Training for joint health and safety committee members

Overview

In Ontario, most workplaces with 20 or more workers must have a joint health and safety committee (JHSC), made up of at least one worker and one employer member. The committee's primary role is to identify workplace health and safety issues and bring them to the attention of the employer.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, at least one worker and one employer on a JHSC must be certified.

JHSC members who successfully complete all parts of an approved training program are eligible to be certified by the Chief Prevention Officer.

Find an approved training provider

Joint health and safety certification training is delivered by a number of providers across the province who are approved by the Chief Prevention Officer.

Learn about the types of training available.

The Marketplace lists approved joint health and safety training providers and available classes. You can browse and register for a course in your area.You can also search the following list of current training providers, or find a provider that was previously approved or offers in-house training only.

Types of training available

Joint health and safety committee certification training is delivered either:

• in a classroom setting
• online via distance learning – instructor and learner are separated by location, but training still happens in real-time, allowing for instant feedback and clarification
• online via eLearning (available only for Part One) – this training is not led by an instructor and the learner sets their own pace

Proof of certification

Workers must have a valid record issued by the Chief Prevention Officer as proof that they are certified.

There are 3 ways employers can check that a worker's certification is valid.

1. Accept a certification record issued by the Chief Prevention Officer
2. Access a worker's proof of certification, with the worker's consent, by creating a free and secure account through SkillsPass™
3. With the worker's consent, contact the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development

Workers can also get a digital copy of their proof of JHSC certification by setting up a free and secure account through SkillsPass™.  You will need your:

• address provided when you registered for training
• year of birth
• email address and phone number (mobile if possible)

To replace a lost or damaged record

If your certification record was lost or damaged, you can get your digital record online from SkillsPass™—it can be shared and printed.

Validity period

In general, your joint health and safety committee certification is valid for 3 years after the successful completion of an approved JHSC Part two training program.

You must successfully complete a refresher program within three years of the date of certification, or the date of successfully completing a refresher program, to keep your certification valid.

To be eligible for refresher training, workers must have successfully completed both parts of an approved JHSC certification program. You can check eligibility status using our eligibility checker tool.

1996 standards

If you were certified under the 1996 standards set out by the Workplace Safety Insurance Board, you don't have to refresh your certification.

Request an exemption

If your JHSC certification is about to expire and you are an active certified member, you may apply for a one-time exemption to extend your certification for another three years without taking refresher training.

Your request must be approved by the Chief Prevention Officer before your certification expires. It typically takes 10 business days to approve a request.

Find an approved training provider who delivers refresher training.

Employer duties

As an employer, you must keep proof of your workers' JHSC certification and make it available to a Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development inspector on request.

Learn more about health and safety inspections.

Apply to be an approved training provider

Before you can offer joint health and safety committee certification training, the provider and proposed training program must be approved by the Chief Prevention Officer.

To apply for approval:

1. make sure that your program content and delivery meet both training standards:
   • program standard
   • provider standard
2. if your program includes an eLearning component, make sure it follows the eLearning instructional design guidelines
3. create a provider profile on the Skillspass Application Portal
4. complete the joint health and safety committee certification training provider application and upload it and your training material in the areas provided in SkillsPass.

There is no fee to apply.

Applications are assessed on a first-come, first-served basis. The length of time it takes to complete a full assessment of a training program depends on the quality of the application and associated training materials, as well as the number of existing applications in the review process.

The ministry will contact you with any questions or concerns as we review your application.

The ministry will contact you with any questions or concerns as we review your application. For more information about the application process and tips on how to complete the application package, read the application guidelines.

Previously approved and in-house only training providers

Find a provider that was previously approved or offers in-house training only.

Contact us

For more information about CPO training programs and requirements (for example, lost card or learner ID, training provider applications, etc.) please contact the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development at 1-877-202-0008 or by email at JHSC.InquiryLine@ontario.ca

If you have technical questions or concerns about accessing your digital training record, please email support@myskillspass.com