510,554 446,326 31,290 555 477,061 33,493 63,138

Software 496,737 68,623 — 565,360 417,548 58,056 — 475,604 89,756 79,189

Leaseholdimprovements 33,534 — — 33,534 16,207 6,707 — 22,914 10,620 17,327

Measuringequipment 2,673 — — 2,673 2,673 — — 2,673 — —

2,585,413 145,198 112,782 2,617,829 2,137,988 226,565 110,254 2,254,299 363,530 447,425

Amortization expense for the year ended March 31, 2007 is $ 226,565 (2006 – $255,303).

6. Accounts Receivable

The following table presents details of accounts receivable: 2007 2006

External parties $ 281,082 $ 188,074Other Federal Government departments and Agencies 168,058 70,320

449,140 258,394

Based on historical experience and analysis of clients, no allowance for doubtful accounts is deemed necessary.

7. Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities

The following table presents details of accounts payable and accrued liabilities: 2007 2006

External parties $ 419,707 $ 392,424 Other Federal Government departments and Agencies 37,873 13,980

457,580 406,404

8. 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 ordispose of those donations subject to their terms, if any. CCOHS received $7,750 in donations in 2006-07 (2005-06 – nil). The balance at March 31, 2007 is $98,177. (2006 – $90,427).

9. Employee Benefits

a) Pension Benefits CCOHS employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, which is sponsored and administered by the Governmentof Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionableservice, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/QuebecPension Plans benefits and they are indexed to inflation.

Both the employees and CCOHS contribute to the cost of the Plan. The 2006-07 expense amounts to $709,345 (2005-06– $753,774), which represents approximately 2.6 time the contributions by employees.

CCOHS’ responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies arerecognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor.


b) Employee Severance Benefits

CCOHS provides severance benefits to its employees based on eligibility, years of service and final salary. These severancebenefits are not pre-funded. Benefits will be paid from future appropriations. Information about the severance benefits,measured as at March 31, is as follows:

2007 2006

Accrued benefit obligation, beginning of year $ 1,342,403 $ 718,756Expense for the year 213,857 650,427Benefits paid during the year (108,358) (26,780)

Accrued benefit obligation, end of year 1,447,902 1,342,403

The employee severance benefit was increased as described in note 12.

10. Related Party Transactions

CCOHS is related in terms of common ownership to all Government of Canada departments, agencies and Crown corporations.CCOHS enters into transactions with these entities in the normal course of business. Revenues include $687,776 (2006 –$779,146) from transactions with various Canadian government departments. The transactions with related parties are carriedout on similar terms and conditions with those applicable to transactions with external parties.

In addition to transactions previously disclosed, during the year ended March 31, 2007:

a) CCOHS received accommodations provided without charge from Public Works and Government Services Canada amountedto $713,537 (2006 – $732,390).

b) CCOHS received audit services without charge from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada amounted to $42,000(2006 – $42,000).

c) CCOHS received employer’s contribution to the health and dental insurance plans from Treasury Board Secretariatamounted to $419,047 (2006 – $448,653).

The Government has structured some of its administrative activities for efficiency and cost-effectiveness purposes so that onedepartment performs these on behalf of all without charge. The costs of these services, which include payroll and chequeissuance services provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada are not included in CCOHS’ Statement ofOperations because no estimate is currently available.

11. Comparative Amounts

Comparative figures have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.

12. Restated Amounts

During 2006-07, CCOHS discovered that the estimate for employee severance benefit did not take into account the earliestretirement eligibility. CCOHS’ collective agreement allows for additional benefits upon retirement or when the employee isentitled to an immediate allowance under the Public Service Super Annuation Act, which may occur at age fifty. The impactof this change is $361,987 increase in salaries and employee benefits expense and employee severance benefits liability anda decrease in equity of Canada for 2005-06. There is no impact on the current year amounts.

Restated (note 12)

canada’s national occupational

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