Internal JHSC Certification – Ask the Expert

Depending on the size of your company, you need to appoint a certain amount of JHSC representatives via certification – and that requires government trainers and courses. 

Understanding when and how to deliver JHSC training to your team in a fully compliant manner is an integral part to a safe workplace. 

QUESTION

I would like to inquire about the possibility of developing an internal JHSC certification training module for employees. I am interested in whether we are permitted to create and deliver this type of training in-house, and what criteria must be met to ensure compliance and certification validity. We support training across all provinces. 

ANSWER

Where JHSC certification training is expressly required by OHS laws, which is the case in 4 provinces – Ontario, Alberta, Newfoundland, and Québec – it must be delivered by a government approved trainer using a government approved course.  

EXPLANATION

In other words, a company can’t just develop its own inhouse program and use it to satisfy the OHS requirement. However, such a training module might still be useful to acquaint JHSC members and co-chairs about committee functions, powers, rights, etc. in any of the 10 jurisdictions where JHSC certification training isn’t specifically required. Check out how to perform a JHSC training compliance audit and make sure to follow a government approved course delivered by a government trainer to ensure full compliance.