July 22, 2014
Electrical Safety Authority
Stakeholder Consultation on Corporate Strategy
Thank you for participating in our corporate strategy consultation.
Before answering these questions, please review the backgrounder document provided on our web site.
The survey should take about 30 minutes to complete. When you are finished, please email the
completed survey to stakeholder.esa@electricalsafety.on.ca
SECTION A: ABOUT YOU
Question: Which of the following best describes the sector you represent?
Licensed electrical contractor
Electrician
Local distribution company
Electrical product manufacturing, distribution or retail
Consumer/general public
Safety organization
Government, regulator
Education/ training
Academic
Labour
Standards organization
Manufacturing or industry
Other: [please specify]
Question: How would you describe your familiarity with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) and its
activities?
Very familiar
Somewhat familiar
Not Very Familiar
Not Familiar
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SECTION B: STRATEGIC APPROACH
1. Harm Reduction Strategy 2.0
In 2010, ESA launched a five-year harm reduction strategy. Key features included: a goal to reduce
electrical fatalities by 30 per cent over five years; focus on the five key harms that represent the
majority of electrical events; and building four areas of corporate capability. (See backgrounder
document for more detail.)
Significant progress has been made in the first Harm Reduction Strategy. The proposed plan for the next
five years is to build on that progress, apply learnings and continue to focus on similar areas. Therefore
the next five-year strategy is planned to be an ongoing evolution from current work and does not make
radical changes to the path we are on. The new strategy will be called the Harm Reduction Strategy 2.0.
Question: Do you support this evolutionary direction?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
2. Strategic Approach
In developing the next strategic plan, it was important to define the overall approach that ESA will take:
The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) will use its insights, expertise and passion for safety to achieve
our vision of an Ontario where people can live, work and play safe from electrical harm.
We recognize that achieving electrical safety requires both establishing safe environments where
people can live and work, and for people and industry to behave in a safe fashion.
ESA will act directly where we can make meaningful positive impact on safety. Where we need others
to act, we will be a catalyst to compel them to do so. And we will act as part of Ontario’s safety
system.
We will foster among the public and industry accountability for their own electrical safety and those
they impact.
We will apply risk-based approaches; that is, applying greatest effort to areas of greatest potential
harm. To do that, we will have a strong understanding of electrical injuries, deaths and fires in
Ontario.
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We will judiciously apply the scope of tools and resources at our disposal -- training, inspection,
authorization, investigation, registration, enforcement, audit, and other regulatory and nonregulatory public electric safety quality assurance services -- to make maximum positive impact on
safety.
We will earn and retain the trust and confidence of our stakeholders.
We will be fiscally responsible.
We will act with the public benefit foremost in mind.
Question: Does that description give you a good understanding of ESA’s approach for the next five
years?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
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SECTION C: VISION, MISSION, MANDATE
The purpose of ESA’s vision, mission and mandate is to clearly state the expectations we have and goals
that we strive to achieve. They evolve based on past achievements, developments and societal change.
To build on the progress ESA has achieved in the last five years, ESA’s vision, mission and mandate will
be refined to foster a sharper perception of what we do.
3. ESA Vision
A corporate vision is an organization’s long-term goal. The ESA vision is currently: “An Ontario free of
electrical fatalities and serious damage, injury or loss.” The vision captures the idea of ultimately
getting to zero. But it speaks in terms of data points (fatalities, damage, loss etc.) rather than people,
and talks about the lack of negative events as opposed to the creation of a state of safety.
Therefore we are planning to restate the vision in the new strategy as “An Ontario where people can
live, work and play safe from electrical harm.” This rewrite of the vision is intended to be clearer, and
focused on the benefit to the people of Ontario, while still about getting to zero.
Question: Is this rewriting of the vision an improvement on the current vision?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
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4. ESA mission
A mission statement describes an organization’s core purpose. ESA’s current mission statement is: “to
improve electrical safety for the well-being of the people of Ontario.” This reflects the mission as
described in ESA’s founding documents. To put it in more everyday language, we are planning to restate
the mission in the new strategy as “improving electrical safety for everyone in Ontario.”
Question: Is this rewriting of the mission an improvement on the current mission?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
5. ESA Mandate
The mandate should describe what government has asked ESA to do as an administrative authority.
Currently our mandate is written as “to enhance public electrical safety in Ontario.” That statement is
very similar to the existing mission state (‘to improve electrical safety for the well-being of the people of
Ontario”) so doesn’t say anything new.
In addition, what is not well known externally is the broad scope of tools and powers which ESA was
granted when it was created. Therefore, we are planning to expand the mandate statement to be
clearer about the powers and responsibilities that have been given to ESA.
We are planning to use an excerpt taken directly from ESA’s Objects of Corporation of 1999: “ESA’s
mandate is to promote and undertake activities which enhance public electrical safety including:
training; inspection; authorization; investigation; registration; enforcement; audit; and other
regulatory and non-regulatory public electric safety quality assurance services.”
Questions:
a) Is this rewriting of the mandate an improvement on the current version?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
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b) does this mandate better communicate the scope of ESA’s powers and responsibilities?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
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SECTION D: STRATEGIC GOALS AND ACTIVITIES
6. Goals
In order to move closer to our vision of an Ontario where people can live, work and play safe from
electrical harm, three major goals have been drafted for Harm Reduction Strategy 2.0:

Accelerated improvements in electrical safety: ESA will seek to improve the state of electrical
safety in Ontario by accelerating the reduction in the rate of electrical fatalities and critical injuries
over the next five years.

Improvement in compliance to electrical safety regulations: As the administrative authority for four
regulations, ESA will seek to increase the rates of compliance to regulation where required and in
support of improving overall electrical safety.

Demonstrated public accountability: As an organization that has been granted significant powers
and responsibilities, ESA is publicly accountable and must operate in a responsible, transparent and
proportionate way. To that end, we will maintain positive stakeholder perceptions of ESA’s public
accountability.
Question: Do these three goals provide good focus for ESA for the next five years?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
7. Plans to accelerate improvements in safety
In order to achieve the goal of accelerating improvements in electrical safety, we have drafted a
strategy:
ESA will operate from a position of knowledge and insight about electrical safety. We will use that
knowledge to identify the areas of greatest risk and prioritize efforts on them.
The major activities anticipated for the next five years are:
 Continually improving ESA’s knowledge of what electrical incidents are happening and their
underlying root causes.
 Anticipating and intercepting emerging risks.
 Sharing insights and learnings about electrical safety internally and externally so there is a
common understanding.
 Applying risk-based approaches. Using risk assessment analysis to set priorities.
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
Focus effort and improve safety in the areas where most electrical fatalities and critical injuries
occur:
o Electrical workers working live while doing repair and maintenance;
o Members of the public and construction trades making contact with powerlines;
o Fires in older homes caused by electrical wiring and panels;
o Fires caused by electric stovetop elements.
Question: Does this strategy and set of activities set a clear path for accelerating safety improvements
for the next five years?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
8. Increasing compliance:
In order to achieve the goal of increasing the rates of compliance with electrical safety regulations, we
have drafted the following strategy:
ESA will remove barriers to compliance where they exist by increasing awareness of regulatory
obligations and improving our own processes. At the same time, we will increase compliance through
effective enforcement and increasing stakeholders’ acceptance of accountability for their regulatory
obligations.
Major Activities:
 Measure current rates of awareness of regulatory obligations among key stakeholders and
execute targeted programs to raise awareness where it is most lacking.
 Undertake an assessment of our most frequently used compliance processes and make them
clearer and easier for stakeholders to use.
 For each regulation, target the highest priority areas of non-compliance and generate measurable
improvements.
 Use incentives to encourage compliance and disincentives to discourage non-compliance.
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Question: Does this strategy and set of activities set a clear path for increasing compliance over the
next five years?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
9. Ensuring public accountability:
To achieve the goal of maintaining positive stakeholder perceptions of ESA’s public accountability, the
following strategy has been drafted:
ESA will maintain positive perceptions among key stakeholders of our public accountability, as
measured through regular research.
Major Activities:
 Maintain robust internal accountability policies and practices that ensure responsible, transparent
and proportionate behaviour.
 Seek to be at the forefront of regulatory best practices.
 Maintain financial sustainability and deliver good public value.
 Effectively communicate with the stakeholder community about our priorities and activities.
Question: Does this strategy and set of activities set a clear path for ensuring public accountability?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Somewhat
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Do you have any comments?
10. Do you have any other comments on these core elements of the ESA Harm Reduction Strategy
2.0?
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