Ontario safety training

Which Ontario safety tickets actually expire

Most safety training in Ontario is sold as a card that runs out after three years. For most of these requirements, Ontario law sets no expiry at all. Only 2 of the 11 requirements below carry an expiry date in law, and only 3 require a government-approved provider. Every answer here is cited to the section it comes from.

All 11 requirements, side by side

RequirementRequired by lawApproved providerExpires
Working at HeightsYes, on construction projectsYes, both the program and the providerThree years
JHSC CertificationYes, for at least two committee membersYesThree years
WHMISYes, if hazardous products are presentNoNone in Ontario law
Confined Space EntryYesNoNone in Ontario law
Asbestos AbatementYes, in tiersYes, for Type 3 work onlyNone stated in the regulation
Lift Truck OperationCompetence is required; a course is not prescribedNoNone in Ontario law
Traffic Control PersonCompetence plus written and oral instructionsNoNone in Ontario law
Elevating Work PlatformYes, before first useNoNone in Ontario law
Worker Health and Safety AwarenessYes, for every workerNoNone in Ontario law
Supervisor Health and Safety AwarenessYes, within one weekNoNone in Ontario law
Lockout and TagoutThe procedure is required; a course is not prescribedNoNothing to expire

Last verified August 23, 2026 against the regulations listed at the bottom of this page.

The two that genuinely expire

These are the only requirements in the list where Ontario law itself sets a validity period, and they are also the ones where the province approves both the program and the provider and publishes a searchable list of who is approved.

Where the province publishes the approved provider list

For everything else in this cluster there is no approved provider list, because Ontario does not approve providers for it. Where a list does exist, it is the authoritative answer to where the training can be taken.

Why so many of these do not expire

Ontario mostly does not regulate safety training by putting a date on a card. It regulates it by requiring an outcome and then requiring the employer to keep checking that the outcome still holds. For hazardous materials that duty is set out in section 42 (3) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act: the employer must review the training given to a worker, and the worker's familiarity with it, in consultation with the joint health and safety committee, at least annually, and more often if circumstances change.

That is a heavier obligation than buying a replacement card every three years, and it is the part that gets missed. A current certificate is evidence that a course happened. It is not, by itself, evidence that the review duty has been met.

Where these rules live

Related

This is an independent summary of public information, not legal advice, and requirements change. Confirm the current requirement with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development before acting on it.