Beyond WHMIS

Beyond WHMIS – Better Training for New Workers

Beyond WHMIS© (Canadian version) is an online training course for new and returning workers in core safety topics including safety laws, rights and responsibilities, work refusals, hazard recognition and control including a module on personal protective equipment, and WHMIS awareness (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System). This course goes beyond the chemical and biological hazards covered under WHMIS awareness training to provide students with a basic grounding in all forms of hazardous energies and how to protect themselves from them.

Topics covered include safety laws in Canada including the concepts of ‘Duty of Care’ and ‘Due Diligence’. It explores the acronym CHEMSAFE© to help workers become aware of the many common hazardous energies in their daily tasks and uses the easy-to-remember acronym REACT-PPE© to understand how to control them. While hazard recognition and control is an employer responsibility, most young persons have received no training on the basic hazards they may experience from various forms of energy. They are encouraged to understand these basic safety concepts and to develop a proactive attitude toward safety, including sharing responsibility for the wellness of themselves and others through the Internal Responsibility System.  The course includes WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) awareness training which is further reinforced by a separate module on personal protective equipment and the routes of entry of chemicals into the body. WHMIS training is usually missing this important element.

This course is intended as a foundation course for a wide range of young persons entering the workforce or returning workers across all industries. It is most suitable as a general safety introduction for new-hires as well as critical preparatory training for secondary and post-secondary students going out on job placements.