NCSO® Renewal Requirements

Maintaining your National Construction Safety Officer (NCSO®) certification is essential to ensuring your knowledge and skills remain current within the evolving field of workplace health and safety. This resource document provides a clear breakdown of the renewal process, including the specific requirements you must meet to keep your certification active.

Maintaining Training Certifications

As part of the NCSO® renewal process, you must maintain valid certifications in key requirements, including Standard First Aid and CPR, Working at Heights (WAH), and Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) training. It is the responsibility of the NCSO® to ensure these certifications remain current at all times, as they form the foundation of an NCSO®'s knowledge and essential job requirements.

Applicants must submit a copy of their MLITSD certification record for Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) and Working at Heights (WAH) to verify their ongoing certification. This record can be accessed by logging into their account/profile in the certification management system.

Important: JHSC refresher training must be completed before the certification expires. If the JHSC certification lapses, the applicant will be required to retake both JHSC Part 1 and Part 2 to regain certification.

COR® Audit Requirements

To meet the requirements under IHSA’s memorandum of understanding with the CFCSA, NCSO® applicants will be required to complete a COR® audit using AuditSoft.

The options for meeting the requirement include the following:

Submit an internal or external audit conducted by you within the last 12 months OR;
Submit a four-element COR® audit on the applicant’s company, if their employer does not participate in COR®

This requirement will help applicants identify gaps in their company’s health and safety management system, offer corrective actions, and ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory standards. It will also provide an opportunity for the applicant to demonstrate and enhance their auditing skills.

IHSA & AuditSoft have many resources to guide you though this process.

Access Resources

Purchase an AuditSoft Licence

Required Training

In addition to keeping up with JHSC, WAH and First Aid certifications, there is also a requirement for NCSOs renewing their applications between Jan 2023 - Jan 2026 to provide training certificates for the following training programs. This allows those NCSOs certified before these dates to meet the updated standard introduced in Jan 2023. Those requiring renewals after this date, will not require the additional training listed below as it would have been a requirement in their initial application.

Additional Practical Requirements

Those who are reapplying for the NCSO® certification are required to submit a workplace inspection and two safety talks conducted by the applicant.

The workplace inspection must be conducted at a workplace to demonstrate practical competency in identifying hazards, ensuring compliance, and promoting a safe working environment. The workplace inspection must be completed within the previous 12 months and identify hazards found, recommended controls and actions take.

Applicants must submit a minimum of two completed safety talks, demonstrating the applicant's ability to communicate specific hazard information in an established format.

The safety talks must be delivered by the applicant within the previous 12 months from the application date and include the information communicated, who it was communicated to (signatures), date of the talk and who it was delivered by. The IHSA has a Safety Talk Report Form which can be used to document your talks.

Professional Development

NCSO®s are required to have a total of 8 hours accumulated (any number of courses can be taken as long as the time completed amounts to 8 hours) and must be taken within three years of receiving the NCSO® Certificate or last renewal.

These courses must be in line with the competencies set out by the other courses in the NCSO®/NHSA™ certificate and must enhance the working skills of an NCSO®.

Applicants must submit a course outline, providing details on the course curriculum and objectives of the professional development courses and provide proof of completion which includes the date, instructor, and company.

To further develop their knowledge and expertise, IHSA encourages NCSO®s to consider the following professional development opportunities:

The Working Mind for the Trades – Mental health training tailored for the trades.
Foundations of Facilitating Training & Learning – Develop effective training and facilitation skills.
Lead Auditor Training – Gain expertise in auditing safety systems.
Hazard-Specific Training – Enhance knowledge based on workplace risks (e.g., Hoisting & Rigging, Traffic Control).
Join a Labour Management Committee – Engage with industry professionals and contribute to workplace safety initiatives.
Attend a Health & Safety Conference or Seminar – Stay informed on industry best practices (e.g., IHSA's Annual NCSO® Conference).

These opportunities can help strengthen your skills, expand your professional network, and stay up to date with industry advancements.

Visit IHSAs Training Webpage

To request a replacement training certificate or transcript for IHSA training programs, please complete the Training Certificate Reprint Form.

To learn more about the NCSO® and NHSA™ recertification please visit IHSA’s NCSO®/NHSA™ webpage for additional guides and FAQs.

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