WHMIS stands for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. WHMIS IS designed to make sure the safety of employers and employees while at the workplace. WHMIS was intended to keep workers and employers educated of the dangers and hazards associated with the chemicals and substances that they may come into contact with while on the job. The key essentials of WHMIS and WHMIS training are labeling of containers, the provision of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and worker education/training programs.
WHMIS legislation is incorporated into various Acts and Regulations:
- Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/ 86-304), Part X, Hazardous Substances
- Hazardous Products Act (HPA)
- Controlled Products Regulations
- Hazardous Materials Information Review Act
WHMIS is a national recognized program and the fundamental requirements are the same across Canada. However, some provinces and territories may have also introduced slight modifications while incorporating WHMIS with their occupational health and safety (OH&S) government regulations.
WHMIS training is legally mandatory for all employees who are exposed or likely to be exposed to a hazardous material or controlled product at the workplace.
It is the obligation of the employer to ensure that their staff is properly educated and trained. M.E.T.I.’s online WHMIS course is one means of training and, in some instances, additional site-specific training is required.
Every company must evaluate their WHMIS program annually or more often if mandated by an alteration in work conditions or hazard information. It is imperative to evaluate your company program to make certain that your employees are still adequately trained and knowledgeable.
To determine if your employees are adequately trained, they should be able to accurately answer the following questions:
- Who needs WHMIS training?
- Where can I get hazard information?
- What are the hazards of the controlled product?
- What do I do in case of an emergency?
- How am I protected from those hazards?
If you find that your employees are not sufficiently trained, they should be retrained. It's recommended that the training be done annually.
General training covers such things as the regulations, labels, MSDSs, controlled products, symbols etc. METI’S WHMIS Online Course is a general course.
Site-specific training covers things like how to work safely within your workplace environment, where personal protective equipment and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS’s) are located.
Compliance activities relating to WHMIS supplier labeling and MSDS requirements are conducted by Health Canada and the provincial, territorial and federal agencies responsible for occupational health and safety (OHS).
The responsibility is on the employer to ensure that their staff is properly educated and trained for the job; you can never be too sure of previous training. It is a strong recommendation that new employees take a WHMIS or WHMIS Refresher course, which may include site-specific preparation. The employer is solely responsible to make certain that all workers are properly educated and trained for the workplace.
Entirely! Just simply enter your name down in the area for "Company Name".
If you are self-employed, that means you are the employer; you would sign your own certificate.
We offer WHMIS Online Training and Instructor Led Training.
Yes, it meets general WHMIS training requirements set out by Health Canada and HRSDC. The responsibility to ensure workers are trained, and the manner in which training is conducted, always rests with the employer, and, in most cases, additional site-specific training is required.
METI’S WHMIS courses are not intended or designed for trainers. In order to reap the full benefits of these courses, we highly recommend that each employee complete a WHMIS course their self; this ensures that each employee receives a WHMIS certificate.
Purchases can be done online at www.metiatlantic.com, by phone at 1-877-800-6384 or by fax to 902-567-1029. You may pre-purchase courses to be used at a later date. There are no expiry dates for pre-purchased courses.
Please visit our website (www.metiatlantic.com) for a full list of our courses.
No, we do not currently have this option. We do not presently have a bi-lingual person on staff to assist in the support needed.
The average trainee can complete this WHMIS online course in 1.5 to 2 hours. If you do not have a high speed internet connection, it will take longer to download the course.
Once you complete the course, a pdf document will be available for you to download and print. This document is also emailed to the Account Supervisor, for the company you may have registered under. This document will include your Performance Record and certificate. The certificate includes your name, your employer's name and the date you certified.
The WHMIS certificate will be available for printing once the course is completed. It will also be emailed to the Account Supervisor. However, if you are self-employed, the certificate is sent to your email address directly.
METI recommends that you complete a WHMIS refresher annually. The certificate will have a "Next Recommended Training Date" of one year past your certification date.
Yes, this course was designed to suit the needs of both first time trainees and refresher training.
Yes, you can log in and out of the course as many times as needed in order to complete your online training. When you log back into the course, you will be brought back to your last visited page. You have up to 1 year to complete your course.
No, you are able to log in and out as many times as necessary to complete the online course. Your work will be saved when you log out and will pick up from where you left off.
As a supervisor, you have access to a Course Administration site where you can observe and track each employee's progress. In addition to this, as an administrator, you can access quiz scores, view certificates and activate accounts. You can also re-register any employee who has to retake the course; possibly due to their certification being expired.
Yes. The course is available for dial-up users as well. NOTE: It may take more time to download.
METI Online is fast, easy and effective. Some of the benefits of online training include:
- No need to remove multiple employees from their work to train simultaneously.
- Employers can rest assured that each employee has received the same subject matter.
- Save on traveling costs.
- Available 24/7, on any computer with an internet connection.
- Complete tracking capabilities through Course Administration to ensure employees have certified and to monitor their progress.
You must have at least the following:
- Windows 98 OS or newer / MAC OS 7 or newer
- Internet Explorer 5, Firefox (PC or MAC)
- 500 MB RAM
- Pentium II 500 MHZ processor
- 1024 x 768 dpi screen resolution or higher
- 56k internet connection or higher (high-speed recommended)
- Macromedia Flash Player version 6.0 or higher
- Adobe Reader (For viewing and printing off certificates)