Available Courses
These courses are required in order to obtain/maintain your COR designation:
AFPA, the Alberta Ministry of Labour and the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) have partnered to respond to industry needs by offering the Partnerships in Injury Reduction (PIR) program. This is a voluntary program designed to help you lower your WCB premiums by encouraging injury prevention and the development of effective workplace health, safety and return-to-work plans.
Specifically, it can help you:
- Reduce accidents and costly human and financial consequences due to accidents
- Improve employee morale and attitudes towards safety
- Improve communication throughout your company
- Improve work practices and productivity
COR Benefits
By achieving a COR, as an AFPA Member you are:
- Eligible for a 10% refund on your WCB premium for the first year, and then five to 20% every year you maintain the COR
- Improving your performance
- Maintaining industry leadership
To determine the refund amount, three different performance measures are used by the WCB. The one that helps you achieve the greatest refund will be used.
COR Certification Steps
- Register in the PIR program with the WCB. Name AFPA as your certifying partner. This must be done prior to December 31 for inclusion in the program for the next calendar year.
- Notify AFPA of your intention to participate in the program by submitting the PIR registration form and pay the administration fee.
- At least one member of your existing team – we suggest two or more must complete the six COR courses listed above. AFPA may, upon request, grant equivalency for the Health & Safety Program Building course, possibly more. You can have one person with all six courses, or multiples of staff to combine for all six. It’s your choice, but with only one staff member COR certified, should they leave you are out of compliance with the program.
- Institute a heath & safety program which meets AFPA and PIR’s requirements.
- Hire an AFPA-certified auditor to perform an external audit to confirm that your program meets the provincial standards. The costs for this are borne by you.
- AFPA will conduct a quality-assurance (QA) review of the audit to ensure it meets PIR’s standards. Once the audit passes QA review a COR valid for three years will be issued. Ask us about a one-year COR.
- In each of the two intermediate years, you conduct an internal audit, which will also be submitted to AFPA for review. Successful completion of the internal audits ensures that the COR remains valid.
- A three-year cycle begins again and another external audit must be performed.
Note: SECOR (10 or less employees) follow the same steps with the exception of an external audit.
Make AFPA your certifying partner
All Certificates of Recognition (COR) are issued by the PIR program and are equal regardless of certifying partner.
There are no government restrictions if you wish to change your certifying partner to AFPA.
To change your certifying partner to AFPA:
- Contact AFPA to inform us that you wish to make us your certifying partner
- We will help you determine if you will need to conduct a new audit or take additional training
- Notify your current certifying partner in writing and – most importantly – send a copy of the letter to AFPA
