The city of Vaughan, ON will implement a new rule in March which requires construction contractors to secure a Certificate of Recognition (COR) from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA).
Specifically, contractors planning to work for the city will be required to provide a copy of the COR – or an equivalent Ontario Health and Safety certification – as part of the procurement process. Vaughan also explained in an official release that IHSA is designated to certify contractors through a structured audit process.
“Introducing COR as a new component in the city’s construction procurement process and contractor management program will have a positive and significant impact on the delivery of construction activities for the city, the contractors and the well-being of city of Vaughan residents,” a spokesperson for the city told Daily Commercial News in an email statement.
The spokesperson added that some of the benefits of having a certified contractor working on projects include a higher standard of prerequisites for those that need access to the project site and clearly defined safety-first messaging.
Making certification mandatory was something the city needed to do to show its commitment to health and safety, as well as to reduce workplace risks, the spokesperson explained. The decision also aligns with Vaughan’s 2018-2022 Term of Council Service Excellence Strategic Plan.
Daily Commercial News reported that the city will take a multi-stage implementation strategy for the COR requirement, based on contract value.
“The implementation approach was developed with consideration of the broad range of contractors who would be impacted by the rollout and the need to ensure competitive bids on the city’s tenders,” the spokesperson remarked.
The incremental implementation also allows bidders to obtain certification before the rule fully rolls out, since the process from registration to certification takes about a year to complete, the representative said.
