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Annual Report 2001–2002

The 2001–2002 fiscal year was a year of transition for the Commission. After three years of organization renewal, our new culture is maturing, and we are experiencing the benefits of the many changes we have made.

The Commission began renewal in 1998, with a view to becoming a more client-oriented agency, committed to improving the quality and timeliness of our services at a reasonable cost to those who directly benefit from our work. While always ensuring that our regulatory decisions are based on sound scientific principles, we wanted to encourage creative and progressive approaches to making workplaces safer. We also wanted to put in place procedures that would eliminate the causes for as many complaints and disputes as possible, and help us resolve the remaining ones impartially and promptly. To achieve these goals, we created a strategic plan, our Blueprint for Change and its accompanying Workplan in cooperation with our clients and our partners in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).

For the past four years, we have followed our Workplan—sometimes a challenging task, but always rewarding. I believe we have now realized the vision. Of the 29 action items we listed, only a handful remain awaiting regulatory or statutory approval. The rest are already in various stages of implementation, the fruit of several years of planning and systematic progress.

A great deal has been achieved in the past year. Our new fee structure has passed through the process of Treasury Board, Justice, and client consultation and is coming into effect as this report is being written. We have introduced a credit card option for fee payments, simplifying the process both for our clients and our own accountants. Our outreach efforts are beginning to show results, and cooperation with provincial/territorial occupational safety and health (OSH) agencies in identifying unfiled claims is growing. Changes in our screening procedures have made claim review more transparent to claimants, bringing greater openness and increasing efficiency, and the new dispute resolution process is well on the way to implementation.

Today, HMIRC is a well-performing organization. We have laid a solid legislative and administrative foundation to deliver on all Workplan commitments and are well positioned to meet the challenges of the future.

Some of those challenges have already presented themselves. One in particular appears to have emerged, at least in part, from the success of our renewal initiatives. Renewal gave the Commission more visibility, and made us more accessible. For the third year in a row, there has been a larger than usual number of new claims. Our annual average for years was approximately 200 claims but, since 1999, the Commission has registered more than 300 claims each year, resulting in a growing backlog. This accumulated workload in the health and safety evaluation of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) requires serious attention. Last year we commenced 5–Year Backlog Reduction Plan, approved by Treasury Board in the fall of 2000 and accompanied by temporary TBS funding for more staff to address the increased workload. We now have, admittedly with some difficulty, managed to recruit almost all the necessary operations and associated support staff. However, the continuing high volume of submissions, combined with staffing-related delays in implementing the 5-Year Backlog Reduction Plan, have necessitated a review of that plan. It has become evident that backlog reduction objectives cannot now be achieved without modifying the Commission’s resourcing requirements; we intend to discuss this issue with Treasury Board in the coming year.

To accommodate our increased workload and additional staff, the Commission moved to larger facilities last year, while maintaining full service to clients. I am most appreciative of the efforts of our staff during this disruptive time; the move was handled smoothly and efficiently, with excellent teamwork. In addition to the office space we badly needed, the new facilities provide us with improved security for proprietary information.

We have continued to update our Web site with new information as it becomes available, and it is proving to be an excellent aid to education and efficiency. In the coming year, we plan to explore options for e-payment and e-filing, as an added convenience to claimants.

We have also commenced plans to embark on a modern comptrollership initiative in the coming year, including risk management and integrated performance measurement. At the same time, we will continue to assist with the additional legislative and regulatory changes required to complete our Blueprint and Workplan initiatives. Although we have successfully brought about the organizational renewal foreseen in those two strategic planning documents, we are finding that renewal, once started, is an ongoing process. Every achievement brings a new perspective and new challenges. In that sense, renewal will continue to shape the Commission’s activities for many years to come. I am confident of the results, and I know we will continue to make an important contribution as part of the occupational health and safety community.

Weldon Newton