JHSCs: The backbone of safety in Ontario

Ontario’s strong focus on health and safety emphasizes the internal responsibility system: workers and management taking a shared approach to health and safety. Joint health and safety committees (JHSCs) and certified health and safety representatives are the backbone of this system.

As the name implies, the JHSC is a cooperative forum of both labour and management representatives committed to—and legally responsible for—monitoring health and safety in Ontario workplaces. The committee is co-chaired by a labour rep and a management rep, each of whom has been designated a certified rep under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

JHSC requirements

While construction has specific requirements related to its variable work and workforce (see below), the electrical, utilities and transportation industries have common requirements.

Electrical, utilities and transportation industries

A joint health and safety committee is required at a workplace where

• 20 or more workers are regularly employed
• fewer than 20 workers are regularly employed but designated substances are in use.

The committee must consist of two people if fewer than 50 workers are employed, and at least four people if 50 or more workers are employed. Whatever the size of the committee, half must represent workers, and half management.

Worker certification is an essential element in the committee system. In addition to co-chairing duties, certified workers carry other special responsibilities. They conduct regular workplace inspections and, if possible, are present at the investigation of a work refusal. Certified members also investigate complaints about dangerous circumstances.

Construction industry

In construction, the size of the workforce and the length of the project determines whether there is a joint health and safety committee, a worker trades committee, a single health and safety representative, or no such form of representation. If your project regularly employs more than 50 workers, you need at least one certified worker representative and one certified management representative on the JHSC.

The constructor is always responsible for creating the joint committee, while the trade unions or, if there are no unions on the site, the workers themselves select members of the worker trades committee. More specific details about the requirements for construction are contained in the table below.

Health and Safety Rep and JHSC Requirements for Construction

Size and Duration of Project	Representative or Committee	Number of Members	Membership Requirements	Selection of Members
5 workers or less	Neither Health and Safety Rep nor Joint Health and Safety Committee required.
6 to 19 workers and more than 3 months or 6+ workers and less than 3 months	One Health and Safety Representative	N/A	N/A	Representative selected by workers or union(s).
20 to 49 workers and more than 3 months	Joint Health and Safety Committee	At least two	At least one non-management worker at the project and one management representative from the project if possible.	Worker representatives selected from the site by workers or trade union(s) represented. Management representative selected by constructor or employer.
50+ workers and more than 3 months	Joint Health and Safety Committee	At least four	Half non-management workers from the workplace with at least one certified. Half management representatives from the workplace if possible, with at least one certified.	Worker representatives selected from the site by workers or trade union(s) represented. Management representative selected by constructor or employer.
	Worker Trades Committee	At least one worker representative from each trade.	One worker representative from each trade.	Members to be selected by trade workers or trade union(s) at the site. Members do not have to be workers at the site.

Certification courses

Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA) courses are designed to suit the specific requirements of members’ industries—electrical & utilities, transportation, or construction.

Becoming a certified member takes your role on the jobsite to a new level. You gain the personal satisfaction and knowledge-building that comes from being a part of almost every aspect of health and safety on the job. That makes you a better employee and co-worker.

Electrical & utilities industry

For the electrical & utilities industry, certification is a two-step process. Part One – The Certification Training Program covers the knowledge and skills certified members need to fulfill their legislated duties. This three-day program is also intended to help certified members develop the skills to support the internal responsibility system. They learn how to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses, assess and eliminate hazards, and enhance health and safety performance.

Part Two – The Workplace-Specific Hazard Training Program ensures certified members have all the tools needed to perform their duties in their specific workplaces. This two-day program is the final step in becoming fully certified.

Transportation industry

IHSA offers a course for the transportation industry called Joint Health and Safety/Workplace Committee Effectiveness. This half-day program helps committee members become more effective in influencing positive, sustainable health and safety changes within the workplace. It also provides participants with the skills they need to produce positive results in their workplaces.

Since many transportation firms operate under both provincial and federal jurisdiction, two additional programs offer JHSC content:

• For provincial companies: Certification Training
• For federal companies: Federal Health & Safety Competency Training.

Construction industry

In construction, the training consists of three separate courses over a total of 13 days. There is no time limit for the completion of each program, as long as they are taken in the order listed below.

The programs are Construction Health and Safety Representative (CHSR), Sector-Specific Training, and Simulated Hazard Analysis. While all three are available as classroom programs, CHSR can also be taken as a home-study program.

For more info on certification courses go to the training section of IHSA's website.