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Health & Safety Representatives

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Health & Safety Representative
 

A Health and Safety Representative (H & S Rep) has a vital role to play in protecting the health and safety of everyone at the workplace. Having a designated person on the site to deal with any concerns about workplace hazards demonstrates to workers that the employer is committed to protecting them.

Many small businesses that are not large enough to require a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) rely on their H & S Rep to bring forward any health and safety issues that need attention. Unfortunately, many H & S Reps do not have the necessary training to recognize or resolve these issues.

 
A Health and Safety Rep is required when:
  • More than 5 and less than 20 workers are regularly employed at the workplace

OR
  • More than 5 workers are regularly employed at a construction project and the work is expected to last less than 3 months.

The consequences of not having a well-trained H & S Rep are seen too often. Workers can suffer lost income or a lower quality of life due to a critical injury. Families can lose a loved one to a workplace fatality. Employers can lose a valuable employee and production days. They may even have to replace damaged material and equipment and pay higher compensation costs.

 

Training

Section 8 of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) outlines the duties and powers of H & S Reps. A new amendment to this section, subsection 5.1, requires the employer or constructor to ensure that H & S Reps receive training that enables them to exercise their powers and perform their duties effectively. While this amendment has not yet been put into force, it is recommended that all H & S Reps receive training in order to do their jobs well.

H & S Reps have many of the same responsibilities and powers as members of a JHSC. Because of that, it makes sense that they should receive the same training. IHSA recommends that all H & S Reps take a JHSC Certification course.

 

JHSC Certification – Part One covers the essentials of being H & S Rep and includes modules on legislation, health and safety hazards, workplace inspections, and incident investigations.

 

So far this year, the health and safety record for IHSA rate groups has been troubling when compared with previous years. This is especially true in the construction and transportation rate groups. We recommend that H & S Reps in these sectors take JHSC Certification – Part Two in addition to Part One.

 

JHSC Certification – Part Two is additional training that is more sector-specific. Separate courses are offered for Construction, Aggregates, Transportation, and Utilities.

 

The good news is that it's not too late to reverse this upward trend of workplace injuries. By upgrading their knowledge, H & S Reps can protect themselves and their coworkers from workplace hazards by identifying and addressing potential problems before they become an issue. For more information about H & S Reps, download the Guideline for Health & Safety Representatives (W002).

IHSA offers our JHSC courses free to our members, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Become a part of the solution to make Ontario workplaces safe and healthy. Register today!

 

Course Offerings

 

Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification – Part One

 

Session Details


From: Nov 19, 2019 - To: Dec 20, 2019
City: Any
Region: Any

ihsa_EventNumberCourseNameDateCityLocation 
E57371JHSC Certification Part 111/19/2019 8:00:00 AMKingstonKingston Construction Association Course is full
E58323JHSC Certification Part 111/20/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Course is full
E58022JHSC Certification Part 111/26/2019 8:00:00 AMWhitbyAbilities Centre Course is full
E59490JHSC Certification Part 111/26/2019 8:00:00 AMGuelphSpringfield Golf and Country Club Course is full
E68196JHSC Certification Part 111/26/2019 8:00:00 AMMississaugaCHSI-Centre for Health and Safety Innovation Course is full
E56889JHSC Certification Part 111/27/2019 8:00:00 AMSudburyClarion Inn Sudbury Course is full
E58341JHSC Certification Part 111/27/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Course is full
E66731JHSC Certification Part 111/27/2019 8:00:00 AMLondonLondon & District Construction Association Course is full
E67903JHSC Certification Part 111/27/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Course is full
E58364JHSC Certification Part 112/2/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Course is full
E57587JHSC Certification Part 112/16/2019 8:00:00 AMOttawaOttawa Skills Development Centre Course is full
E65560JHSC Certification Part 112/18/2019 8:00:00 AMOttawaOttawa Skills Development Centre Course is full

Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification – Part Two (Construction)

Session Details


From: Nov 19, 2019 - To: Dec 20, 2019
City: Any
Region: Any

ihsa_EventNumberCourseNameDateCityLocation 
E58020JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction11/19/2019 8:00:00 AMWhitbyAbilities Centre Register
E58316JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction11/19/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Register
E58869JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction11/19/2019 8:00:00 AMSarniaBest Western Guildwood Inn Register
E58330JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction11/25/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Course is full
E56555JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/3/2019 8:00:00 AMSault Ste. MarieQuattro Hotel & Conference Centre Register
E58371JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/4/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Register
E58705JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/4/2019 8:00:00 AMStratfordBest Western Arden Park Register
E57577JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/9/2019 8:00:00 AMOttawaOttawa Skills Development Centre Course is full
E61312JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/9/2019 8:00:00 AMBellevilleCity of Belleville Register
E58386JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/11/2019 8:00:00 AMTorontoVoyager Training Centre - IHSA Register
E59499JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/16/2019 8:00:00 AMGuelphSpringfield Golf and Country Club Course is full
E66732JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/17/2019 8:00:00 AMLondonLondon & District Construction Association Register
E65557JHSC Certification Part 2 - Construction12/18/2019 8:00:00 AMTimminsHoliday Inn Express-Timmins Register

Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification – Part Two (Transportation)

Session Details


From: Nov 27, 2019 - To: Nov 29, 2019
City: Any
Region: Any

ihsa_EventNumberCourseNameDateCityLocation 
E57605JHSC Certification Part 2 - Transportation11/27/2019 8:00:00 AMSudburyClarion Inn Sudbury Register

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