Ontario is introducing new training to help protect workers and keep them safe on the job.
The new training requirement becomes mandatory July 1, 2014.
Workers and supervisors will be required to take part in a one-hour tutorial, either individually or in groups using free, online e-learning tools or hard copy workbooks that can be obtained from ServiceOntario.
The training is designed to help prevent workplace incidents and injuries by making workers and supervisors aware of their roles, rights and responsibilities in the workplace.
The training was developed in partnership with labour groups, businesses and municipalities and will be mandatory for all workers and supervisors in the province who are covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Mandatory basic health and safety awareness training was a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety, led by Tony Dean in 2010.
The Panel was appointed following a Christmas Eve scaffolding accident that claimed the lives of four workers in 2009.
The Panel conducted a review of the province’s workplace health and safety system and came up with a number of recommendations.
Workplaces that have provided similar training to employees will not need to participate, as long as the previous training met the minimum requirements of the new regulation.
Once the e-learning training module is complete, an employee will receive a certificate that is valid for the remainder of his or her career. The printed training materials are available in nine languages.
Chief Prevention Officer George Gritziotis says the awareness training will lay the foundation for building a strong occupational health and safety culture in the province of Ontario.

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