Employers have less than one month to ensure that their workers and supervisors complete the mandatory "basic occupational health and safety awareness training" by July 1, 2014.

This training is mandatory for all workers and supervisors whose workplace is covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act, regardless of industry.

For many employers, the simplest way to comply is to have your workers and supervisors complete the Ministry of Labour's free e-learning module, print the certificate of completion, and provide the certificate to you before July 1st.

Employers can also offer in-person training programs that are tailored to the specific requirements of their workplace, as long as the training meets the minimum content requirements set out in the regulation.  If employers are providing in-person training, it may be wise to have the presenter, throughout the presentation, refer employees to the corresponding material in the Ministry of Labour workbooks, in order to ensure that all of the required material is covered.

As mentioned in our February 25, 2014 article, a Ministry of Labour inspector has advised us that, immediately after July 1st, inspectors will likely issue a reminder to employers who have not conducted the training by the deadline.  Employers who continue to be non-compliant with the regulation will likely receive a compliance order, and in cases of ongoing failure, could be charged and fined.

If you require additional information on how to comply with this new regulation, see:

  • our February 25, 2014 article, which sets out "what you need to do" to comply with this new requirement;
  • our April 3, 2014 article, which provides various strategies for employers as to how to provide this training; and
  • our May 1, 2014 article, which discusses who has to take this training and how employers can continue to ensure that they are compliant with the training requirements after July 1, 2014.

We are available to assist employers with complying with this new obligation – by the Canada Day deadline.

For more information, visit our Occupational Health & Safety Law blog at www.occupationalhealthandsafetylaw.com

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