Severe Weather & Natural Hazard Preparedness runs workers through 11 weather-escalation decisions — when to stop work, shelter, or evacuate across blizzards, extreme cold, flooding, tornadoes, and wildfire smoke — validating 7 competencies so the response is rehearsed before the storm.
Manitoba weather arrives on its own schedule, not yours — summer tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, winter blizzards with extreme cold and wind chill, spring flooding, and wildfire smoke that turns the sky brown. This course teaches every worker to read the sky and the alerts and act before the weather hits: to tell a WATCH (conditions possible) from a WARNING (happening or imminent) and monitor Environment Canada, to SHELTER for a tornado in the designated safe area —…
Equip every worker to prepare for and respond to Manitoba severe weather and natural hazards — read the WATCH-versus-WARNING alerts, shelter correctly for a tornado, survive winter weather, stay out of moving flood water, protect against wildfire smoke, avoid carbon-monoxide poisoning in a utility failure, and follow the severe-weather plan (alerts, shelter, stop-work triggers, roles, and accounting for people) — so the workplace watches the sky and shelters before the weather hits.
At a glance
Format: Online, self-paced and interactive
Length: about 1 hour 10 minutes, 5 modules
Pass mark: 80% on the final test
Certificate: QR-verified, valid for one year
Jurisdiction: Manitoba law and standards
Who this course is for
Manitoba workers exposed to blizzards, extreme cold, flooding, tornadoes, and wildfire smoke on outdoor, remote, or seasonal jobsites.
All workers — Manitoba weather reaches everyone, indoors and out
Outdoor and mobile workers exposed to storms, cold, floods, and smoke
Drivers who face whiteouts, flooded roads, and blizzard conditions
Supervisors responsible for stop-work triggers, shelter locations, and drills
New workers learning their site's alerts, shelter areas, and winter kit
What you will learn
Tell a WATCH (conditions possible) from a WARNING (happening or imminent) and monitor Environment Canada alerts
Shelter correctly for a tornado — lowest floor, small interior room, away from windows; never a vehicle or large-span roof
Survive winter weather — frostbite and hypothermia signs, no driving in a whiteout, warm-up cycles, a winter vehicle kit
Never drive or walk through moving flood water; move to higher ground and watch for washed-out ground
Reduce exertion and shelter or filter in wildfire smoke; read the AQHI
Handle an extreme-weather utility failure safely — never run a generator or heater indoors (carbon monoxide)
Course outline
Reading the Sky — Watches, Warnings and Stop-Work — Telling a WATCH (conditions possible) from a WARNING (happening or imminent), monitoring Environment Canada alerts, and knowing who calls the stop-work.
Tornadoes and Severe Storms — Shelter, Don’t Run — On a tornado warning, sheltering in the designated safe area — lowest floor, small interior room, away from windows — and never a vehicle or a large-span roof.
Winter Weather — Blizzards, Whiteouts and Extreme Cold — Blizzard, whiteout and extreme cold — recognizing frostbite and hypothermia, not driving in a whiteout, taking warm-up cycles, and carrying a winter vehicle kit.
Floods and Flash Floods — Never the Moving Water — Flooding and flash floods — never driving or walking through moving water, moving to higher ground, and watching for washed-out ground.
Smoke, Utility Failure and Your Plan — Wildfire smoke and the AQHI, an extreme-weather utility failure and the carbon-monoxide trap, and the severe-weather plan that ties alerts, shelter, triggers, roles, and accounting together.
Laws and standards covered
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210)
Manitoba WSH Regulation MR 217/2006
CSA Z1600 — Emergency and Continuity Management Program
Manitoba Emergency Measures Act (C.C.S.M. c. E80)
SAFE Work Manitoba
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Certificate and renewal
Passing the final test issues a QR-verified certificate, valid for one year. Review at least annually and whenever the plan or site changes. Participate in drills as scheduled. Assigned roles need additional training.
Common questions
How long does Severe Weather & Natural Hazard Preparedness take?
About 1 hour 10 minutes online, over 5 modules, at your own pace. It ends with a final test that needs 80% to pass.
How long is the Severe Weather & Natural Hazard Preparedness certificate valid?
One year from the day you pass. Review at least annually and whenever the plan or site changes.
Which laws and standards does Severe Weather & Natural Hazard Preparedness cover?
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210); Manitoba WSH Regulation MR 217/2006; CSA Z1600 — Emergency and Continuity Management Program; and 4 more listed on this page.
Who should take Severe Weather & Natural Hazard Preparedness?
Manitoba workers exposed to blizzards, extreme cold, flooding, tornadoes, and wildfire smoke on outdoor, remote, or seasonal jobsites.