Everyone is responsible for health and safety.
WHMIS
• WHMIS is designed to help workers, students,
teachers and employers to understand the risks
posed by hazardous materials in the workplace.
• Identify hazards in the workplace.
• WHMIS ensures consistency of information
provided to the workers about the hazardous
materials in all Canadian Workplaces.
• This is accomplished with the use of proper
labels, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and
worker training.
Right To Know
The student and teacher has the right to
know if the chemicals being handled are
hazardous and if they are hazardous, what
safe handling, storage, use and disposal
measures should be taken.
Legislation
Federal legislation
– The Hazardous Products Act
• Ensures that hazardous products have labels and MSDSs
– The Controlled Products Regulations
• Identifies the classes of controlled products
• Identifies the information required on labels and in MSDSs
– The Hazardous Materials Information Review Act
• Protects Trade Secrets
Benefits
Benefits from the WHMIS program are:
Better informed teachers and students
Safer and healthier working conditions
Reduced accidents and illnesses
Duties
Employer
– Ensure that all controlled products have WHMIS
labels
– Acquires MSDSs and makes them available to all
workers
– Trains studentss to safely store and handle the
chemicals
Student
– Must cooperate with the WHMIS program
– Use the training to protect their health
– Comply with all Legislation
WHMIS Classes
WHMIS uses classifications to group chemicals
with similar properties or hazards. The Controlled
Products Regulations specifies the criteria used to
place materials within each classification.
These classes are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Class A Compressed Gas
Class B Flammable and Combustible Material
Class C Oxidizing Materials
Class D Poisonous and Infectious Materials
Class E Corrosive Materials
Class F Dangerously Reactive Materials
Labels
A WHMIS label is a source of information on all
controlled products designed to alert workers to the
dangers and hazards of the products and the basic
safety precautions to be followed.
The label will be the first hazard people are likely to
see.
– Supplier Labels
• Required on all controlled products as a condition of sale or import.
– Workplace Labels
• Required on materials that have been decanted from a larger container.
• Replace labels that are defaced or lost
– Product Identifiers
• Located on pipes and tanks
• Piles of materials
Supplier Label
Format
– Distinctive broken-line WHMIS border
– Must stand out from the colour of the
container
– Must not conflict with TDG labels
– English and French must be used
– Must be durable and easy to read
Supplier Label
The supplier is required to provide the following 7
items of information on the label:
1) Name of the Product – chemical name, brand name, trade
name or common name
2) Name of the Supplier
3) A reference to the MSDS – a statement alerting the user that
additional information is available
4) Hazard symbols – could have more than one symbol if the
product falls into more than one category
5) Risk Phrases – short statement identifying hazardous
properties
6) Precautionary measures – short statement describing
precautions to be taken when handling, using, disposing or
being exposed to the controlled product
7) First Aid Measures – short statement describing the
immediate steps to be taken when an accident occurs.
Supplier Label
Smaller containers require less information.
Containers with volumes < 100ml
1) Product identifier
2) Supplier identifier
3) A MSDS statement
4) A hazard symbol
Workplace Label
Format
 No format
 No hatched border
 No colour requirements
Information Required on the Label:
 Product identifier
 Safe handling instructions
 Statement referring to MSDS
Workplace Label
(Product identifier)
GASOLINE
(Precautionary/risk statement)
HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
KEEP AWAY FROM OPEN FLAME
(Reference to MSDS)
REFER TO MATERIAL SAFETY
DATA SHEET FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Labels
Product Identifiers
• Tags
• Placards
• Decals
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
What are they?
– A technical document that summarizes the health and safety information on a
controlled product
– Provide detailed information about health risks
– Describe the properties of the controlled product
– Informs the worker about safe handling requirements
– Describes applicable protective measures and emergency procedures
Who is Responsible?
– The employer is responsible to ensure the MSDS is available to all workers
Where are they located?
– Hard Copies
• Located at the entrances to the laboratories, work areas and in the Control Room
– Computer
• Manufacturer/supplier websites
• CCOHS website
MSDS
Format
The MSDS will vary in format from one supplier to
another. The MSDS may vary in length, presentation
and wording.
It must have a minimum of 9 sections.
The sections cannot be left blank, if information is
unknown then it must be stated in the document.
All hazardous ingredients must be disclosed.
They cannot be more than 3 years old.
Care must be taken to read each MSDS and become
familiar with the document to be able to locate the
required information.
MSDS
MSDS Sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Hazardous Ingredients
Preparation Information
Product Information
Physical Data
Fire or Explosion Hazard
Reactivity Data
Toxicological Properties
Preventive Measures
First Aid Measures
MSDS - Sections
1) Hazardous Ingredients
This section must provide information on the name concentration and
toxicity of each of the hazardous ingredients of a controlled product.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chemical Identity
Concentration
CAS Number (Chemical Abstract Service)
PIN Number (Product Identification Number)
LD50 (lethal dose 50)
– The lethal single dose required to cause death in 50% of a test
animal population.
LC50 (lethal concentration 50)
– The concentration in air which, administered over a specific
period of time, is expected to cause death in 50% of the test
animal population.
MSDS - Sections
2) Preparation Information
• Name of the person or department who
prepared the document
• Phone number
• Preparation date
MSDS - Sections
3) Product Information
•
•
•
•
•
Product Name
Product Use
Manufacturer Identifier
Supplier Name and Address
Emergency Phone Numbers
MSDS - Sections
4) Physical Data
This section provides information on the physical
properties of the product.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Physical State
• pH
Odour and Appearance
• Odour Threshold
Vapour Pressure
• Vapour Density
Boiling Point
• Freezing Point
Evaporation Rate
• Percent Volatile
Specific Gravity
Coefficient of Water/Oil Distribution
MSDS - Sections
5) Fire or Explosion Data
Provide information to assist with fire and
explosion prevention.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Flashpoint
Auto-ignition temperature
Lower Flammable Limit
Upper Flammable Limit
Means of Extinction
Sensitivity to Impact
Sensitivity to Static Discharge
Hazardous combustion Products
Conditions of Flammability
MSDS - Sections
6) Reactivity Data
This section provides information on the
stability of the product and its reaction with
other chemicals or exposure to heat, shock or
temperature.
•
•
•
•
Chemical stability
Incompatible materials
Conditions of reactivity
Hazardous decomposition products
MSDS - Sections
7) Toxicological Properties
This section provides information on how the
product enters the body and what the short and
long term effects are to be on the exposed
worker.
• Routes of entry
– Inhalation, skin contact, eye contact, ingestion
• Exposure Limits
• Irritancy to product
• Sensitivity to Product
• Carcinogenicity
• Reproductive Toxicity
• Teratogenicity
• Mutagenicity
MSDS - Sections
8) Preventive Measures
This section provides information to the worker that protect the health
and safety of the worker during transportation, storage, use and
disposal.
• Personal Protective Equipment
– Gloves
– Respiratory
– Eye
– Footwear
• Engineering controls
– Ventilation controls
• Leak and spill procedure
• Waste disposal
• Storage requirement
• Handling procedures
Fume Hood
MSDS - Sections
9) First Aid Measures
Provides the necessary information for the
immediate treatment of a person experiencing
acute effects from inhalation, ingestion, eye
contact or skin contact with a hazardous
substance.
Exempted Materials
There are materials that are not covered by WHMIS
because they are covered by other legislation.
These materials are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Manufactured Materials
Tobacco Products
Wood Products
Consumer Products- Consumer Products Act
Explosives – Explosives Act
Food & Drugs – Food and Drug Act
Pesticides – Pesticide Control Act
Radioactive Materials – CNSC Act
Hazardous Wastes
Trade Secrets
The Hazardous Materials Information
Review Act
• Allows companies to protect valuable
information regarding their products.
• A company must file a claim and receive a
registry number.
• This information is only given to a health
professional.
Training
An employer shall ensure that a worker who works
with or in the proximity to a controlled product is
informed about all the hazard information and other
information concerning the safe use, storage and
handling of hazardous materials.
This training can come in 2 forms, generic and
specific.
– Generic Training
• WHMIS training includes:
– Labels
– MSDS
– Specific Training
• Site specific
– Supervisor