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GuideMandatory training for Ontario employers: who, when and how often
Ontario requires some training of every employer and adds more by hazard and industry. Here is each one, who takes it, how often, the records to keep, and where to find the free official courses.
- Every worker and supervisor: basic health and safety awareness training. Supervisors complete theirs within one week of starting to supervise.
- Every employee and volunteer: accessibility training on accessible customer service and the Human Rights Code.
- Workers who work with or near hazardous products: WHMIS training, reviewed at least once a year.
- Every shift: a certified first aider. Construction workers who may use fall protection: approved working at heights training, every 3 years.
- Every worker also gets information and instruction on your workplace violence and harassment policies and programs.
At a glance
The free official courses cover the awareness and accessibility training. First aid and working at heights come from approved providers.
| Training | Who takes it | How often | Free official course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and safety awareness training | Every worker and supervisor | Once. Supervisors within a week of starting to supervise | Worker and supervisor e-courses |
| WHMIS training | Workers who work with or near hazardous products | Reviewed at least once a year | — |
| Accessibility training | Every employee and volunteer, and anyone who sets your policies | Again when your policies change | AccessForward |
| First aid certification | A certified first aider on every shift | When the certificate runs out | — (WSIB-approved providers) |
| Working at heights training | Construction workers who may use fall protection | Every 3 years | — (approved providers) |
Health and safety awareness training
Who needs it: Every worker and supervisor, as soon as practicable after they start.
Also
- Keep a record of who completed the worker and supervisor training.
Workers complete it as soon as practicable; supervisors within one week of starting work as a supervisor (O. Reg. 297/13, ss. 1–2). The employer keeps a record of everyone who completed it (s. 4).
O. Reg. 297/13, ss. 1–2 · Official source
WHMIS training
Who needs it: Any workplace where workers use, handle or are exposed to hazardous products (chemicals, cleaners, fuels and similar).
Also
- Train workers who work with or near hazardous products, label them, and keep current safety data sheets available.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act sets no expiry date on a WHMIS certificate. What it requires is that the training, and how well workers know it, is reviewed at least once a year with your joint committee or health and safety representative (s. 42(3)).
OHSA, ss. 37–42; R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 860 · Official source
Accessibility training
Who needs it: Every employee and volunteer, and anyone who helps set your policies.
Also
- Train on the accessibility standards and the Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities; keep training records at 50 or more employees.
Train people as soon as practicable after they start, and again when your accessibility policies change. Organizations with 50 or more employees keep a record of the training: when it was given and to how many people.
O. Reg. 191/11, s. 7 · Official source
First aid certification
Who needs it: Every employer covered by the WSIB: a first aid box, a certified first aider on every shift (Basic up to 5 workers on a shift, Intermediate above that), the Form 82 poster and a record of first aid given. From 200 on one shift, a first aid room.
Also
- Keep a first aid box with the contents Regulation 1101 lists for the most people you have on one shift, and check it at least every three months, signing its inspection card.
- Post the WSIB’s “In Case of Injury at Work” poster (Form 82), with your first aiders’ certificates at the first aid station.
- Have a certified first aider on every shift, working near the kit. Certificates come from a WSIB-approved provider and last 3 years; you pay for the training and the time.
- Record each first aid treatment: what happened, when, any witnesses, the injury and the treatment given.
The certificate levels were renamed Basic (formerly Emergency) and Intermediate (formerly Standard) on June 22, 2026. Which you need depends on how many workers are on the shift.
R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1101, ss. 1–3, 5, 6 and 8–11 · Official source
Working at heights training
Who needs it: Construction projects: workers who may use fall protection need approved training, renewed every 3 years.
Also
- Use a training provider approved by the Chief Prevention Officer and keep the certificates on file.
O. Reg. 297/13, ss. 26–26.10 · Official source
Workplace violence and harassment: information and instruction
Every employer must give workers information and instruction that’s appropriate for them on the contents of the workplace violence policy and program (OHSA s. 32.0.5(2)) and the workplace harassment policy and program (s. 32.0.8). There’s no set course or certificate; a short session or course plus a signed acknowledgement of the policy is common evidence. Prodigy Suite has a built-in workplace violence and harassment course, with a certificate.
Keeping the records
Inspectors ask who was trained and when. Keep, for each person: the course, the date, and proof (a certificate or a record from your system). For awareness training the regulation requires the record. A training matrix shows at a glance who is missing a course their job needs, and which certificates expire soon.
Common questions
What training is mandatory for employees in Ontario?
Every worker and supervisor needs basic health and safety awareness training, and every employee and volunteer needs accessibility training. Workers exposed to hazardous products need WHMIS training. Every shift needs a certified first aider, and construction workers who may use fall protection need approved working at heights training, renewed every 3 years.
How often is WHMIS training required in Ontario?
The law doesn’t set an expiry date for a WHMIS certificate. The employer must review WHMIS training, and how well workers know it, at least once a year with the joint health and safety committee or representative (OHSA s. 42(3)). Many employers retrain every year to meet that.
When must supervisors complete health and safety awareness training?
Within one week of starting work as a supervisor (O. Reg. 297/13, s. 2). Workers complete theirs as soon as practicable.
Is accessibility training required for small businesses in Ontario?
Yes. Every employee and volunteer, at any size, needs training on accessible customer service and the Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities. Only organizations with 50 or more employees must keep records of it.
Sources
- e-Laws: O. Reg. 297/13, Occupational health and safety awareness and training
- Ontario: Guide to the awareness training requirements
- Ontario: WHMIS
- CCOHS: WHMIS education and training
- Ontario: How to train your staff on accessibility
- e-Laws: O. Reg. 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards
- WSIB: First aid requirements
- Ontario: Guide to the OHSA, Part III.0.1 (workplace violence and harassment)
This page summarizes Ontario’s rules as of October 13, 2026 for general information. It isn’t legal advice, and Prodigy Suite isn’t a law firm. Each rule links to the official source; for a specific situation, speak to an Ontario employment lawyer.
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