UNB's online Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety is designed to help practitioners from different backgrounds develop the broad base of competencies needed to be effective in the development, implementation, and evaluation of occupational health and safety programs and systems. As well, many people looking for a career change take the COHS program to gain entry into the field.
This certificate is also designed to prepare students to write the CRST® or CRSP® exam to become a Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST®) or a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP®) as granted by the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). NOTE: This program meets the CRST® educational requirement for program hours, however, successful completion of the COHS and DOHS programs are required to meet the educational hours to write the CRSP®.
The COHS program is available completely online, with a self-paced learning format and online instructional guidance. All courses were developed, and are guided by, certified and experienced health and safety professionals. Because the program is self-directed, students work at their own pace. A grade of 70% is required to successfully pass each course. All courses are open access, meaning you can register and begin any time of the year.
There are no prerequisites for the COHS program.
Students are given 10 weeks to complete each 46-hour course.
Each course has module quizzes; there are a different amount of quizzes depending on the course. There is also one assignment for each course. It is completed in a Word document and then uploaded to the course website.
Health and Safety Program Basics
This course provides an introduction to health and safety program development. It includes a presentation and overview of the main elements required and the factors influencing the success of health and safety.
Fundamentals of Occupational Hygiene
Occupational Hygiene is the art and science of the recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace hazards that may result in illness, disease, or injury.
Legislative Compliance and Corporate Responsibility
The work of health and safety practitioners is guided partly by jurisdictional legislative frameworks. This course will guide you through the key elements of Canadian Federal, Provincial and Territorial legislation, regulations, and policy related to workplace safety.
Management of Health and Safety Systems
Sound health and safety systems management requires an understanding of management principles used in health and safety programs and how those principles relate to the program's effectiveness and efficiency.
Management, Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Health and safety professionals often work within complex workplace structures providing specialized technical support to their employers. Successful health and safety leaders understand corporate organization and function and are able to incorporate that understanding into the recommendations they provide to corporate leadership for approval.
Risk Management and Risk Communication
Risk management and risk communication are fundamental skills critical to the success of every health and safety practitioner.
Accident Causation Theory and Incident Investigation
Accident causation theory provides a systematic approach to the analysis of workplace accidents, to identify all potential root causes, and to establish the links between workplace accidents and norms in workplace practice.
Fundamentals of Environmental Management
Environmental management is critical to workers, organizations, and the environment itself, and is commonly a dimension of the health and safety practitioner's role.
Fire Prevention and Protection
Fires are a major cause of property damage and loss of life. In this course, learners will develop an understanding of the chemistry of fire, the causes of fire, and current methods of fire prevention and protection.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of workers' interaction with their workplace. Good ergonomic management will result in a reduction of injuries and increases in productivity in workplaces. Health and safety professionals must have the ability to recognize potential ergonomic hazards and systematically reduce them.
Auditing OHS Management Systems
This course is designed to provide students with an intensive overview of the theory and practice of performing occupational health and safety audits. The course provides a real emphasis on the importance of auditing to the continuous improvement process of occupational health and safety programs.
You can purchase courses one-by-one at a cost of $625 per course or pay for the entire program upfront for $6,875. There are no additional fees or textbooks required.
Upon completion, certificate holders will meet the formal education requirements for certification as a Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST®) by the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). Occupational Health, Safety, and Environmental work experience and professional development requirements must also be met in order to be eligible for certification.
Learn more about the CRST® exam.
The COHS program is open-entry, which means you can register and start the program at any time.
If you have (or are) a sponsor, there is a different registration process.
Our OHS programs are not recognized by student loans as they are not considered part-time or full-time studies due to the online delivery method. However, our students have been able to obtain funding through alternative routes, including:
In order to send a formal invoice to your sponsor, please have your sponsor email a copy of your PO to our office. The PO must have the following information:
If you have a sponsor, please register using the following steps:
Once you click the "register now" button, you will be taken to a new page and prompted to login to the Student Portal. Once logged in, please select the "Certificate Program" option then click proceed. Enter your personal information and method of payment. Please select "Prepaid" then click submit. Our Client Services team will then follow up with you regarding the next steps.
NOTE: Your sponsor will be required to submit an Educational Sponsorship & Invoicing Agreement form.
UNB's Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) is designed for supervisors, managers, and OHS leaders. It includes advanced programming in Occupational Health and Safety as well as courses in leadership, business, management, and special topics specifically developed for CRSP and OHS Certificate holders. The intent of the program is to develop leaders in the area of occupational health and safety by focusing on broadening business management skills and deepening technical health and safety skills.
The Diploma is an advanced program designed to develop leaders in the area of health and safety, with a mixture of business management skills and specialized technical health and safety skills. A differentiating theme throughout all courses is a focus on “system thinking” rather than "incident thinking".
To be accepted into the DOHS program, the student must have a valid CRSP designation or have completed a UNB-approved OHS Certificate program.
The Diploma consists of four mandatory core courses and six additional elective courses, selected from a list of nine. All courses are open access, meaning you can register and begin at any time of the year.
Each course consists of a cumulative exam that covers all the content of the course, as well as one assignment and one reflection paper. The exam is multiple choice; the assignment and reflection paper are completed in a Word document and uploaded to the course website.
Each student is given 13 weeks to complete each course, which requires approximately 52 hours of student engagement. Because the program is self-directed, students have the option of studying at a full- or part-time level.
Effective Communication (mandatory)
OHS professionals must be able to listen actively, think critically, speak persuasively, and deliver messages effectively. This requires a solid understanding of the different stakeholders and an ability to address their different needs and concerns.
Human Performance Leadership (mandatory)
This course is aimed at OHS professionals who are transitioning into a management position with a higher level of responsibilities and who wish to sharpen their leadership skills.
Effective Workplace Training (mandatory)
This course takes the student through all stages of the training and education process; from the planning phase, via how to design training components, to preparing instructional plans and conveying the necessary content by means of instruction.
Psychological Health and Safety (mandatory)
This course is focused on providing the background in theory and information needed to be able to properly address this quickly evolving area of health and safety. It will examine theories relating to workplace stress and its interrelationship with mental health.
Managing Substance Abuse in the Workplace (elective)
This course identifies the multiple factors and realities of substance abuse in the workplace, and the role of the OHS supervisor or manager in addressing this issue. It also provides a process for implementing a culture change in the organization.
Disability Management (elective)
This course lays out the best practices in the field of disability management (DM) and their application to the case and claim management process.
Safety in Complex Work Environments (elective)
Confined spaces and other complex environments can present unusual risks for workers, such as hazardous atmospheres. Emergency response from these environments similarly needs to be carefully thought through before work can begin.
Working at Elevation (elective)
This course is intended to help the safety practitioner reduce the risks associated with working from elevations and is also appropriate for a fall protection program administrator in lieu of, or to complement, a safety practitioner.
Personal Protective Equipment (elective)
This course considers all factors involved in the selection, care, and use of PPE, and gets rid of the confusion and misunderstanding that arise when people are confronted with misused or mixed terminology that is used by people to describe similar items.
Program Planning & Wellness in the Workplace (elective)
This course guides OHS professionals through a multi-step program planning process. To establish a starting point and sense of direction, the course launches with strategies for conducting an employee health assessment. The planning and implementation sections provide critical content, as well as numerous examples of successful programs in action. The course then wraps up with techniques and tools for effective program evaluation.
Fatigue Management (elective)
The main objectives of this course are to help OHS professionals better understand fatigue and how to manage it. The course highlights modern research and knowledge relating to the causes and effects of fatigue, discusses fatigue as a safety issue, and introduces tools and methods to assess, manage, and mitigate fatigue hazards.
Data Driven Decision Making (elective)
This course is intended for any individuals who have a stake in the day-to-day management and support of organizational processes, or those who would like to improve their organization’s performance through a process orientation and process control.
Understanding Your Leadership Potential (elective)
Health and Safety leaders play a key role in driving positive change within their organizations. This course will help the student to recognize not only their current leadership skills and abilities, but also the key skills required of a competent safety leader.
You can purchase one course at a time at a cost of $675 per course, or pay for the entire program up-front for $6,750. There are no additional fees or textbooks required.
By completing the Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety and the Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety (COHS + DOHS), students will meet the formal education requirements for certification as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP®) by the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental work experience and professional development requirements must also be met in order to be eligible for certification.
Learn more about CRSP® requirements.
The OHS Diploma program has a prerequisite of a CRSP®, CHSC or a UNB-approved OHS Certificate program. To be accepted into this program, please apply using the red registration button.
NOTE: You will need to attach a copy of your prerequisite to your application.
Our OHS programs are not recognized by student loans as they are not considered part-time or full-time studies. However, our students have been able to obtain funding through alternative routes, including:
In order to send a formal invoice to your sponsor (i.e. if your employer is paying for your program), please have your sponsor email a copy of your PO to our office. The PO must have the following information:
If you are being sponsored, please register by clicking the "Apply now" button:
NOTE: Your sponsor will be required to submit an Educational Sponsorship & Invoicing Agreement form.
Safety practitioners possess the technical hard skills needed for their jobs, but they also need to develop their soft skills, leadership skills, and potential if they want to be successful while helping their employers and staff to operate safely.
This three-course program will help the practitioner develop in these areas through the enhancement of specific skills, knowledge, and abilities required to gain influence, build consensus, and successfully create positive change. The CSL is available exclusively online in a self-paced and flexible format that fits your schedule.
In this program, you will:
The Certificate in Safety Leadership courses are eligible for CEU with the BCRSP. Contact the BCRSP directly for more information: Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals
There are no prerequisites for this program.
The program includes three courses, each with five online learning modules.
Understanding Your Leadership Potential
Health and Safety leaders play a key role in driving positive change within their organizations. This course will help students recognize not only their current leadership skills and abilities, but also the key skills required of a competent safety leader.
Leading People
Enhance your capacity to engage and influence others by developing stronger communication, team building, and leadership skills.
Organizational Leadership
Increase and adapt your understanding of organizational structures and the interaction of various groups in order to gain influence, build consensus, and drive positive change.
The cost of each course is $580. There are no books to purchase and there are no additional fees to pay. The program may be taken one course at a time. Students have up to 13 weeks to complete each 52-hour course.
You will need to register one course at a time. To register for all three courses at once, call us at 506-453-4646.
Our OHS programs are not recognized by student loans as they are not considered part-time or full-time studies. However, our students have been able to obtain funding through alternative routes, including:
In order to send a formal invoice to your sponsor (i.e. if your employer is paying for your program), please have your sponsor email a copy of your PO to our office. The PO must have the following information:
Once you are at the registration screen, you'll need to enter your personal information. For the payment method, please select "prepaid" or "sponsorship".
NOTE: Your sponsor will be required to submit an Educational Sponsorship & Invoicing Agreement form.
If you are a safety practitioner with at least 12 months of related work experience, you may qualify to write the Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST®) examination.
Under a charter from the federal government, the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals awards the CRST® designation to those practitioners who meet technician-level academic and technical competence.
The University of New Brunswick’s CRST® Exam Preparation course has been designed by CRSP®s and OHS experts to assist you in studying for the CRST® Examination. The prep course covers the nine domains and associated competencies, as presented in the 2019 BCRSP CRST Examination Blueprint.
When used together with the BCRSP Study Guides and CRST® Blueprint reference texts, the CRST® Exam Prep course will help you identify your domain-specific strengths and opportunity areas, allowing you to focus your energy on bolstering those areas.
The CRST® Exam Prep course provides the participant with: an overview of the CRST® Exam registration process, an intense review of the nine domains and 81 competencies of each, online practice exams, and a full-scale mock CRST® Exam, which may be taken twice.
Available completely online, in a self-paced learning format with continuous intake (register any time) that fits your schedule, it is the only course of its kind in Canada.
The CRST® Exam Prep course fee is $667 ($580 +15% HST). There are no books to purchase or other associated fees. Course content is available for 6 months from the date of registration.
An extension, for an additional six months may be purchased for a fee of $228.85 ($199 +15% HST).
Learn more about the BCRSP Examinations. It is recommended you confirm your education and experience with a UNB CEL representative before taking our preparation course.
If you are an Occupational Health and Safety professional with four or more years of experience, you may be eligible for the CRSP® designation. There are thousands of CRSP®s in Canada. The CRSP® Exam Prep course is a critical tool to help you to get on the BCRSP list of CRSP®s.
The CRSP® is a designation that provides evidence of professional status and experience that employers look for when hiring. Under the charter from the federal government, the designation is awarded to people who have achieved a professional level of competence in accident prevention. The Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP) awards the CRSP® to a select few academically-qualified, technically-prepared candidates.
CRSP®s and other OHS experts have designed UNB’s CRSP® Exam Prep course to be the best way for candidates to get final assistance before writing the CRSP® exam. Spanning the nine domains represented in the 2015 BCRSP Examination Blueprint, this course enables participants to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses on a domain-by-domain basis.
This course provides you with:
Available completely online, in a self-paced learning format with continuous intake that fits your schedule, it is the only course of its kind in Canada. You can register for the prep course at any time.
The CRSP Exam Prep course costs $667 ($580 +15% HST). There are no books to purchase or other associated fees. Course content is available for six months from the date of registration, with an option to extend access for $228.85 ($199 +15% HST).
Please note: Requirements for writing the CRSP® Examination changed as of July 1, 2018.
Prior Learning Assessment refers to the systematic evaluation of learning an individual has achieved through previous post-secondary courses and programs, related industry certifications, or specialized training programs. It provides evidence that an individual has already met the expected learning outcomes of OHS courses through learning acquired prior to enrolment in the COHS program.
The prior learning assessment process allows students to have their prior learning evaluated for course equivalency. Qualifying equivalencies are then applied to the Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (COHS) program. Note: The PLA cannot be used towards the DOHS program.
Prior learning may include, but is not limited to:
Unfortunately, we are unable to assess the following for PLA:
Please note: UNB COHS courses are rated at 46-52 hours and have a greater depth than a one-day or weekend seminar.
We have a list of previously assessed courses from other institutions and Canadian Designations.
Explore previously assessed courses
To apply for a prior learning assessment, applicants are required to:
The cost of getting a PLA is $195. This price covers all courses being assessed.
