Every three and a half minutes a worker is injured in Alberta. Every three days an Albertan dies from work-related injury or disease. Every workplace incident is preventable! And that is why society is no longer willing to accept occupational health and safety-related injuries and deaths as a normal consequence of doing business. Recently, the Alberta Government revised the laws relating to workplace health and safety, leading to increased awareness and consequences of working in an unsafe manner. As a result, we have seen a dramatic increase for the demand of occupational health and safety professionals.

The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Certificate Program at the University of Alberta provides practitioners from many different backgrounds the knowledge they need to develop, implement and evaluate occupational health and safety management systems in a wide variety of occupational settings. The program is practice-oriented, research-based and multidisciplinary. It is based on the integration of engineering, physical, chemical, biological, social and psychological knowledge of occupational health and safety science. Students are required to complete 329 credit hours consisting of core, core elective and elective enrichment courses and seminars.

Courses are offered in a variety of different formats to accommodate practicing occupational health and safety professionals and others already in the workplace. The OH&S Certificate Program is offered in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Fort McMurray, and Grande Prairie through affiliations with Red Deer College, Keyano College, and Grande Prairie Regional College. Students who live in Saskatchewan can participate through affiliations with the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina.

The program is granted points under the Certificate Maintenance Program of the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). The Faculty of Extension has also entered into a formal partnership with the Alberta Government's Partnerships in Health and Safety Program. The Partnerships Program is a voluntary process where government works in partnership with employers, workers, unions, safety associations and learning institutions to promote a stronger workplace health and safety culture in Alberta.

The U of A is the first university to be recognized for its contribution and leadership in helping make Alberta a healthier and safer place to work. As the program celebrates its 37th year and 1,500 graduates from inception to 2006, it continues to be the premiere Alberta program for students pursuing a health and safety career.

Register today to REVIEW, REFRESH, AND REVITALIZE … become an agent in creating a culture of safety. For further information, please contact: