The Safety Awareness Survey Scorecard (SASS) is one of the best kept secrets in the Partnerships in Injury Reduction (PIR) program!
If you qualify, you’ll spend 50% less time and money than you would on Certificate of Recognition (COR) maintenance audits.
The SASS doesn’t rely on time-consuming formalized maintenance audit processes, associated documentation reviews, interviews, site visits, and a pass/fail grading system. Instead, the focus is on the implementation of an action plan and on continuous improvement over the two-year span. While not all Certifying Partners (CPs) have opted to support the SASS option, it’s a viable solution you may want to consider.
Do I qualify?
The SASS maintenance option is generally available to organizations that:
- Have been in the COR system for four years (completed at least two certification audits)
- Have score above 90% in their last certification audit
- Are in the first maintenance year after a certification audit
- Have more than 50 employees
How does it work?
The SASS, as developed by the AASP and approved by Partnerships, is a simple, anonymous, 10-minute survey completed online by 40% of your employees. The questions are designed to measure perceptions to key drivers of a COR-aligned safety culture.
The output of the SASS is a guided report that helps you pinpoint areas for improvement. Based on the report, you then create a continuous improvement plan with 10-20 action items to be implemented over the next 2 years.
The Process

Why a Survey?
The COR promotes the involvement of employees directly in the planning, development, and maintenance of their employer’s occupational health and safety (OHS) programs and management systems. Measuring your program with a COR audit is effective, but after multiple high scoring audits your organization may start suffer from ‘Audit fatigue’ with similar feedback and scoring year after year. The SASS safety survey is designed to break up that monotony.
Lee Atwater’s famous quote, “Perception is reality”, implies that the way your employees perceive their work environment and safety systems is their reality as they see it. The SASS measures this perception. The results provide an indication of how employees feel about the current health and safety policies and procedures that the action plan is derived from. The Action Plan often focused on nothing more than improved communication.
The Safety Survey/SASS is more than just a cost-saving investment in COR maintenance, it’s an investment in your people, your organization, and your future. With a pro-active approach, the data it provides can enable you to create an impactful health and safety culture that enhances productivity and morale, and that’s the real bottom line. For more information on the SASS and to confirm whether your qualify please contact your Certifying Partner
About SafetyVantage
SafetyVantage is a leading provider of technology-based educational curriculum and assessment solutions for the occupational health and safety (OHS) industry. Well-known for providing practical, engaging, and relevant solutions, the Alberta-based company has significant expertise and experience in the OHS compliance and training space.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: SafetyVantage provides information about topical OH&S issues to assist existing and potential customers to cope with their own OH&S needs. SafetyVantage believes that the information and guidelines provided are consistent with industry practices at the time the information was compiled. It is not intended to be legal information or legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your situation