Workers Health & Safety Centre

Are you COVID-ready? Certify your JHSC via WHSC’s virtual classroom

Worker getting JHSC Certification training in a virtual classroom
A second wave of COVID-19 infection is now spreading in Ontario workplaces and communities. Experts warn this wave could be worse than the first. Is your workplace prepared?
 
Employers must take every reasonable precaution to protect worker health and safety. Through representatives to the joint health and safety committee, or a worker health and safety representative, workers also have the right to participate in the process of identifying hazards and concerns and recommending protective measures. This is required by law, but it may also help avert another province-wide shut down.
 
Workplaces have time to shore up their COVID-19 control plans. Why not start with the basics? If your workplace employs 20 or more workers a joint health and safety committee (JHSC) is required. Properly training and certifying your JHSC will meet legal obligations, but also build critical workplace capacity necessary for identifying and controlling COVID-19 exposures.
 
WHSC can help. We have scheduled JHSC Certification training in virtual classrooms from now until December.

Safely meeting employer obligations

Employers by law must "carry out" Certification training for at least two members of the JHSC, one worker representative and one management representative. (Although many workplaces are electing to train their entire committee.) By “carry out” the law means the employer must pay for the training and time spent training must be employer-paid time too. Certification training programs and those who deliver them must be also be approved. By “approved” the law means approved by the Ministry of Labour’s Chief Prevention Officer. WHSC is an approved provider and all our Certification training programs are also indeed approved.
 
Most important, our Certification programs provide JHSC members with the knowledge and skills needed to play their critical and legally mandated role in workplace health and safety. Among other things, the training equips members to: recognize, assess, control and eliminate workplace hazards; recommend and implement an effective hierarchy of controls; conduct inspections; and fulfill reporting obligations.
 
The COVID-19 crisis presented an unprecedented challenge in terms of providing access to WHSC’s essential and mandatory training programs, including JHSC Certification Training. WHSC quickly retooled our delivery model in a way we could still ensure the integrity of our training and safety of participants and instructors. This we achieved with WHSC virtual classroom training.  
 
For this reason, we have offered JHSC Certification training in safe, virtual classrooms throughout the pandemic.

Register today

Registrations for the following scheduled Certification programs are filling fast. Sign up today!
JHSC Certification Part I
JHSC Certification Part II
JHSC Certification Refresher

More dates will be added with demand. Be sure to check back.

For virtual training, all that is required by the participant is a high-speed internet connection and a computer with a functioning camera and audio. When registering be sure to supply the participant’s home address, as resource materials critical to successful participation will be shipped to this address.
  
Beyond scheduled classes, and where participant numbers warrant, we can work with you to coordinate Certification training in your workplace, our updated COVID-19 training, or almost any of our training courses in a virtual classroom for all workers, workplace representatives and supervisors.

Need more information still?
Call a WHSC training services representative in your area.
Email: contactus@whsc.on.ca
Visit: www.whsc.on.ca
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Additional related resources:
Confronting COVID-19: Conducting effective workplace inspections
Preparing for September: COVID-19 inspection checklist webinar
WHSC COVID-19 resources