Getting Certified with H2S Alive…
Just like we want to maximize our tax credits through public transit deductions, we all want to minimize our exposure to hazards at work. Many of us in Canada work in environments that can be hazardous and dangerous to our health. We are fortunate enough to work in a country that has is fairly progressive when it comes to safety standards and regulations. Those of us who are working in a potentially harmful environment should be going through extensive health and safety training. We want to keep safe not only to protect our health but also so we can keep working to maximize our earnings over time.
Over the years, a range of health and safety programs have been developed. Since there are new studies being conducted all the time, new potential hazards are being identified that can help us avoid a range of unhealthy situations. One of the most recent training programs introduced in Canada is the H2S Alive program. Let’s find out more about this new and exciting program.
What is H2S Alive?
H2S Alive is a one-day hydrogen sulphide training course especially designed for the oil and gas industry. This training program is intended for all workers in the petroleum industry who may be exposed to environments where hydrogen sulphide is present.
During the course of the day, each student will be required to operate a number of apparatus in order to ensure their usage is in line with the methods they are being taught. This includes operating a detector tube device, operating a self-contained breathing apparatus and performing rescue breathing on a mannequin. In order to pass the training day and obtain certification, students must demonstrate required skills and obtain 70% on a written examination. In addition to operating these apparatus’, the course also covers the physical properties and health hazards of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), how to protect oneself and basic rescue techniques.
H2S Alive is approved and certified by Enform, which is the training, certification and health and safety services arm of the upstream petroleum industry, owned, directed and is also partially funded by six upstream petroleum industry trade associations.
In order to sign up for the course, students do not need any prerequisites. The training will typically last for eight hours and classes are operated with a maximum of 20 participants. Classes typically run from 8 am to 5pm and any trainees that are absent from any component of the program will not be issued a certification until they have completed all requirements. Once a student passes the exam and completes the full training day their certification will last for three years.
The course is primarily targeted to anyone who is working in the mining or petroleum industry as well as anyone working with poisonous gases. Enform developed this course as it felt that it was an important area to explore, especially with the growth of the oil and gas industry in Canada at the moment. Hydrogen sulphides are a hazard in this industry that no one should neglect to protect themselves against. The development of this course is a good step to further protect from this chemical hazard.
Other individuals who may want to consider this training certification are paramedics. Paramedics can take advantage of gaining H2S Alive training while earning continuing medical education (CME) credits too. It is important for medical practitioners to contact the training provider to find out more on the credits they can take advantage of.
Tax
A number of employees may have this training paid by their employer. If your employer is going to put you through this training – at their expense – it will make sense for you to move forward with it as it will benefit your company as well as you.
However, a number of people who are working in the oil and gas industry operate on a contractual basis or are self-employed. If you plan on taking this training many of you may be concerned of fronting the costs for this.
One of the best things about investing in training – even if you are self-employed – is that this training can often be deducted as a tax credit. If you are working with this particular hazard as part of your job, you’ll need to protect yourself against exposure. For this reason, the costs of this training can be considered a taxable expense. Yes, you will have to front the cost of the training but you will then be able to offset your taxable income at the end of the year by the cost of it. This helps you to increase your tax credits for a useful purpose. It also wouldn’t surprise many in the oil and gas industry if this training soon became mandatory for all employees working in oil and gas, making it an essential cost of the job.
As well, the current cost of the course is only around $240 for all training materials and the 3-year certification. This may vary a bit depending on the provider but it is fairly reasonable in comparison to many other training programs out there. It is also available across most provinces in Canada so it is unlikely that you’ll have to travel far or incur further expenses outside of the straight training fee.
H2S Alive is an example of a training program that is being effectively implemented across Canada. Even if you have to pay the upfront cost of this training by yourself, it will be worth it financially and physically to make this investment as soon as you can.
