For PCL Construction Management Inc., the Certificate of Recognition (COR®) standard in safety certification is an integral part of their organization. Anders Wheeler, District HSE Manager for PCL’s Regina District, sees it in action every day. “COR® Certification is part of every aspect of our business,” says Wheeler. “It sets a benchmark for us to attain in safety, and it’s not something you can earn once and forget about. It’s something we have to maintain every day to retain year over year.”
In order for PCL Construction to become COR®-certified, the company had to go through a rigorous audit of their policies and procedures around safety. The audit process identified areas PCL was doing well, and areas that could be improved to achieve the certification. The process also provides the education requirements to achieve and maintain the certification. “The certification not only gives us the tools for our own workplace safety program, it also shows our clients and the industry our commitment to health and safety,” says Wheeler. “COR® is a nationally-recognized program that demonstrates to others the value our organization places on a quality safety management program.”
Maintenance of the COR® certification is paramount to PCL Construction. “We work with our internal audit team and our external partner, the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA), to ensure we are continually at or exceeding what is required,” says Wheeler. “It’s something we all take seriously because of what it means to us as an organization.”
The COR® Certification has benefits to PCL beyond worker safety. While the health and safety of workers is most important, COR® Certification also has a positive effect on the bottom line. “Having a safe workplace means little to no downtime, incident investigations, and time loss to workers due to injury. All of those things mean lower monetary costs to projects,” says Wheeler. “When we’re working safely, every part of the company benefits.”
PCL Construction’s relationship with the SCSA goes beyond just COR® Certification. The company has been an integral part of the SCSA since 1997. The first chair of the SCSA Board was PCL’s Dave Marriott, and Jason Davidson represents PCL on the SCSA board today. “Our long-time partnership is a meaningful one,” says Wheeler. “We’re proud of our commitment to safety, our certification and the SCSA and we hope it’s visible to our clients and the industry every day.”
PCL Construction Management Inc.
Regina – Buildings & Civil Construction
1433 1st Avenue
Regina
(306) 347-4200
