Does a WHMIS Certificate Expire?

WHMIS does expire in the sense that you don't take WHMIS training one time and then forget about it. Employers are responsible for making sure their employees are knowledgeable on WHMIS - and as part of their annual WHMIS review the employer must review their WHMIS program for changes to their controlled products in the workplace, and where retraining is required to ensure workers are knowledgeable that training must be provided.

When people ask the question, Does a WHMIS Certificate Expire, it is usually because:

  • Someone has asked if they are knowledgeable on WHMIS, or
  • They are a contract worker or starting a new job and they are not sure if WHMIS they took a while ago has expired.

The ultimate dilemma is determining whether the person/employee is knowledgeable about WHMIS. And since most people reading this are not WHMIS experts, what do you do?

The ability to pass a WHMIS test is a commonly used technique to gauge how well someone understands what WHMIS is all about, how to read a WHMIS label and the meaning of the classifications of WHMIS.

The need for employers to complete this annual WHMIS review has greatly increased the emphasis on monitoring the use of controlled products in the workplace and that has been helpful in raising the awareness of safety and safe working procedures. And a safer workplace with less incidents is good for your workers, good for your reputation and good for your bottom line.

The good news for people who do need WHMIS training or a WHMIS certificate as proof of completion of the training and testing is that it is much easier to get the training and also more affordable. SafeAndCertified.com offers a Canadian WHMIS course which you can register for online. Your login information is emailed to you instantly and within minutes you can be viewing the WHMIS training materials. When you are ready you can take the online tests. Once you have passed the tests your certificate is emailed to you as a PDF.