New Certificates May Be Required

A WHMIS certificate is one of the main ways that people use to show proof that they have completed a training and testing on WHMIS.  While a WHMIS certificate does not have a prescribed format like TDG certificate, they generally include a reference to when and how the training was provided (if it was in person or an online WHMIS course). Details like the test date, test score and who to contact with questions about the testing program or legitimacy of the training certificate are usually included on the certificate.

Q. What if I just completed a WHMIS training course in January and have a certificate that is dated January 15, 2016. Do I need a new WHMIS certificate?

A. The training that was available in January 2015, would have been based on the old WHMIS regulations.  If you ONLY have products labelled with the old circular hazard symbols and came with Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), your certificate may still be acceptable during the transition period.  However, when you have products that are labelled with the new system and see the diamond shaped pictograms and come with a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), you will mostly likely need a new WHMIS certificate based on the WHMIS 2015 regulations.