With the release of the Ministry of Labour’s new enforcement blitz schedule, many employers are reviewing their workplace health and safety programs, including training obligations.
 
Some are finding much work remains, including Certification training for joint health and safety committee (JHSC) members. Of note is a more than 40 per cent drop in Certification training system wide between 2015 and 2016 as detailed in the Ministry’s most recent Prevention Annual Report.
 
Ministry inspectors are targeting the “Internal Responsibility System” (IRS) in sectors across the economy. A critical part of a properly functioning IRS is trained JHSC members and their Certified representatives.
 
To assist employers in their obligation to provide this training Workers Health and Safety Centre (WHSC) has scheduled courses in several Ontario communities this spring. First up is Basic Certification Training scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 8 through Friday, May 11. Be sure to register today as classes are filling fast.  

Attaining certification compliance

Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to ensure at least two members of a JHSC are certified—one worker representative and one management representative.
 
To become certified, a JHSC member must first complete Basic Certification Training (Part I) followed by Workplace-Specific Hazard Certification Training (Part II). These programs must be approved by the Ministry of Labour (Ministry), delivered by an approved provider and completed within six months of one another.
 
Further still, is the need to complete approved Certification Refresher every three years to maintain certification status.

Securing trusted training

As Ontario’s only government-designated occupational health and safety training centre, WHSC is approved by the Ministry to deliver all three mandatory Certification programs.

For those who have already completed Basic Certification Training, WHSC has scheduled Certification Part II training across the province in the coming months including sector streams for Health Care and Social Services (May 14-16) and Office and Professional (May 23-25). WHSC Certification Part II programs are designed to help JHSCs address the most significant hazards in their respective sectors.
 
For additional information, check out Certification Training product sheets all available in our online library. For other important workplace health and safety training opportunities also review the complete WHSC training catalogue.

Don’t see the training you need or unsure of your workplace training obligations? Call us at 1‑888‑869‑7950 and ask to speak to a training service representative.