New Requirements for Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification
* Issued: March 3, 2016
* Content last reviewed: March 2016
* See also: Backgrounder
NEWS
New training standards went into effect on March 1, 2016 for certifying Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) members at Ontario workplaces.
The changes will improve the quality and consistency of training and ensure JHSC members’ knowledge of health and safety is current.
The new standards outline the criteria needed to obtain the Chief Prevention Officer (CPO)’s approval for:
* programs for JHSC certification training and
* training providers who want to deliver those programs.
The standards were changed to reflect legislative updates, current learning principles and to improve the quality and consistency of certification training.
Training providers were given five months to prepare when the new standards were established by Ontario’s CPO on October 1, 2015.
The changes are part of the government’s commitment to preventing injuries in the workplace.
QUOTE
"These new standards will better protect workers on the job by providing certified members more up-to-date and relevant health and safety knowledge needed to eliminate risks associated with hazards in the workplace that may affect a worker’s health and safety. The new standards will strengthen the internal responsibility system in the workplace."
– George Gritziotis, Chief Prevention Officer
QUICK FACTS
* JHSCs include worker and employer members who are required to meet on a regular basis for the purpose of making workplaces safer.
* About 13,000 JHSC members are certified every year in Ontario.
* Generally, workplaces with 20 or more workers are required to have a JHSC with one certified worker member and one certified employer member.
* To become certified, JHSC members must complete training and other requirements established by theCPO.
LEARN MORE
Read more Ontario’s Integrated health and safety strategy.
Learn about the ministry’s 2015-2016 sector plans
