November 15, 2013 – As of July 1st, 2014, all workers and supervisors in Ontario must complete basic occupational health and safety awareness training. Regulation 297/13 is the first of its kind in Canada, and it represents a major success in the advancement of health and safety in our province. There are two requirements within this new regulation: to provide awareness training to all workers and to provide awareness training to front line supervisors by July 2014.
In preparation for July, we encourage our clients to complete the mandatory health and safety awareness courses before the compliance date. The Ministry of Labour has developed an occupational health and safety awareness program which provides fundamental information on rights and duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), roles of health and safety representatives and Joint Health and Safety Committee members, and common workplace hazards. This program is available free of charge on the Ministry’s website.
*UPDATED June 6, 2014*
The Ministry of Labour has also developed Awareness Training Guidance Tools which will help to support the implementation of O. Reg. 297/13. The tools can be downloaded in PDF from the Government of Ontario Central Forms Repository using the links below:
PSHSA also offers a selection of health and safety awareness programs which satisfy the requirements outlined in the new regulation. To meet compliance, consider the following courses:
Supervisor Awareness:
– Module 1: Health and Safety Law
– Module 2: Effective Leadership
– Module 4: Recognize, Assess and Control Hazards
– Book 1: Legislation, Standards and Codes
– Book 3: Hazard Awareness and Control
Worker Awareness:
Please note that this basic occupational health and safety awareness training requirement does not replace any other hazard-specific, sector-specific or competency-specific training that may be required for supervisors or workers elsewhere in the OHSA or regulations.
According to the OHSA, a supervisor is a person who has charge of a workplace, or authority over a worker. A competent supervisor is a person who is qualified to organize work and performance due to knowledge, training and experience. A competent supervisor is familiar with the OHSA as well as the regulations that apply. They also have knowledge of both potential and actual dangers to worker health and safety. To meet these requirements, supervisors should complete
• Health and Safety for Supervisors and Managers (all modules) or Effective Leadership: Books 1-5 and
• Hazard, sector or competency-specific training required to organize the work and performance of a job, such as Musculoskeletal Disorders, Infection Control, Workplace Violence, Slips, Trips and Falls, Driving, etc.
If you have already completed the above sessions, you can consider yourself compliant with the new regulation.
To learn more about the new mandatory awareness training, please visit the Ministry of Labour’s website for additional information. Should you have any questions regarding compliance with the new regulation, please contact econsulting@pshsa.ca or visit pshsa.ca to chat live with one of our eConsultants.
November 15th, 2013
