Occupational safety International framework and country guides
What OSH training must employers provide to workers in Canada?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Canada: law, authorities and employer duties
Short answer
Every Canadian employer must give workers the instruction, training and supervision they need, plus WHMIS training for hazardous products. Federal rules add hazard programme training reviewed every 3 years; Ontario requires awareness training for workers and supervisors.
Every Canadian employer must give workers the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to work safely, and train every worker who may be exposed to hazardous products under WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System). On top of that, each jurisdiction sets specific courses: for example, federal employers train on their hazard prevention programme and review it at least every three years, and Ontario requires basic awareness training for all workers and supervisors.
Short answer
- General duty: federal Canada Labour Code s. 125(1)(q) and (s): information, instruction, training and supervision, and awareness of every known or foreseeable hazard. Provincial acts have similar duties (Ontario OHSA s. 25(2)(a)).
- Supervisors and committees: federally, supervisors and managers must be adequately trained, and committee members and representatives must receive the prescribed training. Ontario requires certified committee members.
- Hazard programme training (federal): before new activities or hazards and when new hazard information appears; training programme reviewed at least every three years; signed acknowledgement by employee and employer; records kept two years after exposure ends.
- WHMIS: labels, safety data sheets and safe handling for every worker exposed to hazardous products; federally the programme is reviewed at least once a year.
- Ontario: basic OSH awareness training for every worker as soon as practicable, and for every supervisor within one week; approved working at heights training for construction workers using fall protection, valid for three years.
- Task training: first aid, forklifts, confined spaces, fall protection, harassment and violence prevention and other topics required by specific regulations.
Federal requirements in detail
The federal regulations (COHSR) build training into several parts:
| Topic | Requirement | Review or validity |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard prevention programme (Part XIX) | Training on the programme, the hazards of the work place, the duty to report hazards and injuries, and an overview of the Code and regulations; given shortly before new activities or hazards | Training programme reviewed at least every 3 years and on change; written acknowledgement by employee and employer each time; record kept 2 years after exposure ends |
| Hazardous substances and WHMIS (Part X, s. 10.14) | Education and training for each employee who handles or may be exposed to a hazardous substance, including labels and safety data sheets | Reviewed at least once a year and on change |
| First aid (Part XVI) | First aid attendants with the certificate level set by the work place type and ambulance response time | Certificates valid for a maximum of 3 years |
| Harassment and violence | Training for employees, supervisors and the employer (Code s. 125(1)(z.161) and (z.162)) | As set by the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations |
The Code also requires training in a form a worker can understand. An employee with a special need must receive any direction, instruction or training by a suitable method, including braille, large print, sign language or verbal communication (s. 122.3).
Provincial examples
Ontario. O. Reg. 297/13 requires a basic awareness programme covering worker and employer duties and rights, the roles of committees, the ministry and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, common hazards, WHMIS and occupational illness. Supervisors get a programme that also covers how to recognise, assess and control hazards, within one week of starting as a supervisor. Records are kept and proof is given to the worker on request. The employer must also review, with the committee or representative, the training of workers exposed to hazardous materials or physical agents at least annually (OHSA s. 42(3)).
Alberta. The OHS Act requires every employer to ensure that workers are adequately trained in all matters necessary to perform their work in a healthy and safe manner, and a worker who is not competent may do dangerous work only under the direct supervision of a competent worker. Many OHS Code parts add specific training, for example for confined or restricted space entry (s. 46), with records kept. Workers must also take part in the hazard assessment itself.
Quebec and British Columbia have their own training and orientation rules; check the current regulations and guidance of the CNESST and WorkSafeBC.
Example: A contractor sends a crew from Türkiye to install equipment on an Ontario construction project. Before work starts, each worker completes Ontario basic awareness training (or shows proof of an equivalent programme the employer verifies), WHMIS training for the site's chemicals, and, because they will use fall arrest, a working at heights programme approved by Ontario's Chief Prevention Officer from an approved provider. A Turkish OSH training certificate will not normally replace the awareness training, because an earlier programme counts only if the employer verifies that it covers the Ontario content, such as duties and rights under the Ontario Act and the roles of the ministry and the WSIB. For working at heights, only an Ontario-approved programme from an approved provider (or the Newfoundland and Labrador fall protection programme named in the regulation) is accepted.
Common mistakes
- Treating WHMIS training as a one-time video: it must cover the products actually used at the site and be reviewed.
- Missing the supervisor deadline in Ontario (one week of acting as a supervisor).
- Not keeping signed records: in a prosecution, training records are central evidence of due diligence.
Related on excodex
- Occupational safety and health in Canada: law, authorities and employer duties
- Must an employer in Canada appoint a safety professional or an occupational physician?
- Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in Canada?
Standards and further reading
- Canada Labour Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. L-2, ss. 122.3 and 125: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/L-2/
- Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, SOR/86-304, ss. 10.14, 16.1 to 16.3 and 19.6: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-86-304/
- Ontario Regulation 297/13, Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/130297
- Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, ss. 25 and 42: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o01
- Alberta OHS Code, Alta. Reg. 191/2021: https://kings-printer.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2021_191.pdf
This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.
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Part of: Occupational safety and health in Canada: law, authorities and employer duties