Ontario Construction Industry Mandatory Health & Safety Training

TO ALL GLAZIER MEMBERS OF LOCAL 114, LOCAL 200, LOCAL 1795, LOCAL 1819, LOCAL 1824, LOCAL 1494/1590, LOCAL 1671, LOCAL 1904

As you are all aware or should be aware by now, Health and Safety Training has been MANDATORY in the Ontario Construction Industry in the Province for many years. This training includes but is not limited to WHMIS, PEWP, Suspended Access Equipment, Fall Protection (soon to be called Working at Heights), Ladders and Scaffolds to name just a few in a long list of training courses in the Construction Industry. Each year this list grows as the Province attempts to protect the lives of all workers in the Construction Industry.

The Construction Industry Regulations governing Health and Safety Training mandates an annual review of WHMIS Training for all Construction Workers. The ICI SECTOR COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT has adopted that same mandate of an annual review of our members WHMIS Training. The ICI COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT has gone further with Health & Safety Training and has adopted a higher expiry level of training for our members. The ICI COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT mandates a maximum of a THREE YEAR RENEWAL DATE on ALL other Health & Safety Training for our members.

It is the firm position of all of the Locals that OUR MEMBERS must have CURRENT and CERTIFIABLE Health & Safety Training to work for or to be referred to work for any of our signatory Employers and for those Employers to accept you as Employees with their firms. It is also the position of all of the Locals that this Health & Safety Training MUST BE OBTAINED OR SANCTIONED from OIFSC (the School) under the terms of Article 15 of the ICI Glass Collective Agreement.

In the recent edition of United We Stand, this issue of Health and Safety Training was discussed, but some still don’t understand the IMPORTANCE of the training requirement. To put it simply for all MEMBERS; NO current Health and Safety Training, NO work is available with our Contractors.

To check on the renewal dates of your required Health & Safety Training, please contact the OIFSC office at 416 635-7300 or 1 800 943-6210.

Joe O’Shea
Local 114

Robert Desjardins
Glaziers, Local 200

George McMenemy
Glaziers, Local 1795

Dermot Lynch
Glaziers, Local 1819

Ken Reid
Local 1824

Kevin Elliott
Local 1494/1590

Sandro Fragale
Local 1671

James Micks
Local 1904