2026 Fall Courses

Descriptions follow below. Please see below for course start date. All courses end Sunday, November 22, 2026 1. WHSC Level 1 Basic Occupational Health and Safety Awareness (no prerequisite) *starts evening of Wednesday, November 18, 2026 2. WHSC Level 2 Health and Safety Law (Provincial) (WHSC Level 1 required) *starts evening of Wednesday, November 18, 2026 3. Prevention Link - ODRT WSIB Level 1 &2 (no prerequisite) *starts evening of Wednesday, November 18, 2026 4. Prevention Link - ODRT WSIB Level 4 - Return to Work (WSIB Level 1&2 required) *starts evening of Wednesday, November 18, 2026 5. Prevention Link - ODRT WSIB Level 6 - Occupational Diseases (WSIB Level 1&2 required) *starts evening of Tuesday, November 17, 2026 6. MHCC Mental Health First Aid Certification, and Anti-Racist Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (no prerequisite) *starts evening of Tuesday, November 17, 2025

1. WHSC Level 1 Basic Occupational Health and Safety Awareness

Level I embraces an entire gamut of health and safety issues by focussing on hazard recognition and the rights and responsibilities of the workplace parties, as prescribed by existing legislation. This 30-hour core program consists of seven modules that identify the respective roles of the workplace parties - management, government and labour regarding health and safety; explains current health and safety legislation, provincial or federal; discusses how the body functions and the damaging effect hazards have on it; features carcinogens, and how to recognize them and toxic substances, as well as their sources.

2. WHSC Level 2 Health and Safety Law (Provincial)

This program has been updated to include major amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which include: requirements for more than 30,000 Joint Health and Safety Committees to be established in workplaces previously exempt under the Act; the creation of "certified members" and the right to stop work under certain conditions; and the creation of the bipartite Workplace Health and Safety Agency. Participants are offered a complete program discussing the health and safety legislation governing their workplace. The Act covers the majority of workers in virtually every type of industry in the province.

3. Prevention Link - ODRT WSIB Level 1 & 2

WSIB Rights & Obligations (Level 1) The first of six core certification courses offered within Prevention Link’s disability prevention curriculum, this introductory course begins by exploring history of the worker’s compensation system in Ontario and the development of legislation and the general principles of the system. WSIB Benefits & Representation (Level 2) in this course, participants learn: the significance of legislation (OHSA and WSIA), regulations and policy, including changes to the legislation and the effects these changes have had on benefits. Participants further learn about funding, including: which employers are covered; optional insurance; how the system is funded; how incentive programs work; and experience rating work and when claim costs can be transferred. Participants will also learn how to make a case plan for a successful outcome and different types of evidence to use. Visit Prevention Link’s website for more information at www.preventionlink.ca

4. Prevention Link - ODRT WSIB Level 4 Return to Work

The fourth of six certification courses offered within Prevention Link’s core curriculum, is designed for participants who will or currently assist injured workers, individually or collectively, through a therapeutic return to work (RTW) and provides workplace parties with the tools necessary to develop strategies that ensure successful outcomes. Through the exploration of leading research, law, and evidence-based best practices, participants learn: The principles of good return to work practices and the Duty to Accommodate;Legal lessons from precedent-setting cases and their practical use;Barriers to successful return to work and their elimination using the social model of disability and therapeutic return to work principles;An in-depth comparison between older methods of disability management and the newer progressive disability prevention model;The paradigm shift from management to prevention; andThe roles of the parties involved (employer, an injured worker, representative, H&S representatives) including their rights and responsibilities in the process.Return to work and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are presented with respect to the Act and Board policies. The hierarchy of RTW job opportunities, the definitions used, the roles of the parties, dispute resolutions and penalties are covered. The Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and return to work are discussed with a comparison of WSIB and OHRC obligations.

5. Prevention Link - ODRT WSIB Level 6 Occupational Disease *starts the evening of Tuesday, November 17, 2026

Graduates of the sixth and final core certification course offered within Prevention Link’s core curriculum, will gain unique skills enabling them to recognize and advocate for workers with occupational disease and their survivors. This advanced course begins by exploring the impact of occupational disease on society and workplaces, the lessons that have been learned and current developments in occupational disease claims. Participants will learn:The legal test and medical standards for causation;How the legal principles apply in an appeal; andThe significance of apportionment.The field of epidemiology is examined, include the different types of studies, how data is analyzed and what to look for when assessing a study.The role of scientific evidence, exposure studies, expert opinions and witness testimony are explored, including how the information is gathered and what weight is put on them.The adjudication process is explained with emphasis on gathering, deciphering and presenting evidence to decision makers in the most favourable light.To further understand this complex subject, a number of occupational diseases are studied with respect to their risk factors, diagnostic testing and how to recognize causal links using the WSIA, policies and WSIAT decisions.

6. Mental Health First Aid Certification (MHCC), and Anti-Racist Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (no prerequisite) *starts the evening of Tuesday, November 17, 2026

This program consists of 2 parts: part one is the full 2-day, intensive Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Certification, which allows for robust, scenario-based training on the identification and support of declining mental health and crises, and provides a deeper understanding of mental health disorders and influences. The in-depth certification course, upon completion and assessment, provides participants: increased mental health awareness; enhanced mental health; improved confidence to help; decreased mental health stigma. Participants will discuss substance use disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders. Crisis first aid skills for the following situations will be learned: substance overdose, suicidal behaviour, panic attacks, acute stress reactions, psychotic episodes. Part two of the program is a 1.5-day workshop on an anti-racism framework for psychological health and safety in the workplace. For more information on the MHFA Certification, visit: https://openingminds.org/training/mhfa/certification/