In accordance with recent changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), the Chief Prevention Officer (CPO) has the authority to establish standards for training programs and training providers and to approve programs and providers that have met these standards.

Effective April 1, 2012, the CPO also has the authority to establish training requirements that a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) member must meet and to certify a member that has met these requirements.   Committee members who have been certified by the WSIB prior to April 1, 2012 are deemed to have been certified by the CPO.

The CPO has reviewed the standards for training programs and training providers set out in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) document entitled “Certification Standards for Joint Health and Safety Committees, May 1996” updated January 2007 (the Certification Standards Document).

The CPO has established the standards set out in the Certification Standards Document as the training standards for training programs and training providers for the certification of JHSC members.

You can read the full update from the Ministry of Labour here on the website.