Ontario WHMIS for Employers

WHMIS in Canada is a combination of federal, provincial, and territorial legislation. The federal components are the Hazardous Products Act and the Controlled Products Regulations. When people talk about employers having a requirement to educate their workers on WHMIS, they are talking about educating them on the information from the federal act and regulations.

This ensures that the WHMIS symbols, classifications of hazards, and labelling for WHMIS are the same for Ontario WHMIS as they would be for any other province or territory making the WHMIS course materials standard across Canada when it comes to the information workers need to know from the WHMIS legislation. This national consistency is an important part of the Canadian WHMIS program.

In Ontario and the other provinces and territories, there is also local legislation and regulation for the implementation and enforcement of WHMIS. In Ontario this is covered in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the WHMIS Regulation R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 860, as amended by: O. Reg. 36/93.

As an employer in Ontario, am I required to educate and train my employees on WHMIS?
The simple answer to this question is Yes, it is a requirement for employers to educate their workers on WHMIS, where controlled products are present in the workplace. This includes education on what WHMIS is, the classifications of hazards, labelling and how to read a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and is often referred to as "Generic WHMIS" because it would be the same training materials for any workplace regardless of the products used in the workplace and regardless of the types of hazards from these products. The employer has a second part to this responsibility and that is to provide more product specific or site specific training on the products and hazards that are applicable to the work that employee is performing and the products they would handle or be in contact with.

How frequently do I need to train my workers on WHMIS in Ontario?
This is the question that can have a different answer from province to province and territory. It is the regulatory authority in each province or territory that sets the answer to this question. It is becoming more common to see organizations practicing an annual training and retraining for their employees as a way of ensuring that employees are knowledgeable on WHMIS.

Do I need to have a WHMIS Certificate for my employees? Ontario WHMIS laws do not currently require employers to issue a certificate to their employees. A WHMIS Certificate or WHMIS Card can be issued by the person or organization which provides WHMIS education, training and testing.

While Ontario WHMIS laws do not require that a WHMIS certificate is issued. It is becoming more common that workers from one organization are off site on other organizations work sites. In this case where you have workers on my job site, I can require you to show some form of evidence that your employees have had "Generic WHMIS education and training". Having a WHMIS Card or Certificate is a common way that contract workers or workers who work off site (not only at their own location) are able to provide documentation that speaks to the training they have had.

A WHMIS certificate typically includes the person’s name, company employed by, a testing or training date and a test score if applicable. Most importantly is information on who issued the WHMIS certificate as a way for to assess the credibility of the training or verify the course completion details.

When you have questions about Ontario WHMIS requirements you can contact Ministry of Labour, Health and Safety. More information is available at this link on the Ministry of Labour website, http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/.

WHMIS Training Comments from Ontario Customers

I was happy with the service. It was affordable for a company of my size.

Joe Taylor
The Finishing Touch, Ontario

We have really enjoyed using SafeAndCertified for WHMIS training. It is easy to use, all done on-line, and very cost-effective. Many thanks for a great service!

Ed Hughes
The Little Gyms of London, Ontario

Great company, friendly service. Setting up an account was easy and the value proposition is second to none in the business of online safety training. Strongly recommend that anyone in need of safety training for their company use SafeAndCertified.com. You will not be disappointed.

Michael Bonnick
Aziza Finishing Solutions, Ontario

SafeAndCertified is a good affordable way to get multiple employees certified with a flexible timeline.

Dave Cherry
Job Done Construction Ltd., Ontario

It is my pleasure to recommend SafeAndCertified.com for online WHMIS training services. ICE has been using SafeAndCertified.com for online WHMIS training courses for the last 3 years. The company offers top-notch service, the online courses are very user friendly and affordable.

We have also used SafeAndCertified.com for other online courses such as Respectful Workplace and Violence Prevention in the Workplace. The on-line courses with SafeAndCertified.com are the best option for our growing company. Technicians are able to complete the on-line courses at their convenience which eliminates scheduling problems. It was well organized, easy to follow and comprehensive. The staff at SafeAndCerfified.com were very helpful and accommodating.

I’m happy to recommend the online training of SafeAndCertified.com

Kevin Smith
President
ICE - Innovative Care of the Environment, Inc., Ontario

I used the SafeandCertified WHMIS training for my team last year and I loved the experience. The site is user friendly, the system sends reminders and updates on the employees' progress, you can log in at any time to see where any one employee is at with the training and if you have any questions you get answers very quickly.

I would recommend the online training to busy business owners who want a professional training service with great support for their team!

Gratia and the Lilli White Team, Ontario

We were very impressed with SafeAndCertified’s online WHMIS training, it was perfect for our organization. The whole process was very user friendly, couldn’t ask for anything better.

Jim Dorval
R.L. Equipment, Ontario

Our experience with SafeAndCertified.com has been a very positive one. Their online WHMIS training is both user friendly and provides us with the information we require. We find their customer service is excellent and have not had any issues with their website or their staff.

I would highly recommend SafeAndCertified.com for your company online training needs.

Dianne Webber
Office Manager
Canadian Mental Health Association - Toronto Branch, Ontario

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