How much is a WHMIS certificate, and how long does it last?

What is WHMIS?

WHMIS stands for the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. It gives you health and safety information about the hazardous products you use, handle or store at work. Its main parts are product classification, labels, safety data sheets (SDSs), and worker education and training. WHMIS learning has two parts. Education is general: how WHMIS works, and what labels and SDSs tell you. Training is specific to your site and job: how your workplace stores, uses and disposes of each product, and what to do in a spill or an emergency. Labels show the type of hazard with pictograms: symbols that mostly sit in a red border shaped like a diamond.

Sources314

WHMIS pictograms and what they warn about

• Flame: flammable gases, aerosols, flammable liquids and flammable solids, among other classes[4]
• Flame over circle: oxidizing gases, oxidizing liquids and oxidizing solids[4]
• Gas cylinder: gases under pressure and chemicals under pressure[4]
• Corrosion: corrosive to metals, skin corrosion and serious eye damage[4]
• Exploding bomb: self-reactive substances and organic peroxides of Types A and B[4]
• Skull and crossbones: acute toxicity (oral, dermal or inhalation), categories 1 to 3[4]
• Health hazard: carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, germ cell mutagenicity, respiratory sensitizers and other health classes[4]
• Exclamation mark: acute toxicity (category 4), skin irritation, eye irritation and skin sensitizers, among other classes[4]
• Biohazardous infectious materials: the class of the same name (category 1)[4]

What a WHMIS course costs

The table lists 16 providers, with prices as each one listed them on October 30, 2026, before any tax the seller adds. Self-paced online courses cost $0 to $29.95 for one person, and the paid ones start at $14.95. Instructor-led courses, in person or by webinar, cost $90 to $225 for one person.

Sources591516181912

How long does WHMIS training take?

Most self-paced online WHMIS courses take 1 to 1.5 hours. Canada Safety Training lists 60 minutes, Workhub lists about 1 hour 11 minutes, and St. John Ambulance lists 90 minutes. Instructor-led courses take longer. IHSA in Ontario runs a half-day class, and Safety Services Manitoba lists 3 to 4 hours. The Saskatchewan Safety Council's competent worker level takes 4 hours. Many online courses end with an exam or quiz. The CIFS exam has 35 multiple-choice questions, a 60-minute limit and a 70% pass mark. Gama Safety asks for 80% and gives free retakes. Access can end: CIFS gives you 30 days, and a single CCOHS seat lasts 90 days.

Sources2971617181956101315

Does a WHMIS certificate expire?

No fixed date in most of Canada. CCOHS says most Canadian jurisdictions do not set how often you must retrain. You generally need a refresher when work conditions change, when new products arrive, or when new hazard or safe-use information comes out. Worksite Safety states that its certificate has no expiration date. It adds that employers must keep workers up to date. CCOHS says your employer should also review its WHMIS program at least once a year. The list below shows three places where the law sets that yearly review. In Ontario, a review does not always mean that you retrain.

Sources311020

Three places where the law sets a yearly review

• New Brunswick: the employer must review the WHMIS program at least once a year (Regulation 2016-6, section 7(4))[21]
• Ontario: the employer must review WHMIS training and instruction at least once a year (subsection 42(3), OHSA)[20]
• Federal workplaces under the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations: the employer must review the education and training program at least once a year (section 10.14)[22]

Who needs WHMIS training?

You need WHMIS education and training if you use, store, handle or dispose of a hazardous product at work. You also need it if your work can expose you to one, including during maintenance or an emergency. Supervisors of those workers and emergency responders need it too. Every province, every territory and the federal government require employers to run a WHMIS education and training program.

Sources1

WHMIS law and regulator in every province and territory

Each province and territory sets its own WHMIS education and training rules, based on a common model. Small differences between them can exist. Federal workplaces follow the Canada Labour Code.

Sources135

Online or in person?

Self-paced online courses cover the general education part of WHMIS. They cost less and take less time than instructor-led courses, as the price table and the length section show. Some providers also teach at your site; the price table lists their group offers. Choose an online course unless your employer asks for an instructor-led one. In every format, your employer must still train you on the products and procedures at your site. In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC does not offer WHMIS training. There, employers can train workers themselves if the training meets sections 5.6 and 5.7 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

Sources51817162136

WHMIS 1988, WHMIS 2015 and the 2022 changes

WHMIS first became law in 1988, and that first system is called WHMIS 1988. WHMIS 2015 brought new hazard classes, new labelling rules and a revised safety data sheet format. It follows the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The rules changed again in December 2022, with a new hazard class for chemicals under pressure. CCOHS says workplaces need to update their training so that workers learn these changes. The current system is called WHMIS, and WHMIS 2015 names the rules in force before December 2022. In Québec, WHMIS is called SIMDUT.

Sources33626

Other tickets you may need with WHMIS

• Ontario: workers need basic health and safety awareness training under Ontario Regulation 297/13; the province's four-step module takes 45 to 60 minutes[37]
• Energy industry: for construction craft workers, Careers in Energy lists first aid, CSTS, Pipeline Construction Safety Training (PCST), H2S Alive, confined space entry and fall protection with WHMIS[38]

Ask each employer which tickets the job needs. The related guides at the end of this page cover working at heights and CWB welding tickets.

Sources38

Does WHMIS help you get hired?

It can help. Careers in Energy lists WHMIS among the certifications for construction craft workers in the energy industry. Worksite Safety states that its certificate is accepted across Canada, and it tells you to check with your employer before you start. St. John Ambulance states that its certificate shows general education only, not competency in a particular workplace. If you are looking for work, a free course gives you a certificate to show. Each employer decides whether to accept training you already have.

Sources381016561

Is a paid WHMIS course worth it?

Usually not, when you pay for it yourself. WSPS and Aix Safety offer free online courses that end with a certificate. Paid courses add things such as a mailed wallet card, group prices for employers, or an instructor. The law puts WHMIS education and training on your employer. Before you pay, and before your first day:

1. 1

   Ask your employer or the hiring contractor which WHMIS course it accepts. Your employer chooses the provider and stays responsible for your training.

2. 2

   If it accepts any course, take a free one.

3. 3

   Check that the course page says it covers the December 2022 changes. CCOHS, IHSA and Canada Safety Training state that theirs do. If a page does not say, ask the provider or your employer.

4. 4

   Check the refund rule before you pay. WorkplaceSafety.com, for example, refunds for up to 15 days after purchase, or until you finish the course.

5. 5

   Do not trust a seller who says you must buy its course. Some jurisdictions have warned employers about companies that use high-pressure sales tactics.

6. 6

   On your first day, ask for the site training on the products you will use. A certificate does not replace it.

7. 7

   Watch for changes at work. New products or new hazard information can mean you need a refresher.

Sources5610151712912

Questions and answers

Related pages

• Working at Heights: cost, 3-year renewal and fall protection rules
• CWB certification: test cost, positions and 2-year renewal
• Trades jobs
• How Werko checks facts