MOL Health and Safety Awareness Training Deadline

A new regulation mandating that all Ontario employers implement basic safety awareness training programs has received an official deadline for implementation.  Ontario employers have until July 1, 2014 to have mandatory training in place in accordance with The Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training, Reg. 297/13.

The first of it’s kind in North America, the regulation applies to all workplaces covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and generally affects every Ontario employer and employee.  Employers will be required to ensure that workers receive the mandatory training as soon as reasonably possible.  Supervisors must receive the training within one week of working as a supervisor.

Training Content

Although the required content for workers is a decent starting point, in my opinion, it’s an absolute minimum as it focuses primarily on what’s required by the legislation and there’s very little content required that will actually help a worker improve their personal safety performance.  Employers should not consider this training to be extensive and as I’ve stated, it should be viewed as an absolute minimum.

The required supervisor content also suggests a very basic starting point and should not be considered exhaustive.  Supervisor’s roles are incredibly important in building and maintaining a necessary safety culture and they should undergo extensive continued development.  The basic content requirements are below:

Awareness Training for Workers

The Safety Awareness training for workers must include instruction on:

• Duties and rights of workers
• Duties of employers and supervisors
• Common occupational hazards and illnesses
• The role of Joint Health and Safety Committees and representatives
• Roles of legislative bodies that include the Ministry of Labour, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and other safety associations
• Information and instruction requirements of the WHMIS regulation

Awareness Training for Supervisors

The Safety Awareness training for supervisors must include instruction on:

• Duties and rights of workers
• Duties of employers and supervisors
• How to identify and manage workplace hazards
• The role of Joint Health and Safety Committees and representatives
• Roles of legislative bodies that include the Ministry of Labour, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and other safety associations

Delivery of Training

There are a number of ways that the training can be facilitated, managed and recorded.  A single method that would be “best” for all employers doesn’t exist and companies should consider several factors in order to determine how to implement the required program.

The MOL has written materials available on their website for immediate use.  Printing these materials and facilitating live instructor led training with workers and supervisors is a good option for employers who have the time, resources and record-keeping systems.

Online training is a great option for employers who wish to eliminate or minimize disruptions to productivity as well as automate record keeping. Online training could also be a part of a blended learning approach, which I’m a huge fan of, since it’s reaps the benefits of both instructor led, practical and online learning.