OHS Compliance Audit and Safety Program Gap Assessment

OHS compliance audit and safety program gap assessment services help employers understand whether their written program, records and day-to-day practices meet current operational and regulatory expectations. Calgary Safety Consultants reviews the system you already have, identifies practical gaps and provides a prioritized path forward.

This is a consulting assessment, not an enforcement inspection. The purpose is to give owners, managers and safety leaders a clear picture of what is working, what needs attention and which improvements should be completed first.

Support is available for employers across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The scope can cover the full health and safety program or focus on a specific concern, client requirement, COR or SECOR readiness issue, OHS order response or operational change.

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Serving employers on site across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and online across Canada.

Compliance audits

When to Request an OHS Compliance Audit

Request an OHS compliance audit when a program no longer clearly matches the work, when a significant change has occurred or when an employer needs an independent view before a formal review.

Before COR or SECOR certification, maintenance or recertification activity.
After growth, restructuring, acquisition or expansion into another province.
When new equipment, processes, substances or locations change the risk profile.
Following an OHS order, serious incident, client finding or repeat deficiency.
When policies, forms and training records have developed inconsistently.
Before responding to a major client or contractor-prequalification requirement.

The resulting work plan separates urgent compliance items from longer-term program improvements so the employer can act in a realistic order.

A safety auditor with a clipboard asking an equipment dealership manager about a newly installed hoist in an expanded service shop. — An independent look before it mattersAudits after growth, change or a new requirement

A safety auditor comparing a written lockout procedure with how a winery cellar worker isolates a pump. — Compare the program with the workFind the gaps and fix what matters first

Overview

What Is an OHS Compliance Audit and Safety Program Gap Assessment?

An OHS compliance audit is a structured review of policies, responsibilities, hazard controls, training evidence, inspections, incident processes and other records against the requirements and risks that apply to the employer. A safety program gap assessment turns those findings into a practical improvement plan.

The review considers both documentation and implementation. A policy may be well written but unsupported by current forms or training records. A procedure may exist but no longer match the equipment, work locations or supervisory structure. The assessment connects those differences so corrective work is focused and defensible.

Do current policies match actual operations?
Can the employer demonstrate implementation with useful records?
Are responsibilities and corrective-action ownership clear?
Have changes, incidents and recurring findings been incorporated?

Why it matters

Why an OHS Compliance Audit Matters

A compliance audit and a gap assessment answer related but different questions. The audit examines evidence against defined criteria. The gap assessment explains what is missing, outdated, inconsistent or insufficient for the employer’s present operations.

Policy development remains available as a follow-up service. New or revised documents are recommended only where the assessment identifies a real need, keeping the project focused on useful improvements rather than paperwork for its own sake.

If the review shows that your records are hard to keep current or find, we can also set up Site App Pro. It is a digital safety platform that keeps inspections, hazard assessments, corrective actions and training records in one place, organized for COR, SECOR and client audits.

What it covers

What the Audit and Gap Assessment Reviews

The scope is agreed before the work begins. It can be broad enough to assess a complete safety management system or narrow enough to examine a specific program element, location or client concern.

Before the review begins, we confirm the work locations, governing jurisdiction, industry and activities, applicable OHS legislation, any certifying-partner or audit protocol, and the client or contractual criteria included in the assessment. The report distinguishes legal requirements, standards incorporated into legislation, certification or audit criteria, contractual requirements, and recommended improvements so the employer can see what is mandatory and what is advisory.

Calgary Safety Consultants reviews applicable obligations, the employer’s written system and available implementation evidence. Interviews or discussions with responsible personnel may be included where they help explain how the program operates.

Leadership responsibilities, worker participation and program accountability.
Hazard assessment, control selection and task-specific procedures.
Training, orientation, competency and record-keeping practices.
Workplace inspections, preventive maintenance and corrective-action follow-up.
Incident reporting, investigation and lessons-learned processes.
Emergency planning, first aid and communication arrangements.
Contractor management, client requirements and multi-location consistency.
COR or SECOR readiness, where included in the agreed scope.
A prioritized gap report with responsibilities, recommended actions and suggested timeframes.

Calgary Safety Consultants helps employers assess, update and improve health and safety programs through defined-scope consulting projects. Contact us to discuss an OHS compliance audit and safety program gap assessment for your organization.

Related Safety Services and Training

An assessment often identifies a focused next step. Explore customized safety manuals, safe work procedures and JHAs, inspection and compliance training, or all workplace safety consulting services.

Start with a defined question. A useful review may examine the full program, COR or SECOR readiness, an OHS order, a client requirement, a new location or a specific operational risk.

Independent review supports better decisions. Findings are prioritized by practical significance so owners and managers can address urgent issues first and plan program improvements responsibly.

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Find clear answers to common questions about our safety consulting, training, COR support, and OH&S program development services.

What is an OHS compliance audit?

An OHS compliance audit is a structured review of an employer’s health and safety program, records and implementation evidence against defined legal, certification, client or internal criteria. It identifies what is working, what is incomplete and where documents or practices no longer match the organization’s actual operations.

What is included in a safety program gap assessment?

The scope may include leadership responsibilities, hazard assessment, training records, inspections, incident processes, emergency planning, contractor management, procedures, corrective actions and other program elements relevant to the employer. The final deliverable identifies gaps, priorities and practical next steps.

Is this the same as a COR or SECOR audit?

No. Calgary Safety Consultants can assess readiness and identify gaps before COR or SECOR activity, but a consulting review is not a certifying audit. If we help develop or materially revise the system, an external COR certification audit must be completed by another qualified auditor where the certifying partner’s independence rules require it. The proposal will clearly distinguish the consulting scope from any external certification or regulator process.

Can you assess only one part of our safety program?

Yes. The project can focus on one location, a selected policy area, a client requirement, an OHS order response or another defined concern. A focused assessment is often appropriate when the employer already understands the broader program and needs independent review of a specific risk.

Will we receive a written report?

Yes. Deliverables are confirmed in the proposal and normally include a written summary of findings, prioritized actions and recommendations. The report is designed to help the employer assign responsibility, set realistic dates and confirm which items require immediate attention.

Can you update policies and procedures after the assessment?

Yes. Policy, procedure, form and safety-manual updates can be included in the initial scope or proposed as a follow-up project. Recommendations are tied to identified gaps so documents remain relevant to the employer’s work, hazards, responsibilities and available controls.

How often should an employer review its safety program?

The program should be reviewed on a planned schedule and whenever important changes occur, including new equipment, work locations, processes, legislation, clients or organizational responsibilities. Incidents, audit findings and recurring inspection deficiencies are also strong triggers for an earlier review.

Talk to a safety consultant

Book a Safety Program Gap Assessment

Tell us what has changed, which requirements are driving the review and whether you need a full OHS compliance audit or a focused safety program gap assessment. We will confirm a practical scope, expected evidence, deliverables and next steps.

Book a Free 30-Minute Consultation

Before you reach out

Quick answers about working with us

Which areas do you serve?: Calgary Safety Consultants is a Western Canadian health and safety consulting firm. We support employers across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, on site and online.
Who will we work with?: Projects are led by John Duplessis, B.Sc., CRSP, President and Principal Health & Safety Consultant, who has more than 30 years of occupational health and safety experience. He is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional, a certified COR auditor, an Energy Safety Canada external auditor and a member of Health and Safety Professionals Canada and the Alberta Society of Health and Safety Professionals.
How do we get started?: Book a free 30-minute consultation on our calendar, call 1-888-231-0358, or use the form below. We talk through your situation first, then send a written scope and quote before any work begins.
What does it cost?: Our Starter Safety Manual Package, recommended for SECOR, is $1,995 plus GST, and Custom Safety Training built from your own procedures starts at $1,499 plus GST. Online courses are priced per learner, starting at $24.99, and 10% comes off automatically at checkout when you buy 10 or more seats of the same course. Other consulting is quoted per project after a free 30-minute consultation, so you know the scope and cost before any work begins. See all our packages and prices.
Do you work with small businesses?: Yes. Many of our clients are small and mid-sized employers without a full-time safety department, including contractors, manufacturers, non-profits and clinics.
Can you help with COR, audits and training too?: Yes. We conduct COR audits and help with COR and SECOR preparation, safety manuals, hazard assessments, compliance audits, emergency response plans, incident investigations and contractor prequalification in ISNetworld, Avetta and ComplyWorks. We also offer online courses including WHMIS, TDG and OH&S leadership, and custom safety training built around your own hazards and procedures. We can’t guarantee that you’ll obtain COR or SECOR, but we stand behind our work: every formal document we deliver carries a 60-day errors and omissions warranty, and our COR and SECOR program builds include a documentation warranty through your first audit or evaluation within 12 months of delivery.

How we work together

A Partnership, Not a Hand-Off

We work with employers who want to improve. The best results come when owners, managers and supervisors take an active part in the work, rather than handing it to an outside consultant and waiting for a finished binder. We bring the expertise, the structure and the follow-up. You bring leadership, time and a commitment to act on what we find.

If you only want paperwork that sits on a shelf, we're probably not the right fit. If you want a safer workplace, a program your workers trust and an audit you can walk into with confidence, we'd like to work with you. We'll talk about this openly during your free 30-minute consultation, so we both know it's a good fit before any work begins.

What We Commit To

Direct access to a senior professional. John Duplessis, B.Sc., CRSP, leads every engagement himself, from the first conversation to final delivery.
Quick replies. We answer emails and calls within 2 to 4 hours during business hours, or by the next business day after hours and on weekends. Every client question matters to us, and we treat it that way.
A written scope and price first. You know what's included and what it costs before any work begins, and nothing outside that scope goes ahead without your written approval.
Work built for your operation. Practical, plain-language deliverables that fit your work and your province's legislation, not a generic template.
Clear timelines. We agree on delivery dates at kickoff and tell you early if anything puts them at risk.
Confidentiality. We handle your records, incident details and worker information as set out in our Privacy Policy.

What We Need From You

Leadership involvement. An owner or senior manager stays involved from kickoff to final review, approves the work and backs the changes. Workers can tell whether leadership means it, and so can auditors.
A main contact with time and authority. Someone who can make decisions, get answers and keep things moving on your side.
Complete, honest information. Your documents and records, and a true picture of how the work is really done, including near misses, shortcuts and what isn't working.
Hands-on participation. Your supervisors and workers take part in interviews, site walks, hazard assessments and reviews. A program your people help shape is a program they'll use.
Timely review and sign-off. You review drafts, give feedback and approve documents within the timeframes we agree on.
Follow-through. You put the recommendations into practice and keep the records that show your program is in use.

Your Legal Responsibilities Stay With You

As the employer, you keep your legal duties under OHS legislation. We advise, organize and support. You make the decisions and direct the work. Our work makes your supervisors, internal safety coordinator, and safety committee or representative more effective. It doesn't replace them.

Timelines Depend on Both of Us

Our delivery dates start at project kickoff and assume your information, feedback and approvals arrive when agreed. If they're delayed, the schedule moves with them. If a project stalls, we'll raise it with you directly and agree on a plan to get it back on track, or pause it until you're ready.

Straight Answers, No False Promises

We'll tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear. Audit, certification and inspection decisions belong to your certifying partner or regulator, so no consultant can guarantee the outcome. What we can promise is practical, credible work and honest advice about what it will take.

Our services are not an emergency response service. If someone is seriously hurt or in danger, call 911 first, then make any reports your provincial OHS regulator requires. Once the scene is safe, contact us and we'll help you with next steps.

Book a Free 30-Minute Consultation

Contact Us

Need help with a safety manual, COR audit preparation, OHS order, hazard assessment, training, or ongoing safety support? Complete the form below or book a free 30-minute consultation. We will review your situation, identify the next practical step, and explain how Calgary Safety Consultants can help.

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