Provincial Safety Committee Training – Online

Course Summary

Much like the Joint Health & Safety Committee certification for Ontario, The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety has released guidelines for safety committees in each province. It’s not a law yet, but we see it becoming one in the near future. In the meantime, it’s great training to have in the workplace to ensure a safer environment for all workers.

Employers are responsible for establishing workplace health and safety committees. Depending on the size of the company, the committee consists of labour and management representatives who meet on a regular basis to deal with health and safety issues. The advantage of a committee is that the in-depth practical knowledge of specific tasks (labour) is brought together with the larger overview of company policies, and procedures (management). Another significant benefit is the enhancement of cooperation among all parts of the work force toward solving health and safety problems.

What is the role of health and safety committee?

The role of health and safety committees or joint health and safety committees include:

• act as an advisory body
• identify hazards and obtain information about them
• recommend corrective actions
• assist in resolving work refusal cases
• participate in accident investigations and workplace inspections
• make recommendations to the management regarding actions required to resolve health and safety concerns.

Course Materials

Depending on the province, we offer an average of 6 – 1 day of Health & Safety Committee Training that covers a variety of topics essential to contributing to advisement capacity of the committee. Certificate upon completion.

Learning Objectives

Every effort will be made to ensure the objectives of the course are applicable to provincial legislation. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• About the internal responsibility system
• Alberta health and safety law
• About health and safety committees
• Health and safety hazards
• Hazard identification and control measures
• About workplace inspections
• About incident investigations

Should committee members be trained in health and safety?

In some jurisdictions, law requires safety training or certification for employer and worker members. Please see your provincial requirements below:

Training Requirements
(gathered by CCOHS)

• British

  Each member of a joint committee is entitled to an annual educational leave totaling 1 day, or a longer period if prescribed by regulation, for the purposes of attending occupational health and safety training courses conducted by or with the approval of the Board.

  Legislative Reference

  Workers Compensation Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 492) Section 135 (1)

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• Alberta
  Establish and maintain educational programs regarding the health and safety of workers at or on the work site, and carry out those duties and functions provided for by the adopted code.

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health And Safety Act (R.S.A. 2000, c. 0-2) Section 31 (l) (c), (d)

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• Saskatchewan
  .. an employer shall ensure that the representative receives training respecting the duties and functions of a representative
  .. an employer or contractor shall ensure that the co-chairpersons of the committee receive training respecting the duties and functions of a committee

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 (R.R.S., c. O-1, r. 1) Section 46 (1, 2)

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• Manitoba
  every employer, … shall allow each member of the committee, the safety and health representative, or their respective designates, to take educational leave each year for the number of hours the worker normally works during two normal working days…

  Legislative Reference

  Workplace Safety And Health Act (R.S.M. 1987, c. W210) Section 44 (1)

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• Quebec
  to participate in training programmes of such content and duration as are approved by the Commission. Registration, travel and accommodation expenses are borne by the Commission, in accordance with the regulations

  Legislative Reference

  Act respecting occupational health and safety (R.S.Q., c. S-2.1) Section 91

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• New
  An employer shall ensure that each person who is designated to serve on a joint health and safety committee
  (a) has attended an educational program as prescribed by the regulations, or

  (b) attends an educational program prescribed by the regulations within twelve months after being designated, if the person has not attended such program.

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health And Safety Act (A.N.B. 1983, c. O-0.2), Section 14.1 (2)

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• Nova
  “An employee who is a member of a committee is entitled to such time off from work as is necessary to attend meetings of the committee, to take any training prescribed by the regulations and to carry out the employee’s functions as a member of the committee, and such time off is deemed to be work time for which the employee shall be paid by the employer at the applicable rate.”

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health And Safety Act (S.N.S. 1996, c.7) Section 30 (6)

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• Prince
  A worker who is a member of a committee is entitled to take the necessary time off from work to attend meetings of the committee, to take training prescribed by the regulations and to carry out the worker’s functions as a member of the committee.

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health and Safety Act (S.P.E.I. 2004, c.42) Section 25 (10)

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• Newfoundland
  Where 50 or more workers are employed at a workplace, the employer shall provide and pay for training for the members of the occupational health and safety committee at the workplace.

  Where 10 to 49 workers are employed at a workplace, the employer shall provide and pay for training for the co-chairpersons of the occupational health and safety committee at the workplace.

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health and Safety Act (R.S.N.L. 1990, c. O-3) Section 38.1 (1, 2)

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• Yukon
  “The employer shall orientate joint health and safety committee co-chairs and health and safety representatives to their functions and duties within 90 days of their selection and shall permit them to participate in a training course offered or designated by the director as soon as such a course is available to them after their selection. Time spent by the employees in the orientation and the course shall be deemed to be regular working hours.”

  Legislative Reference

  Occupational Health And Safety Act (R.S.Y. 2002, c. 159) Section 14
  Yukon
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• Northwest
  The Commission may: (a) develop and promote safety education programs…

  Legislative Reference

  Safety Act (R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-1) Section 21 (a)

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• Nunavut
  The Commission may: (a) develop and promote safety education programs…

  Legislative Reference

  Safety Act (R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-1) Section 21 (a)

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Still have questions? Please call our Health & Safety Advisors at 800-815-9980 for more information.

Continuing Education Credits

HRPA has approved this course for CPD. Please contact us at 800.815.9980 to find out more.