Ontario's Health & Safety legislation was created to protect both you and the health of your business. Meeting your obligations for certifying members of your Joint Health & Safety Committee is actually pretty straightforward, once you understand how certification works. To help you get started, here's a summary of what many businesses need to know about each phase in the certification process.
A: Certification Training is a requirement under Ontario's Occupational Health & Safety Act. {Section 9 (12)}. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) establishes the standards for certification training. All Basic programs must cover the learning objectives outlined in the Certification Training Program Standards. Certification is a two-part process:
A: All workplaces that are required to have a Joint Health & Safety Committee shall have one member of the committee representing management and one member representing the certified workers.
A: Workplaces that meet the following descriptions must have a Joint Health & Safety Committee:
A: Any person or organization wishing to deliver Basic Certification training must be a Provider approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) or be affiliated with an approved provider. The OSSA is an approved provider of Basic Certification.
A: There is no defined time prescribed for Basic Certification Training, although there are learning outcomes that must be covered within the program. The OSSA's Basic Certification Training Program will take approximately two and a half to three days to complete in continuous study. SafeLearn, OSSA's online Certification Part I course takes between 12 and 18 hours.
A: Yes. Participants must complete Basic Certification Training within 6 months of beginning the program.
A: No. An application and a complete set of program materials must be submitted to the WSIB for program approval. The OSSA's Basic Certification Training Program is approved under the WSIB Certification Training Program Standards.
A: Once Basic Certification has been completed, workplace parties must conduct a hazard assessment. This will identify workplace safety training needs that require workplace specific training or, as an option, sector specific training.
Industry groups have decided to have Sector-specific programs covering the common hazards in the majority of workplaces within that sector.
A: It is the employer's responsibility to complete the workplace hazard assessment. This assessment identifies all the hazards in the workplace that may affect a worker's Health & Safety. Training must be conducted on the significant hazards as determined by the employer, however, employers are encouraged to conduct the assessment in consultation with their JHSC.
A: It is the position of the WSIB that there are no hazard-free workplaces.
A: There are four basic steps involved in Certification Part II. They are:
Step 1: Determine hazards that require training.
Step 2: Choose the training.
Step 3: Ensure training is provided and completed.
Step 4: Submit confirmation of completed training to WSIB
A: Included with the OSSA Basic Health & Safety Training Program is a WSIB Registration/Evaluation kit. Providers, such as the OSSA handle registration for Certification. When participants start Basic Certification Training participants and their employers complete registration forms and return them to their Provider. Participants in the OSSA's Basic Certification Training Program will find the instructions for registration on roman numeral page 6 (VI) of the participants binder.
A: Yes. The OSSA’s Basic Certification Training Program in DVD format ($299.00 for two participants) is the most effective package and is an alternative to traditional classroom training that can be completed at the convenience of the workplace parties.
A: Yes. Any certification program that is approved by the WSIB can be utilized to certify Joint Health & Safety Committee members, regardless of sector.
A: An industry-driven Health & Safety training program has been developed by the Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA). This dynamic and innovative training program meets the needs of more than 100,000 firms employing more than 4 million workers that make-up Ontario's service sector. The Basic Health & Safety Training Program is:
The Basic Certification Training Program contains five training modules:
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You should always tape down electrical cords if there is a possibility of someone walking over the cord. This will minimize the possibility of someone tripping. Refer to OSSA Safety Check Sheet on Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls for more information.