Many different types of industries in Canada have hazardous products of some type in their workplaces. Since these products can easily result in injury and illness, it’s essential for employees who with or around them to have the training to ensure safety for themselves and others, as well as compliance with the law. WHMIS training can provide workers with the information they need to stay safe. Does free online WHMIS training meet these needs? Read on.

What Does WHMIS Training Include?

WHMIS training includes the necessary information and best practices when it comes to dealing with hazardous products of various types. In addition, the training encompasses the safety requirements, and what to do if someone is exposed to hazardous materials. You will learn more about safety data sheets, identifying the type of material involved, and the symbols that denote different types of hazards.

Some of the types of employees who might benefit from this type of training include workers in factories and offices, as well as in manufacturing and automotive fields. Healthcare and lab workers, and food service industry workers are likely to come into contact with hazardous materials, as well. Ensuring that every worker who may come in contact with hazardous products receive WHMIS training is essential and a requirement of the law.

Is Free Online WHMIS Training a Good Idea?

Everyone loves the idea of saving money, and it’s natural that you might want to spend some time looking for free online WHMIS training. However, is free training really worth it? As mentioned, you will find that free training may not be the ideal solution, and you will be much better off when you choose a paid training provider. Let’s look at some of the reasons why a paid training provider is better.

First, you might not be getting the best training, and in some cases, the courses may have incomplete information. This means that they could be missing some very important, key information that you are going to need. Not only will this make it harder to pass the test for certification, but it could also put you and others in danger. You never want to deal with a provider that skips certain material.

Of course, you also want to make sure your employer will accept the certificate. There is no requirement that an employer needs to accept WHMIS certification from just any provider out there. If the employer sees that you have your certification from a low-quality free provider, there is a good chance that they will simply not accept it and require that you go to a more reputable provider. After all, they want to have the best employees who they can be sure are properly trained.

Employers who are putting their current workers through WHMIS training will also want to make sure that they have a quality provider for their employees that allows for easy management. You want to have an interface that will allow you to keep track of the training for yourself, or for your workers if you are an employer. The free options out there tend not to have this ability, or if they do, it is lackluster.

The employers will also need to keep proper records of their employees to show that they are certified. You will find that many of the free online WHMIS training options are not going to have any sort of record keeping feature. However, the paid training providers will make it far easier for employers to not only track employee training, but also to prove compliance.

As you can see, the free training options may not be an ideal fit for anyone who wants to have WHMIS certification. There are far too many drawbacks and not really any positives other than the fact that it is free.

What Do You Need in a WHMIS Provider?

Just because you are going to choose a paid provider for WHMIS training, it does not mean you need to spend a fortune. You can find great programs that will provide the knowledge needed to do the job and to pass the test, that are still very cost effective.

The provider you choose should provide you with WHMIS a course that is complete, but that is still easy to complete in a relatively short period. This is important whether you are getting the certificate on your own before looking for employment, or if you are an employer who wants their employees to complete the training in a reasonable amount of time, so they can get back to work.

It is also a good idea to make sure the company complies with WHMIS 1988 and WHMIS 2015, and that they allow for the ability to retake the quizzes during their training as often as needed.

A reputable, paid online provider will provide you with far more than you will ever get from free online WHMIS training.