The Ontario Ministry of Labour has introduced a regulation requiring employers to ensure all workers and supervisors have completed a basic occupational health and safety awareness training program.
Developed in partnership with labour groups, businesses and municipalities, the training will be mandatory for all workers and supervisors in the province who are covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The new training requirement becomes mandatory on July 1, 2014.
One way to complete the new health and safety awareness training will be for workers and supervisors to take part in a one-hour tutorial either individually or in groups using free, online elearning tools or hard copy workbooks. The training is designed to help prevent workplace incidents and injuries by making workers and supervisors aware of their roles, rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Once the elearning training module is complete, an employee will receive a certificate that is valid for the remainder of his career. The printed training materials are available in nine languages.
Workplaces that have provided similar training to employees will not need to participate, as long as the previous training met the minimum requirements of the new regulation.
"These free, accessible training materials are about giving our workplaces the tools and knowledge they need to make sure our workers go home safe to their families at the end of their shift," said Yasir Naqvi, minister of labour.
Mandatory basic health and safety awareness training was a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety, led by Tony Dean in 2010. The Ontario government committed to implement all of the recommendations of the expert advisory panel, it said.
Developed in partnership with labour groups, businesses and municipalities, the training will be mandatory for all workers and supervisors in the province who are covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The new training requirement becomes mandatory on July 1, 2014.
One way to complete the new health and safety awareness training will be for workers and supervisors to take part in a one-hour tutorial either individually or in groups using free, online elearning tools or hard copy workbooks. The training is designed to help prevent workplace incidents and injuries by making workers and supervisors aware of their roles, rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
Once the elearning training module is complete, an employee will receive a certificate that is valid for the remainder of his career. The printed training materials are available in nine languages.
Workplaces that have provided similar training to employees will not need to participate, as long as the previous training met the minimum requirements of the new regulation.
"These free, accessible training materials are about giving our workplaces the tools and knowledge they need to make sure our workers go home safe to their families at the end of their shift," said Yasir Naqvi, minister of labour.
Mandatory basic health and safety awareness training was a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety, led by Tony Dean in 2010. The Ontario government committed to implement all of the recommendations of the expert advisory panel, it said.
