Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s 2023-24 Departmental results report

Description

The goal of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety is to provide easy access to credible information on occupational health and safety to help workers in Canada be safe at work, and support employers, labour groups and governments in their efforts to create healthy and safe workplaces. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, as a national institute, provides impartial information through various free and for fee bilingual products and services. Workers and employers in Canada can access a free, confidential service to have their health and safety questions answered personally via telephone, e-mail, person-to-person, fax or mail. In addition, a broad range of online and print resources are offered which support safety and health information needs of workers and workplaces in Canada. Products and services may be financially supported through cost recovery efforts, contributions from the Government of Canada and contributions from other stakeholders.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety collects, evaluates, creates and publishes authoritative information resources on occupational health and safety for the benefit of the working population in Canada. This information is used for education and training, research, development of policy and best practices, improvement of health and safety programs, achieving compliance, and for personal use. When the product or service provided by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety is offered to stakeholders such as individuals, groups, and organizations within Canada and abroad with benefits beyond those enjoyed by the general public, the product or service becomes part of the cost-recovery program and a fee is charged.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety promotes and facilitates consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions and participation by labour, employers and other stakeholders in order to assist in the establishment and maintenance of high standards and occupational health and safety initiatives for the Canadian context. The sharing of resources results in the coordinated and mutually beneficial development of unique programs, products and services. Collaborative projects are usually supported with a combination of financial and non-financial contributions to the programs by partners and stakeholders and result in advancement of the health and safety initiatives.

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the department performed to achieve results and meet targets for National Occupational Health and Safety Resource. Details are presented by departmental result.

Targets and results for National Occupational Health and Safety Resource

The following tables provide a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under National Occupational Health and Safety Resource.

Details on results

The following section describes the results for National Occupational Health and Safety Resource in 2023–24 compared with the planned results set out in CCOHS’ departmental plan for the year.

Canadians and workers in Canada can easily access the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety's occupational health and safety information and services.

Results achieved

• CCOHS Website: Our bilingual website (ccohs-cchst.ca) is the central hub to all our workplace health and safety related products, services and databases. Usage of the website this year resulted in 10.1 million visits by 7.1 million users accessing health and safety information. Of these users, 42.4% were in Canada (69.4% English, 30.6% French).
• Website User Survey Results: Results of our annual user feedback survey indicated that 90% of respondents found the information easy to access, and 82.9% will use information from the website to make changes to their workplace. The survey also includes Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) questions to help us understand the diversity of the users we serve and how we can fulfill our responsibilities to serve their needs. Survey results revealed 48.4% of users were male, 47.8% were female and 3.8% were non-binary. We also learned over 5% of users identify as Indigenous, 7% identify themselves as 2SLGBTQI+, and 13% of users state that they live with a disability.
• Safety InfoLine: This free and confidential person-to-person service connects individuals needing workplace safety guidance with our health and safety specialists. The service responded to 7,876 inquiries from every province and territory in Canada. According to survey results, 84% of users were very satisfied with the information they received, 87% were satisfied with the timeliness of their response and 71% indicated the information received would lead to current or future changes to their workplace.
• We participated in 20 conferences and events across Canada, reaching 6,803 people. With 15% of event participation being virtual, we facilitated and joined in conversations in various jurisdictions throughout the country and internationally. We spoke on topics such as psychological health and safety, mining safety, hazard prevention and risk management programs, and the impacts of climate change.
• To help employers implement mental health programs in their workplace, we hosted a free, four-part webinar series, Beyond the Assessment, which explored practical approaches and considerations for developing workplace mental health and safety programs. On average, 886 attendees from all provinces and territories attended each webinar. According to the attendee survey, respondents were satisfied with the series, with 96.9% finding the sessions valuable. 74.8% would make changes based on what they learned, and 99.5% would attend a future CCOHS event.
• Safety and Health Week (May 1-6, 2023): Together with our national partners, the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering and Threads of Life, we hosted a National Launch event that featured video remarks from the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Labour and Seniors, and the much-anticipated announcement of the 2023 National Youth Video Contest winners. We continued to provide free health and safety content throughout the week with webinars on psychological health, inclusion in the workplace, and guided meditation. Each session attracted an average of 470 attendees. According to survey results, 96% of respondents found the sessions valuable, and 75.2% reported they would make changes in their workplace based on the learnings.
• Our collection of 174 online courses is one of our foundational service programs and addresses a wide range of workplace health and safety topics. This year, we released 14 new courses on climate change, travel safety, fatigue management at sea, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and substance use. Many other courses were re-imagined and updated. We made changes to ensure courses were user-friendly, engaging, and accessible by applying adult learning principles and using modern online learning software. Overall, 352,579 course seats were accessed this year. Follow-up surveys indicated that 91% will use course learning to make changes in their workplace.

Provide Canadians and workers in Canada with a national repository of key occupational health and safety knowledge, standards, statistics, and information tools that improves dissemination of occupational health and safety related information.

Results achieved

• The OSH Answers collection of over 700 online fact sheets is CCOHS’ most widely used public service. Over 6.2 million users made 8.6 million visits to the fact sheet web pages, with 3.8 million visits from Canada. Information from these fact sheets was referenced in more than 400 news articles, blog posts and social media posts on topics such as mental health, ergonomics, chemical safety, pregnancy, menopause, silica, and substance use.
• Through an ongoing partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, we continued to develop resources for workplaces. The partnership began in May 2020 to develop a series of pandemic-related resources for higher-risk occupations, industries, and essential services and has evolved to meet the changing needs of workplaces. Many resources that previously focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19 were updated to address respiratory infectious diseases. We also worked together to create resources on travel health and safety, zoonotic diseases and mental health. These resources are also available on the free CCOHS Safe Work mobile app. The app was downloaded 4,036 times this year (up 21%) bringing the total number of downloads since its launch to 10,302.
• Our infographics and posters continue to be popular health and safety resources. They offer health and safety guidance in a visually appealing and accessible way and are easily shared on social media. This year eight new infographics were created, including one on climate change impacts on work. The podcast program released 16 new episodes on navigating change, creating inclusive workplaces for trans and non-binary workers, the amended WHMIS, the gender gap in personal protective equipment, supporting international workers, and the connection between musculoskeletal disorders and mental health.

Through the facilitation of collaborative initiatives with labour, employers and/or government on emerging occupational health and safety issues and for priority sectors, knowledge outcomes are utilized for the benefit of Canadians and workers throughout Canada.

Results achieved

• We partnered with Transport Canada Marine Safety and Security to develop the Fatigue Management at Sea online course. Intended for seafarers and authorized representatives, the course was created to help those who work in the marine industry mitigate the risks associated with fatigue at sea.
• In partnership with the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, we developed a suite of free resources to help employers in Canada create awareness about substance use and reduce stigma in the trades. The three online courses, Being Aware, Harm Reduction, and Supporting Your Well-being, help raise awareness about the impacts of stigma, and the importance of a safe and supportive workplace. The three Substance Use at Work Info Sheets provide an overview of substance use in the trades, from addressing stigma, and the responsibilities of employers in challenging stigma and reducing impairment, to strategies for supporting tradespeople.
• Through a partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the free online course, Considerations for Work-Related Travel, was created to help employers and workers learn about the potential health and safety hazards of working outside of Canada, and how to identify and help reduce risks. Additionally, infographics and tip sheets on this topic were also developed this year.

Key risks

The CCOHS funding model presents a risk as a significant portion of our operating budget must be generated through cost recovery. Committed to continuous improvement, CCOHS continued to update the current inventory of cost recovery products and services. These enhancements ensure products are user-friendly, accessible, credible, marketable and help drive revenue generation.

The risk of cyber attacks and other threats to our online environment is constantly prevalent and evolving. All products and services offered by CCOHS are accessible from the website or other electronic means, which exposes them to potential attacks. In 2023-24, we continued to build information technology and enhance cyber security capacity to ensure products and services are delivered through up-to-date and sustainable electronic means, and to prevent unauthorized exploitation of systems, networks and technologies.

Complete financial and human resources information for CCOHS’ program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government-wide priorities

Program inventory

National Occupational Health and Safety Resource is supported by the following programs:

• Occupational health and safety information and services

Additional information related to the program inventory for National Occupational Health and Safety Resource is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Progress on results

This section presents details on how the department performed to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Internal Services at CCOHS continue to focus on its main goals, outlined in the Departmental Plan.

• CCOHS continues to enhance its cost recovery program and internal processes to support the strategic outcomes of the organization and to improve service delivery.
• CCOHS continues to improve the overall working experience of its employees. This year, we implemented programs such as the Employee Development Program to formalize employee development, promote a future-focused vision, and succession planning. These programs are a result of feedback received from the 2023 Employee Engagement Survey, which identified employee development as a key factor in driving engagement in the workforce.
• CCOHS has made significant progress on improving its information technology infrastructure and cyber security capabilities. This has included staff training on the risks of phishing emails as well as quarterly scans for system vulnerabilities.

The complete financial and human resources information for CCOHS’ program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

This section presents an overview of the department's actual and planned expenditures from 2021–22 to 2026–27.

Table 7: Planned three-year spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

Table 7 presents how much money CCOHS plans to spend over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.

This section provides an overview of the department's voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Graph 1 summarizes the department's approved voted and statutory funding from 2021-22 to 2026-27.

Text version of graph 1

Fiscal Year	Statutory Revenue	Voted	Total
2021-22	6,172,000	6,921,000	13,093,000
2022-23	7,881,000	5,274,000	13,155,000
2023-24	8,623,000	6,389,000	15,013,000
2024-25	5,276,000	5,623,000	10,899,000
2025-26	5,276,000	5,623,000	10,899,000
2026-27	5,276,000	5,623,000	10,899,000

Analysis of statutory and voted funding over a six-year period

The total planned spending reported in fiscal years 2021-22 to 2023-24 includes Parliamentary appropriations and revenue sources including main estimates, recoveries and the use of cash respendable revenues pursuant to section 6(1)(g) of the CCOHS Act.

Fiscal 2024-25 to 2026-27 includes planned spending authorities which represent authorities approved in the 2023-24 main estimates and do not represent the use of CCOHS’ respendable revenues, as respendable revenues are only reported upon the approved disbursement of the funds within the fiscal year.

For further information on CCOHS’ departmental voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada.

Table 8: Condensed Statement of Operations (audited) for the year ended March 31, 2024 (dollars)

Table 8 summarizes the expenses and revenues for 2023–24 which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Actual revenue in 2023-24 was higher than planned (23%), which resulted in a decrease in net cost of operations before government funding and transfers (-15%). The increased revenue is attributed to an increase in partnership contracts and e-learning sales.

The 2023–24 planned results information is provided in CCOHS’ Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2023–24.

Table 9 summarizes actual expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers.

Net cost of operations decreased in 2023-24 compared to the prior year (-5%) due to increased revenue. The increased revenue is attributed to an increase in partnership contracts and e-learning sales.

Table 10 Condensed Statement of Financial Position (audited) as of March 31, 2024 (dollars)

Table 10 provides a brief snapshot of the department’s liabilities (what it owes) and assets (what the department owns), which helps to indicate its ability to carry out programs and services.

Total net liabilities include $2.267 million in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, a decrease from $2.577 million in prior year. This reduction is primarily due to lower accrued liabilities for salaries payable. The previous year's higher accrued liabilities for salaries payable were the result of collective bargaining, which has been subsequently paid out in fiscal 2023-24.

Total net financial assets include $2.371 million due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund and $477 thousand in accounts receivable. The decrease in net financial assets is primarily due to a reduction in the amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Amounts due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund are the result of timing differences at year end between when a transaction affects authorities and when it is processed through the Consolidated Revenue Fund. More specifically, the amount that CCOHS is entitled to draw from the Consolidated Revenue Fund was reduced in fiscal 2023-24 due to the timing of completed transactions.

Total departmental net debt is the difference between net financial assets and net liabilities. The decrease of $189 thousand in departmental net debt is primarily due to a decrease in accrued liabilities for salaries payable as discussed above.

The increase of $192 thousand in departmental net financial position, which is the difference between the total non-financial assets and the departmental net debt, is mainly attributed to the overall decrease in net debt previously discussed above.

Table 11: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 11 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for CCOHS’ core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years.

This section presents an overview of the department’s actual and planned human resources from 2021–22 to 2026–27.

Table 12: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 12 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of CCOHS’ core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for the next three years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.