College of the Rockies has launched an on-line course and certification that covers the Health Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in BC. COTR has been offering the course face to face for mines and contractors in the Elk Valley for several years but wanted to open the course up to mines and their contractors across the province. The course assists the mines in ensuring that their staff supervisors and their contractors’ supervisors understand the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in BC.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines had historically offered the testing for this but when they stopped offering the certificate, College of the Rockies stepped in to fill the void.

“With the on-line version, we can now support mines and their contractors in achieving due diligence of the HSRC regulations across the province,” said College of the Rockies Fernie Campus Manager Leah Bradish. “In the past we have had calls from other mines in BC and from out-of town contractors to our local mines and they had to travel to Fernie or Sparwood for the training.”

“I am happy to say that is now a thing of the past as this new online offering enables companies to call, register their supervisors with us and then the enrollees can proceed through the course and the exam at their own pace.”

The course covers all parts of the Reclamation Code, enables participants to become comfortable finding information within the code quickly, allows for part-by-part review quizzes and ends with a final open book exam as well as a closed book exam. Upon successful completion of these exams, the person is issued an HSRC certificate. For those who want to achieve a Mine Supervisor Safety Certificate as well, they need to prove they have a valid OFA 1 and WHMIS.

“While the mines in the Elk Valley require all contractors to achieve this certificate, we are waiting to see how many other mines in the province will make it a requirement now that they have a cost-effective and efficient way of getting the training to their employees and contractors.”

The face-to-face version takes approximately 8 hours of class time.

“The on-line course should be quicker and more convenient for companies because staff can take the course when it suits them and at their own learning pace rather than companies having to free up staff for a whole day of classroom-based training.”

College of the Rockies has been delivering Safety and First Aid training to their area coal mines for more than 30 years and tapped into the talents of senior safety personnel  from the mines to develop this program.

“College of the Rockies is a leader in developing courses into online and distance formats that are easy to use,” said Gina Bennett, COTR’s e-specialist. She adds that COTR has been developing on-line courses for more than a decade. 

For additional information or a detailed course outline, contact College of the Rockies Fernie Campus toll-free at 1-866-423-4691 or visit www.cotr.bc.ca/ConEd.