Time-sensitive reminder: joint health-and-safety committee (JHSC) members who were certified on, or after, March 1, 2016 are due for refresher training as soon as March 1, 2019.

If the certified members of your JHSC completed their certification training on, or after, March 1, 2016, they must take refresher training within three years of their certification date to maintain this status. JHSCs must have both a certified employer and worker member.

Both your business and your JHSC will benefit, says WSPS training specialist Scott Morrow. “Over the years, laws change and people forget some of what they’ve learned in certification training, parts one and two. Refresher training invigorates their skills and knowledge so they’re primed to contribute to health, safety and productivity in your workplace,” says Morrow.

One-day refresher

Most workplaces in Ontario with 20 or more employees are required to have a JHSC with at least two certified members — one worker and one management. To become certified, members must take part one, basic training and, within six months, part two, hazard-specific training.

Certified members play an essential role in managing health and safety, says Morrow. “They can identify hazards, assign a risk level to each and make suggestions on how to control or manage the hazards. That’s a huge benefit to employers because it helps reduce the number of hazards in the workplace and the likelihood of incidents occurring.”

Refresher training keeps these skills sharp by updating and reviewing key aspects of parts one and two in one day. The training covers:

  • basics of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations
  • legislative changes
  • best practices for recognition, assessment and control of hazards
  • roles and responsibilities
  • hazard categories and what the law says

“It’s a lot,” says Morrow, “but participants are always appreciative. In every class, people say ‘thank you, I’ve forgotten that.’ Legislative changes also open a lot of eyes. Most JHSCs, for example, are not aware that legal requirements around noise in the workplace are no longer covered by the Industrial-Establishments regulations, but are contained in the stand-alone regulation 381.”

The training is interactive, using case studies, group discussion, group exercises and videos. This means it hits all three learning methods — visual, auditory and kinesthetic — for optimum retention.

Training options

Refresher training can take place in a public classroom, where participants come from various industry sectors and workplace sizes. “Public training allows JHSC members to network, see what other companies are doing and, perhaps, adopt some of their practices.”

Alternatively, refresher training can be conducted on-site so it’s tailored specifically to the hazards in your workplace.

How we can help

WSPS is a Chief Prevention Officer-approved provider of certification training, parts one and two, as well as certification refresher training.

Check out the schedule of dates and locations for 2019 public refresher training or to book on-site refresher training.

If you have JHSC members to be certified, review our certification, part-one and part-two offerings for various sectors.

This article was prepared by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). For more information, visit wsps.ca or contact WSPS at [email protected]

1 COMMENT

  1. Great article. It is so true that even if we have completed a certification timely refresher courses are very important. It is helpful in keeping us on track in our safety profession.

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