Health & Safety Consulting — COR, LOTO, JHA

The Stakes

Safety Documentation Is a Business Requirement

This isn't checkbox compliance. Missing or inadequate safety documentation can shut down a project, void insurance, disqualify a bid, and expose company officers to personal liability.

$250K+

Starting fine for OH&S violations in most Canadian provinces

20%

WCB/WSIB premium reduction available to COR-certified companies

100%

Of GCs and site owners now require documented safety programs before mobilization

OHSA

Section 25 makes employers responsible for every person on site — not just employees

🔐 Energized Work (All Provinces)

LOTO procedures required before any energized work begins
Arc flash hazard analysis + PPE determination (NFPA 70E / CSA Z462)
Qualified persons must be trained and documented
Written electrical safe work practices required at every facility

🏗 Construction Safety (Ontario)

Construction Regulation (O. Reg. 213/91) — CSP required
Health & Safety representative / Joint committee required
Inspector can issue stop-work orders for missing documentation
Directors Officers personally liable under OHSA s.32

🏆 COR Certification (Pan-Canadian)

Increasingly mandatory for GC subcontractor qualification
Requires full safety management system (policy through audit)
External audit by IHSA, BCCSA, or provincial certifying partner
Annual maintenance audit required after certification

☀ Solar / Electrical Construction

Every rooftop solar install requires a fall protection plan
Energized utility connection requires ESA authorization + safe work
Battery storage requires hazmat / H₂ ventilation assessment
Commissioner/EoR is liable if site safety isn't addressed

What We Deliver

H&S Deliverables — By Program Type

🏆

COR Program Development

Complete safety management system from gap analysis through external audit readiness.

Gap analysis against COR standard
OH&S policy and commitment statement
Hazard ID & risk assessment process
Incident investigation procedures
Emergency response plan (ERP)
Training matrix and records system
Worker engagement & inspection forms
Contractor management program
Management system documentation
Mock audit & corrective action plan

From $3,500

🏗

Site-Specific Safety Plans

Construction Safety Plans and project-specific documentation aligned to your engineering scope.

Construction Safety Plan (CSP)
Site-specific hazard assessments
Job Hazard Analyses (JHA / JSA)
Safe Work Procedures (SWPs)
Fall protection plans (rooftop solar)
Confined space entry procedures
Hot work / live work permits
Emergency response & evacuation plan
Site safety orientation package
Safety meeting agenda templates

From $1,200

🔐

LOTO & Arc Flash Safety

Equipment-specific lockout/tagout procedures and arc flash labelling from our IEEE 1584 power studies.

Energy control program (ECP) development
Equipment-specific LOTO procedures
Arc flash hazard study (IEEE 1584:2018)
Arc flash warning labels (NFPA 70E / CSA Z462)
Incident energy calculations (cal/cm²)
PPE selection matrix by equipment
Qualified vs. unqualified task matrix
Electrical safe work practices (ESWP) document
Worker training materials
Annual review checklist

From $1,500

COR Program Development Process

Gap Analysis

Review all existing safety policies, procedures, and records against the current COR standard for your province (IHSA/BCCSA/CSSE). Produce a gap report with prioritized remediation actions.

Program Foundation

Develop or update core documents: OH&S policy, management commitment statement, worker participation plan, health and safety responsibilities matrix across all levels of organization.

Procedures & Forms

Build the full procedure set: hazard ID, incident investigation, inspection schedules, emergency response, contractor management, and training matrix. Custom-fit to your operations — not generic templates.

Implementation & Training

Roll out the program with management orientation and worker training. Establish records keeping system. Conduct internal pre-audit to confirm readiness.

Mock Audit & External Audit Support

Conduct a COR-standard mock audit, address deficiencies, and prepare documentation package for the certifying partner's external audit. Provide response support during the audit process.

LOTO Procedure & Arc Flash Label Development

Equipment Inventory

Complete inventory of all electrical equipment requiring LOTO procedures: panels, MCCs, VFDs, switchgear, transformers. Assign unique equipment ID to each device.

Energy Source Identification

For each piece of equipment, identify all energy sources: electrical (including gravity, pressure, thermal, stored mechanical). Document all isolation points, lock points, and sequence of operations.

LOTO Procedure Writing

Equipment-specific written LOTO procedures with step-by-step instructions, photos/diagrams of lock points, and energy verification steps. Written by a person familiar with both the equipment and CSA Z460 / OHSA requirements.

Arc Flash Study Integration

If an IEEE 1584 arc flash study has been conducted, integrate incident energy values and PPE requirements into each LOTO procedure and produce compliant arc flash warning labels per NFPA 70E / CSA Z462 Annex V.

Training & Label Installation

Deliver printed arc flash labels for installation, LOTO procedure binders, and worker training materials. Recommend annual review cycle and update procedure for system changes.

The RHEM Difference

H&S Isn't a Sidecar — It's Integrated

Most engineering firms treat safety as someone else's problem. At RHEM, health and safety governance is embedded in every EoR and Owner's Engineer engagement — not added on later.

📋

Solar PV + Safety

Every rooftop solar project includes a fall protection plan and electrical safe work procedure for the energized utility connection — scope items your contractor will need before mobilizing.

⚡

Arc Flash + Electrical

When we conduct a power systems study for your facility, arc flash labels and LOTO procedures flow naturally from the same ETAP model data — no need to hire a separate firm and explain your system twice.

🏗

EoR + Site Safety

The Engineer of Record role includes construction-phase oversight. We can develop site-specific safety plans and JHAs alongside the engineering drawings so your mobilization package is complete from day one.

🏛

PEO
Licensed P.Eng

🛡

IHSA
COR Partner

🔒

CSA Z462
Electrical Safety

🔐

CSA Z460
Lockout/Tagout

⚡

NFPA 70E
Arc Flash

📋

COR
Safety Mgmt

🌿

CCOHS
OH&S Standards

All certifications and affiliations are displayed for context only. Specific certifier relationships may vary by province and project. Verify current status during project scoping.

Regulatory Landscape

Key Acts, Standards & Regulations

Safety documentation requirements vary by province and work type. These are the primary frameworks we work within.

⚡ Electrical Safety

CSA Z462 — Workplace Electrical Safety (arc flash, ESWP)
CSA Z460 — Control of Hazardous Energy (LOTO)
NFPA 70E — Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
IEEE 1584:2018 — Arc Flash Hazard Calculations
Ontario Regulation 570 (ESA) — Electrical installations
CEC Section 1 & 2 — Compliance requirements

🏗 Construction & OH&S

Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA)
O. Reg. 213/91 — Construction Projects (Ontario)
O. Reg. 851 — Industrial Establishments
BC Workers Compensation Act & OHS Regulation
Alberta OHS Act & Code
CSA Z1000 — Occupational Health & Safety Management

Common Questions

H&S Consulting FAQ

Do we need COR certification or just a safety program?

COR is a formal certification of your safety management system — it's the third-party stamp that general contractors and owners increasingly require from subcontractors. A basic safety program is the minimum legal requirement; COR is the competitive advantage. We can help with either, and many clients start with a gap analysis to understand what they have vs. what they need.

What is the difference between a JHA and a safe work procedure?

A Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is a task-specific breakdown of each step in a job, the hazards associated with that step, and the control measures to address those hazards. It's typically done before a new task or when conditions change. A Safe Work Procedure (SWP) is a written, step-by-step instruction for how to perform a task safely — derived from the JHA and used for ongoing training. Both are required under OH&S legislation for hazardous work.

Can you develop LOTO procedures for our existing equipment without doing the full arc flash study?

Yes. We can develop LOTO procedures from equipment nameplates, one-line diagrams, and site inspection — without a full IEEE 1584 arc flash study. However, the arc flash study is highly recommended because it determines the required PPE for each piece of equipment. Without it, workers either guess at PPE or overprotect, and the company has no documented basis for its PPE requirements.

We're an electrical contractor installing solar — what safety documents do we need?

At minimum: a Construction Safety Plan (CSP), site-specific hazard assessments covering rooftop work (fall protection plan), energized work procedures for utility connection, and LOTO procedures for any work near existing electrical equipment. If your client is an owner with their own electrical infrastructure, you'll also need to comply with their energy control program. We can develop all of this, often in parallel with the engineering drawings.

How does COR certification help with WCB/WSIB premiums?

COR-certified companies qualify for a rebate on their annual Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) or WSIB premium — typically 10–20% depending on the province. In high-premium industries like electrical construction, this can represent tens of thousands of dollars per year. The rebate is applied after annual maintenance audit confirmation. We include a projection of your estimated premium savings in our COR gap analysis as part of the business case.