School of Health Sciences

Occupational health and safety professionals play a vital role in preventing injuries and illnesses to the workforce. The foundation of Occupational Health and Safety two-year diploma programs is to identify hazards in the workplace, assess the risk of those hazards, and implement control measures to minimize the risk of those hazards. Students are trained in the application of this process, through legislative requirements, international standards and guidelines, and local company policy and procedures. Occupational health and safety professionals need effective investigative and analytical skills, and good interpersonal skills.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Apply the knowledge and skills to effectively inspect and assess workplace facilities for potential occupational health and safety hazards.
2. Interpret and effectively apply government legislation and policies.
3. Identify and rectify existing or potential occupational health and safety hazards, perform accident investigations and conduct risk assessment.
4. Evaluate and monitor health and safety hazards.
5. Develop strategies for controlling risks and create safety training programs for workers and for handling and storage of hazardous substances in the workplace.
6. Demonstrate professionalism and responsibility.

OHS professionals are employed in a variety of private industries, including construction, manufacturing, health care, and oil and gas. In private industry, OHS professionals are responsible for preventing injuries and illnesses by effectively identifying, assessing and controlling OHS hazards and complying with OHS legislation. Alternatively, OHS professionals can be employed by government ministries who are responsible for enforcing OHS legislation. In both sectors, OHS professionals play a vital role in protecting the health and safety of workers, which ultimately leads to a more productive and effective workforce. As industry continues to rapidly expand, the need to protect workers from occupational risks has never been greater.

Further Studies

Graduates of the Environmental Health and Safety – Occupational Health and Safety program may have the opportunity to transfer course credits to other academic institutions. A current list of post-secondary institutions offering admission and transfer credit to CNA-Q graduates who meet the entrance requirements is available from the Registrar’s Office or the Career Counseling and Resource Centre. Staff in both these offices will provide support and assistance to CNA-Q graduates seeking to further their post-secondary studies. For more information, please refer to the Program Articulation and Transfer Credit section in this Academic Calendar.

We are excited you are interested in joining CNA-Q's School of Health Sciences! You can request for more information or contact below for general inquires:

Colleen Walsh

Administrative Assistant - Health Sciences

Room 20.1.31

1. An overall score of 71 or greater on the Oxford Online Placement Test, as administered and validated by the CNA-Q Testing Centre.​
2. Present a valid Academic IELTS exam with an overall band of 5.0 with no individual band score (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) below 4.5.
3. Successfully complete FL1090, a pass/fail language development course where the final examination is the OOPT. A score of 71 or greater is required on the OOPT.​