Outcomes Level
Introduction
The Outcomes Level is the next step in the ZeroQuest^® program. At this level E&USA requires that a firm continue to develop its health and safety system addressing hazards as identified in the risk assessment. It is also expected that the firm review the measurable outcomes that were chosen at the Effort Level, to determine if they are adequate to gauge the success of the health and safety system.

To complete the Outcomes Level, the firm must demonstrate that it has evaluated its health and safety system through both internal assessments and a credible third-party health and safety audit that has been completed with the previous 24 months. This may also be an appropriate time to conduct a follow-up E&USA IRS Audit and Safety Climate Survey or suitable equivalent.

Assessing the effectiveness of practices and procedures within the health and safety system and correcting identified gaps are key elements in a managed approach to health and safety.

Roadmap: Entering The Outcomes Level 
The application process at the Outcomes Level is the same as at the Effort Level. The application form requires signatures of both management and worker representatives. The commitment date is a target firms set when they are prepared for a E&USA representative to conduct an evaluation. The evaluation consists of a documentation review and a series of on-site verification interviews.

Preparing for Evaluation
There are three areas of focus at the Outcomes Level:
• Reviewing and assessing the effectiveness of measurable outcomes
• Incorporating, checking and correcting processes into the health and safety system
• Planning and implementing new health and safety initiatives

At the Outcomes Level, E&USA expects firms review the measurable outcomes chosen at the Effort Level to gauge the success of its health and safety system, in order to determine if these performance indicators are effective. The firm must also demonstrate efforts to evaluate its health and safety system (through both internal assessments and a credible, third-party health and safety audit conducted within the previous 24 months) and react to areas of opportunity identified through these evaluations. Further methods to identify areas of opportunity include E&USA’s IRS Audit and the E&USA Safety Climate Survey.

It is expected that a firm will have investigated solutions to fix identified gaps and will have determined the best action to meet the needs of the firm. Once corrective actions have been taken, E&USA requires that a firm conduct a follow-up evaluation to determine if the changes have had a positive effect on the health and safety system. Planning and implementing new health and safety initiatives to control identified hazards in the risk assessment is also an expectation at the Outcomes Level.

Evaluation
A firm’s progress will be verified by a E&USA representative through a review of its documentation and a series of on-site interviews. To successfully complete the Outcomes Level, the firm must demonstrate that it has addressed the areas of opportunity outlined in the Effort Level evaluation report and continues to meet the criteria of both the Effort and Commitment Levels.

Using a representative sample, the verification interviews will confirm that employees have a clear understanding of the health and safety system employed by the company. E&USA will need to interview at least ten per cent of the workforce and one representative from a cross-section of each function in the organization.

Evaluation Report
E&USA will prepare an evaluation report based on the results of the documentation review and verification interviews. The report will include general observations and a list of strengths and areas of opportunity. (Some firms may have to fulfill certain areas of opportunity identified in the report before receiving the Outcomes Award.)

Award Presentation
After successful completion of the evaluation, firms will be presented the Outcomes Award -- a framed medallion which can be presented during a ceremony at the firm. The award ceremony will be a presentation highlighting the firm’s results from the evaluation, presentation of the plaque, and an introduction to the Sustainability Level. In addition, a formal group presentation and value-added learning opportunity will take place as a part of E&USA’s Annual General Meeting and Conference in late May/early June.

Guide - Outcomes
Outlined in this Guide are several key elements of the health and safety system that will be evaluated. At the Outcomes Level, E&USA wants to learn how the firm is evaluating and continually improving its system to ensure that it is meeting the firm’s needs.

It is expected that the firm will have developed processes to evaluate the effectiveness of existing practices and procedures and identify any gaps within its health and safety system. Once these areas of opportunity have been identified the firm is required to investigate solutions to the identified gaps, and conduct follow-up evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the changes once corrective actions have been taken. When evaluating the health and safety system and planning corrective actions, include input from all levels of the firm as well as the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative.

Data Tracking
Review the measures chosen by the firm in its plan put forward at the Effort Level to determine the success of the health and safety system. After tracking these measures while working through the Effort Level the firm should be able to determine if the indicator is effective in evaluating strengths and weaknesses in the health and safety system.

NOTE: For the evaluation, the firm must justify the measurable outcomes chosen by providing evidence of their value in determining the success of the health and safety system.

Evaluations
Conducting audits of the health and system is important to evaluate the effectiveness of existing practices and procedures, and to identify areas for improvement within the system. E&USA recommends that any assessments of the health and safety system be done both internally and externally. External third-party evaluations, such as E&USA’s IRS Audit and Safety Climate Survey, validate internal audit results and identify areas for improvement that may have been overlooked.

Audits of the health and safety system can focus on:
• high risk areas as identified in the risk assessment
• areas of concern as identified through incident reports
• areas that need to be reviewed based on changes in legislation or industry standards or from lessons learned through operating experience.

Using the results from both the internal and external audits, the firm should develop an action plan which takes into account the corrective action to be taken based on some type of investigative process, the person or group of people responsible for completing this task, a target date for completion and resources available.

NOTE: Evidence of internal and external audits of the health and safety system will be requested during the evaluation.

Health and Safety Business Plan
The health and safety business plan created at the Effort Level should be reviewed and updated yearly. It is expected that there will be changes to the plan to accommodate new action items from internal and external evaluations, and new goals based on changes to legislation, industry standards or lessons learned from operating experience. There may also be changes to the plan resulting from new initiatives to control high risk hazards. At the Outcomes Level, the updated plan should also include objectives for checking and correcting existing practices and procedures, and measuring outcomes of health and safety performance.

Mentoring
It is expected that firms progressing through the Outcomes Level will mentor firms. This program needs to be in place for a minimum of 12 months. A report identifying program elements and any real or proposed benefits of both mentor and apprentice firm can be included. Mentoring can include such things as active participation in one of the ZeroQuest® Working Groups or the CEO Health & Safety Leadership Charter.

Sharing best practices is also required at this level. (See www.eusa.on.ca for more information concerning Best Practices.)

Measurement Criteria
To be eligible for evaluation at the Outcomes Level, the firm cannot have had a workrelated critical injury or fatality within the preceding 12-month period.

Top of Page