September 6, 2017
Auditor Update - September 2017
Audit Refresher Training

Our Audit Refresher course has been updated to meet the new content Standard and to include training on the new Excel audit workbook (2016 Standard), and now includes an optional, free of charge, second day. Although the fall courses are full, we have scheduled several additional offerings for early 2018:

  • January 23-24 (Strathmore)
  • March 5-6 (Fort McMurray)
  • March 8-9 (Sherwood Park)
  • March 27-28 (Calgary)

To register or to be added to a waiting list, call Carla at 1 800 267-9764.
New Auditor Training

AMHSA has updated its Health and Safety Management Systems and Health and Safety Auditing courses to meet the new content Standards and to reflect the adoption of the 2016 Partnerships audit. Limited spaces are still available in the following offerings:

  • October 5-6 (Leduc)
  • October 31-November 1 (Calgary)
  • January 9-10 (Stony Plain)
  • January 16-17 (Calgary)
  • March 12-13 (Sherwood Park)
  • April 3-4 (Calgary)

  • January 11-12 (Stony Plain)
  • January 18-19 (Calgary)
  • March 14-15 (Sherwood Park)
  • April 5-6 (Calgary)

IF you have questions about prerequisites or equivalencies, please contact Shannon Thomas.

To register or to be added to a waiting list, contact Carla Smith at 1 800 267-9764.
Audit Tools for 2017

Remember that there are three potential tool options for 2017 at this time – the original 2010 Excel audit tool, the 2015 eCompliance audit tool, and the new Excel audit workbook (2016 Standard). AMHSA is currently working to make the 2016 Standard available on eCompliance as well. An announcement will be made as soon as it has gone through testing and is ready for use.

Auditors can only use the tools they’ve received training on, so if you have not attended a Refresher course recently, you would be unable to use either of the tools that feature the 2016 Standard (Excel workbook or the forthcoming eCompliance program). If you have questions about which tool(s) you are certified to use, please contact the Sherwood Park office. 
AMHSA Audit Workbook (2016 Partnerships Standard)

AMHSA has collected feedback from the initial A udit Refresher offerings and updated the functionality of the Excel file in response. The new file is available on our website , and auditors who attended Refresher training in the spring and summer of 2017 have been sent an updated copy of the audit file, the revised manual and presentation from the course, and a review of feedback received and changes made. Highlights of the changes include:

  • Added navigation bar to each worksheet
  • Added version number to the introduction worksheet
  • Removed “department” from site sampling determination chart
  • Added Interview Summary worksheet where percentage of positive responses is calculated automatically and transferred to the appropriate questions
  • Addition of spaces for introductory and concluding comments for each element
  • Highlighted the validation methods for each question
eCompliance Audits (2015)

If you are an associate member or consultant auditor using the eCompliance tool, request the audit license key directly through eCompliance . The cost is $175 plus GST. If you are a member municipality, request an audit license key using this form. 

When the audit report is ready to submit, remember to export the final report to PDF, and email it to AMHSA for quality assurance. Do not send the .eca file as your audit submission. 
Auditor Certification Cycle

When an auditor-in-training passes their qualification audit, they receive a certificate good for the following 3 years. Each month, AMHSA determines which auditors’ certifications are expiring and confirms if they have successfully met the requirements for recertification during the preceding 3 years (conducted two required audits and attended Audit Refresher training).

  • If requirements have been met, a new certificate is issued and sent to the auditor by mail. This certification is good for the next 3 years.
  • If audits have been completed but the training has not yet been attended, a letter is sent reminding the auditor of the requirements and providing a six month grace period to complete Refresher training. 

Audit Refresher training can be taken at any time during the auditor's certification cycle, so taking training does NOT automatically result in the issuance of a new auditor certification number and new expiry date. (All participants receive a training certificate.)

If you have any questions about your auditor certification number or expiry date, please contact Shannon Thomas.
Report Writing Tips (2010 Excel and 2015 eCompliance)

Findings/Justification Notes:
  • Documentation – Address all parts of the question, quantify the score awarded with positive indicators, and provide details or examples. 
  • Interviews – Provide the positive response rate (% or #/# or “all” or “none”), and either a summary of responses or examples of positive responses.
  • Observations – Provide positive indicators to quantify score awarded and examples of positive observations from your tours

Strengths:
  • 2010 Excel Tool – Include the existence of complete directives and policies, and any high-weighted questions that scored 100%
  • 2015 eCompliance Tool – Include 1-2 program-level strengths for each element. Explain why they’re a strength of the program (how they benefit the organization). 

Suggestions for Improvement:
  • 2010 Excel Tool – Include suggestions related to all questions with less than 80% positive indicators, or in high-scoring elements, the deficiencies found (e.g., in an element with an average of 95%, you include an SFI for a question with 91% positive indicators, but if the element average was 88% you wouldn’t require a suggestion for that question).
  • Suggestions need to be actionable – provide guidance on why the change should be made – explain the benefit to the health and safety management system.
  • 2015 eCompliance Tool – for all questions with less than 100% positive indicators, include 1) description of the deficiency found 2) suggestion for change and 3) explain the benefit to the health and safety management system (why it’s important to make the change)
Quality Assurance Reminders

D eadlines:  
  • Deliverables are due November 30th for pre-approved Action Plans.
  • All large employer audits for 2017 COR Certification or Maintenance are due December 1st.
  • Small employer (SECOR) audits are also due December 1st.
  • Qualification audits are due a maximum of 6 months from training, unless they are full scope audits conducted for COR Maintenance. In that case they are due December 1st or 6 months from training, whichever is earlier.

Sampling:
  • Interview and site sampling plans can be submitted to Shannon Thomas for approval prior to starting the on-site portion of an audit. Email [email protected]. 

Timelines:
  • AMHSA strives to provide initial quality assurance results in a timely fashion – two weeks for COR certification (external) audits, and six weeks for COR maintenance (internal) and auditor qualification audits.
  • Upon receipt of an audit, the lead auditor will receive an email from AMHSA confirming receipt and providing an expected date for initial QA review.
Templating/Boilerplating

O riginal reports must be created for every audit, and audits including templating or boilerplating will result in consequences for both the employer and the auditor.

Always download the latest version of the audit tool when beginning a new audit. 
Return to Work Training

AMHSA strongly recommends that all of its COR holders to have someone on staff who has attended WCB’s Return to Work training. Proof of training is to be submitted to the Sherwood Park office as soon as it is received. Offerings are listed on WCB’s website.

We are also hosting a Return to Work session with the WCB’s Employer Information seminar at the RUSA conference in December in Red Deer. See the conference schedule for details. 
Online Training
Online training is available 24/7 to all members and non-members. New courses include Asbestos Awareness, Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace, and H2S.

Click below for full listings!

Please note that prices do not include GST. For best results, please use Internet Explorer 8 (or newer) or Firefox as your browser and ensure that you have the current version of java installed.
Course Registration
To request or register for a course, contact AMHSA Corporate:

  Toll free: 1.877.537.9063
  Calgary and area: 587.952.2268
   Online: www.amhsa.net
  Email: [email protected]

For questions or comments, please visit our FAQ or email us at [email protected].