Safety to the COR

In July 2010, in our efforts to make Yukon Energy as safe a workplace as it can possibly be, we began requiring construction contractors who do work for us to be Certificate of Recognition (COR) certified. The COR is issued to employers who develop and implement health and safety programs that meet the highest safety standards as set out by the Northern Safety Network and the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board.

We decided to phase in the COR requirement to give businesses time to do the work necessary to become COR certified.

Phase 1 became effective July 1, 2010 and applied to construction contracts valued at $500,000 or more.

Phase 2 began July 1, 2011 and applied to construction contracts valued at $100,000 or more.

Phase 3 is to begin July 1, 2012 and was to apply to construction contracts of any value.

In reality however, we recognize that some small operations in rural Yukon need more time. That’s why we have decided to extend our deadline for those contractors until the end of this year.

There may be rare cases, such as with one-person rural operations, where it is not practical for them to become COR certified. We will work with those companies to find a solution that will still ensure a very high level of safety.

For more information, please call (867) 393-5335 or 393-5353 or send an email to melaine.pettefer@yec.yk.ca.