Training – Online, On-site & In-House

Workplace safety is essential. While statistics are rapidly declining with the advent of more rigorous safety standards and more accountability in industry, the risks have not gone away. Consider that across all workplace environments in Canada, there were an average of nearly 1,000 on-the job deaths per year between 2000 and 2012, and construction and manufacturing were two of the hardest hit industries.

And though the number of annual injuries has fallen from 5% of all workers in Canada to approximately 1.5% over the last 30 years, thousands of people are still missing work due to preventable on-the-job injuries.

Safety begins with quality training. At Irwin’s, we have built our training program from the ground up, finding professionals with years of field experience to generate our programs. Then we ensure that all of the material meets OH&S Legislation, CSA standards and accepted industry practice before educators re-engineer the content to best interact with adult learning principles. We offer three main training options: in-house instructor-led training, commercial on-site instructor-led training, and online training programs. As on-site training is a more commercial enterprise, we will focus on the other two options here.

Some courses need to be taken in-house for logistical reasons (Rope Rescue, for example) while others are offered in-house because performance tests need to be administered by a qualified professional. There are also many courses available online such as WHMIS and workplace hazards awareness courses. For example, in Alcohol Awareness you will learn about not only the hazards of showing up drunk on the day you have work, but also the hazards that can present themselves simply by drinking too much the night before and not getting a proper sleep, or even if you remain sober what might happen should be forced to rest your life in the hands of someone who was indisposed. The benefits of these online courses include accessibility, comfort and flexibility. You can learn at your convenience or at the convenience of your employer.

While the downside of our instructor-led training is that you will need to access one of our four training facilities (currently located in Kelowna, Calgary, High Level, and Peace River), the benefits of being able to do physical training with an industry professional will make you more qualified to return to the jobsite. We offer regularly scheduled courses at all three training centres. Familiarizing you with equipment that may be used on the jobsite and “hands-on” techniques, these courses require practical training that can only be accomplished in the classroom. They can teach you vital safety procedures including First Aid, Fire Extinguisher handling and Rope Rescue, among others. For example, in Rope Rescue, you will learn techniques to protect yourself in the event that you need to perform a rescue, proper knots, rigging techniques, and the general technique for a safe high angle rope rescue.

Want to learn more? Book your training course today!

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