Worker Health & Safety AWARENESS Training

Provincial and Territorial Occupational Health & Safety Legislation requires employers to ensure workers complete a basic Health & Safety Awareness Training Program as soon as practical. While this provides employers with some flexibility, these programs must be completed as soon as reasonably possible after a worker starts performing work for an employer. It is recommended the program be completed before a worker is exposed to workplace hazards.

A Health & Safety Awareness Training Program should provide workers with general information about workplace hazards. This includes what the hazards are and what protective action needs to take place if hazards are found in the workplace. This can include information about common workplace hazards such as:

• Slipping, tripping or falling
• Working near motorized vehicles
• Using or working near machinery
• Workplace violence
• Repeating the same movements over and over, especially if you are in an awkward position or use a lot of force

In addition to general information about workplace hazards, a

Health & Safety Awareness Training Program could also include information about other workplace hazards, such as those common in a particular workplace or sector.

The Health & Safety Awareness Training Program is meant to provide workers with basic, foundational information about hazards. There are other training requirements under Occupational Health and Safety Legislation that require more detailed training about specific hazards (WHMIS, confined spaces, etc.) or hazards in specific sectors (modular training for mining or logging, for example). Employers also have a general duty under Occupational Health & Safety Legislation to provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect his or her health and safety (refer to Regulations set out in the Legislation of your Province or Territory).

Ontario: Entities under the OHSA Section 22.5 include the Workers Health & Safety Centre, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, and four sector focused Health & Safety Associations (Workplace Safety North, Public Services Health and Safety Association, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, and Infrastructure Health and Safety Association). These entities are health and safety system partners of the Ministry. They provide a range of services to employers and workers and are funded by the Ministry.

For other Provinces and Territories, refer to your jurisdictional Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Latency refers to the concept that some occupational illnesses may not be immediately apparent or known. Rather, there may be a period of time between the initial exposure to a physical, chemical or biological agent and the appearance of the illness or disease. This latency period can be brief or lengthy. In some cases, an occupational illness may appear years or decades after an exposure.