Advantage Program

What's new with the Safety Group Advantage Program in 2011?

The WSIB has eliminated the 5 element program of the past and has opted for an internal auditing program that will ensure compliance with a Health & Safety Management System (HSMS), as well as to allow companies to work towards accreditation.

Safety Group Advantage Program

The Safety Group Advantage Program is for firms that have exceeded five (5) years in the Safety Group Program. The WSIB Board of Directors has extended this program  for a final year in 2011, with an exit strategy to:

  • Advance firms towards the proposed WSIB Accreditation,
  • Develop a sustainable Health & Safety Management System (HSMS), and
  • Allow firms to continue implementation of a continual improvment plan beyond 2011.

Objectives:

  • To design a single program for all Advantage Program firms in 2011,
  • To equip firms with the tools that allow them to continue annual internal audits, which should positively influence their safety culture, and
  • To sustain the benefits of Safety Group participation for firms exiting the program after 2011 by recommending Sponsors implement a men troring/networking method in 2011 or 2012, utilizing personal and/or online interaction social media networks, attendance at Safety Group meetings, peer groups, websites, etc.
Safety Group Advantage Program 2010

Prior to 2011, Safety Group Advantage Program members were required to complete the 5 mandatory elements: Management Review, Hazard Control, Risk Assessment, Control Activities and Retrun to Work.

As in the current year, this program was designed to assist firms that have completed five (5) years in the Safety Group Program and to assist an employer evaluate their current Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) and focus on giving them additional tools to recoginize, assess and control the primary job functions and hazards in their organization.

Safety Group Advantage Program also allowed firms the advantage of working directly with the proposed accreditation concepts that are put in place in the WSIB Accreditation Program. Another advantage of this program is if a firm can reduce their WSIB premiums by participating in the potential financial incentive beyond the five (5) year general Safety Groups Program. This allows members to continue to network with like-minded businesses by participating in the Advantage Program meetings.

Differences between the +5 Year Program and the Advantage Program Year One

  1. Sponsor is required to co-ordinate at least one leadership meeting for firm Owners or Senior Management.
  2. Firm Owner(s) or Senior Manager(s) is required to attend at least one Safety Group meeting each year. It is expected that members would want to attend the  leadership meeting.
  3. The term competent person has been changed to qualified person. This allows the employer to define the slection of a person(s) based on knowledge and experience. This change also helps to avoid confusion with the  legal language.
  4. Introduction of a Hazard Registry framework, which is a summarized record (catalog) of the hazards identified in a business activity, where the hazards occur, and the tasks, machinery or situations with which they are associated.
  5. Clarified the Validation Audit requirements.

Differences between the Advantage Program Year One and the Year Two Programs

Year Two Program requires:

  1. The use of a Hazard Registry (Year One requires the introduction of a framework for a Hazard Registry).
  2. The identification and assessment of hazards from another main activity (building on Year One).
  3. The action plan based on the HSMS Review includes a status report from Year One.
  4. The re-calculation of risk from Year One to determine residual risk.
  5. Owners or Senior Management review of controls fo rtheir acceptance.
  6. Greater focus on continual improvement.
  7. Firms have the option to select a return to work element from the HSMS Review or the Employer Guidlines.