Mandatory Training in Ontario: Is Your Workplace Compliant?
Organizations in Ontario are required to train employees on safety, accessibility, and harassment and violence in the workplace, as well as track employee completion for reporting purposes.
The following mandatory courses are required in Ontario:
- Worker Health & Safety Awareness Training and Supervisor Health & Safety Awareness Training
Employers must ensure workers and supervisors complete the applicable Health & Safety Awareness Training Program as soon as practical upon employment. This includes all workers and supervisors covered under Occupational Health and Safety Legislation, regardless of what sector they work in or their employment status (full-time, part-time, seasonal, occasional). - Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is law in Ontario. Its goal is to make Ontario more accessible for people with disabilities by 2025. The AODA requires organizations to comply with standards that remove and prevent barriers to accessibility for those with disabilities. Ontario is now enforcing these accessibility standards as law. The first regulation under the AODA was the Customer Service Standard, which became part of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) with new legislation that came into effect July 1, 2016. IASR is now made up of the following five standards: Customer Service; Information and Communications: Employment; Transportation; and Design of Public Spaces. - Workplace Violence and Harassment
On June 15, 2010, Bill 168 amended the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) representing a significant change in how, and to what extent, both workplace violence and harassment is regulated in Ontario. Bill 168 broadened the definition of workplace violence and placed new requirements on Ontario employers. - Sexual Harassment
The Ontario government passed Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, which amended, among other statutes, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Bill 132 follows changes to the OHSA brought in by Bill 168 and expands the meaning of workplace harassment to include workplace sexual harassment. - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
WHMIS; short-form (acronym) for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. WHMIS is a Canada-wide system created by government, business and labour to protect the health and safety of everyone who works with or near hazardous workplace materials. WHMIS is enforced by the Labour Branch of Human Resources Development Canada for federal workplaces and by the provincial or territorial agencies responsible for occupational health and safety for most other workplaces. Health Canada is the government body responsible for making the required changes to the overall federal WHMIS-related laws. - Young Workers Safety
There are hazards in every workplace, and young and inexperienced workers are especially at risk. Slips and falls, over exertion, falling objects, exposure to hazardous chemicals, and contact with hazardous materials all cause injuries to new and young workers. This training will help new and young workers learn how to protect themselves and what their rights are to ensure they arrive home safe at the end of the workday.
Is your workplace compliant in providing mandated training for employees?
- Do you provide training for new employees and annual refresher training for current employees on mandated courses?
- Do you have set time frames for new and existing employees to complete mandatory compliance training?
- Do you have record-keeping tools that you can easily access to monitor employee completion of mandatory course material?
- Do you provide refresher training or offer sensitivity training in keeping with the challenges of diverse workplace cultures?
- Do you have easily accessible policies for employee viewing?
As an Ontario employer, meeting your due diligence by providing mandatory training and reporting will set your employees up for success, learning about safety prevention, how to handle sensitive situations, and where to go for support.
Although not mandatory, employers that would like to provide additional support and training to new supervisors may consider the following optional courses.
Professional Development for New Supervisors
HR Proactive offers professional development courses for New Supervisors which provide learners with tools to effectively lead a team and promote a professional work environment, including:
- Personal Conduct for Leaders
- Time Management
- Conflict Management
- Communication & Coaching for Leaders
- Legal Hiring
Our real value proposition at HR Proactive Inc. is offering our clients choices. We can provide you with an all-in-one Learning Management System (LMS) with compliance courses pre-loaded, or we can bundle our compliance courses into SCORM files for you to upload to your own LMS.
HR Proactive Inc. has been helping organizations build culture and connections with compliance training products and services since 1997.
