Insights
What Is a Certifying Partner?
Every COR or SECOR certificate is issued through a certifying partner - the accredited organization that owns the audit protocol and scoring rules for its sector. Alberta's current official list has 9. Here's the full list, what each one covers, and how to pick.
Published 5 Sep 2026 · The On-Track Team
5 min readKey Takeaways
- A certifying partner owns the audit protocol and scoring rules, and issues the certificate; the external auditor is who actually conducts the audit.
- Alberta's current official list, at alberta.ca/find-certifying-partner, names 9 certifying partners - trust that page over older third-party counts.
- Employers can register with any certifying partner regardless of industry code - a COR carries the same weight no matter which one issued it.
- The same partner handles both COR (11+ workers) and SECOR (10 or fewer) - one organization, two audit tiers.
- On-Track is certified to audit under both ACSA and Energy Safety Canada, two of Alberta's largest certifying partners.
1. What a certifying partner does
A certifying partner is the organization accredited to administer COR and SECOR audits on behalf of Alberta's WCB Partnerships in Injury Reduction (PIR) program. It owns the audit protocol and scoring criteria for its sector, accredits the external auditors who conduct audits under its name, reviews and issues the resulting certificate, and sets the maintenance and recertification schedule.
Certifying partner vs. external auditor
2. Alberta's 9 certifying partners
Per Alberta's own current list:
| Certifying partner | Sector |
|---|---|
| Alberta Association for Safety Partnerships (AASP) | All industries (generalist) |
| Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) | All construction industries |
| Alberta Food Processors Association | Bakeries, meat packing/processing, breweries, food services |
| Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA) | Forest product manufacturing, logging, log trucking |
| Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) | General and specialized trucking, garbage hauling |
| Alberta Municipal Health and Safety Association (AMHSA) | Cities, towns, villages, counties, municipal districts |
| Continuing Care Safety Association | Private and public long-term care facilities |
| Energy Safety Canada | All oil and gas industries |
| Manufacturers' Health & Safety Association (MHSA) | Manufacturing, machine, hydraulic, and metal fabricating shops |
3. How to choose
Most companies simply register with the partner matching their sector - a construction company with ACSA, an oil and gas operator with Energy Safety Canada. That's not a legal requirement, though: an employer can register with any certifying partner regardless of industry code, and every COR and SECOR certificate carries equal standing no matter which partner issued it. The practical reason most companies stay in-lane is that the protocol, evidence expectations, and auditor pool are built around that sector's actual hazards - a construction-specific protocol simply fits a construction company better than a generalist one would.
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4. Frequently asked
Do I have to register with the certifying partner that matches my industry code?
No. Alberta employers have the right to register with the certifying partner of their choice, regardless of their primary business or industry code, and a COR or SECOR certificate carries the same weight no matter which certifying partner issued it. Most companies register with the partner that matches their sector anyway, because that partner's protocol and auditor pool best fits their operation - but it isn't a legal requirement.
Is the certifying partner list actually only 9? I've seen larger numbers elsewhere.
Alberta's own current list, published at alberta.ca/find-certifying-partner, names 9 certifying partners. Older blog posts and some third-party sites cite higher counts, likely left over from before certain partners consolidated - Energy Safety Canada, for example, was formed from a merger of Enform and OSSA. Alberta's own page is the source to trust.
Do the same certifying partners handle both COR and SECOR?
Yes. The same certifying partner administers both - COR for employers with 11 or more workers, SECOR for employers with 10 or fewer. It's the same organization and the same general protocol family, just a different audit tier based on company size.
How is a certifying partner different from an external auditor?
The certifying partner owns the audit protocol, sets the scoring rules, and issues the certificate. The external auditor is the individual or firm - certified by that partner - who actually conducts the audit on site: documentation review, interviews, and observations. On-Track is certified to audit under both ACSA and Energy Safety Canada protocols.
Can I switch certifying partners later?
Yes. Alberta's process requires the new certifying partner to accept the employer, and the change gets communicated to WCB and the PIR program - there's no regulatory lock-in to the partner you started with.