Joint Health And Safety Committee Part 1

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Two members of a joint health and safety committee compare notes

Training for Joint Health & Safety Committee Members (JHSC)

Joint Health and Safety Committee Training (JHSC) Part 1 is a 3 day course for:

  • Joint health & safety committee members (businesses with 20+ employees)
  • Health & safety representatives (businesses with 5-19 employees)
  • Members

Our courses are flexible and can be designed to accommodate your schedules. Courses can be taken either at our facility or your workplace. Auspice Safety is fully certified to deliver Joint Health and Safety Committee Training (JHSC) under the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD).

What’s Covered In This JHSC Training Course

This in-class course starts with the basics of occupational health and safety and covers how a Joint Health and Safety Committee manages health and safety in the workplace. The course will provide a comprehensive framework for course participants to be able to identify a range of hazards found in the workplace. Through the lessons included in this course, participants will also be able to identify, assess and control potential hazards in the workplace. By the time of completion of the course, participants will have learned:

  • Occupational health and safety legislation and regulations in Canada and their province.
  • The rights, duties and roles of management and employee members of a JHSC.
  • The powers of a certified member of a JHSC.
  • The basics of the RACE (recognize, assess, control, evaluate) system of hazard management.
Two employees wearing safety gear smile in the warehouse
Workers in a safe workplace pose for a photo together

Become a Joint Health & Safety Committee Member

Completion of this course will allow participants to return to their workplace and effectively fulfill their duties as a member of their workplace’s joint health and safety committee. In order to become a certified member, participants of this course will have to complete a specialized second part of our joint health and safety committee training within 12 months of completing this course. Part 2 will take the lessons learned in part one and expanding on it with sector specific knowledge. Upon completion of this course, a certified member will need to take a refresher course once every 3 years. Start your journey towards becoming a certified joint health and safety committee member with us today!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a Joint Health and Safety Committee? What do they do?

A Joint Health and Safety Committee is an advisory body which helps raise awareness of health and safety issues in the workplace, and identifies risks and recommendations for the employer to address these risks. Joint Health and Safety Committees are committed to improving health and safety conditions in the workplace. The Joint Health and Safety Committee also appoints a designated member to inspect the workplace at least once a month. Their main goal is to work with employers in order to improve safety conditions at the workplace. 

As the name suggests, Joint Health and Safety Committees are a joint effort between management and employees. Half of the members of the committee should be selected from employees who do not exercise management, and are selected by the workers. The other half should be chosen by the employer, and should consist of people with managerial functions.

The number of members which should be on a Joint Health and Safety Committee depends on the size of the workplace. When there are fewer than 50 employees in a workplace, the Joint Health and Safety Committee should have a minimum of 2 members. When there are more than 50 people, the committee should have at least 4 members. If a workplace has between 5 and 20 workers, they are not required to have a Joint Health and Safety Committee, however they should have at least one Health and Safety Representative. Workplaces with 5 or fewer workers do not need a Health and Safety Representative unless there is a designated substance regulation.

Legislation states that Joint Health and Safety Committee members should meet at least once every three months, however more frequent meetings can be beneficial especially if the workplace involves hazardous substances or procedures.

Joint Health and Safety Committee Meetings must be chaired by two members. One of the chairs is chosen by the members who represent the workers, while the other member should exercise managerial functions. It is strongly recommended that the chairs alternate each meeting.