Safety in numbers
CCOHS is the one organization mandated and created by the Government of Canada to deal with workplace safety issues on a national basis.

A fundamental right to a healthy and safe working environment

The world may always be, by one measure or another, a dangerous place. But beginning in 1978, thanks to the effective implementation of an act of Parliament, Canada's workplaces have been made safer.

The act to create the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety – CCOHS – was based on the notion that all Canadians had "...a fundamental right to a healthy and safe working environment." A national centre would be an essential requirement to enable people to exercise this right everywhere in the country, a concept launched and supported by stakeholders across Canada. The resulting Act had unanimous support from every federal party.

The primary goal of CCOHS was to provide Canadians with access to information on workplace hazards and conditions – a goal firmly entrenched in the CCOHS mandate.

From the Centre's first official day of operation in January 1980 as Canada's National Occupational Health and Safety Centre, CCOHS has been providing information on workplace health and safety conditions to assist all Canadians in reducing injuries and illnesses.

Services of CCOHS are directed by a Governing Council consisting of representatives of businesses, trade unions, and governments (federal, provincial and territorial) across Canada.
The tripartite council structure ensures an unbiased approach, and its dedication to consensus building provides efficient decision-making.
Proof of the structure's success can be measures by the high degree of credibility and acceptance of CCOHS information and advice among its many groups of stakeholders.