Canadian Occupational Safety

? 20 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com as previously used.) However, during the transition to WHMIS 2015, suppliers can choose to use either WHMIS 2015 or WHMIS 1988. Therefore, you may receive products with WHMIS 1988 labels and MSDS from direct suppliers until May 31, 2017, and from distributors until May 31, 2018. It is important to know that suppliers cannot "mix" the WHMIS systems. For example, a product must not have a WHMIS 2015 SDS and a WHMIS 1988 label. Beginning June 1, 2018, all hazardous products sold must be in compliance with WHMIS 2015. Most employers will be given another six months to clear WHMIS 1988 stock from their workplace. By Dec. 1, 2018, all suppliers and most employers should be using WHMIS 2015 only. Employers should consult their occupational health and safety regulator for information on specifi c timelines in their jurisdiction. They can also check out www.whmis.org for updates. Note that not all jurisdictions have updated their WHMIS legislation yet, so there may be variations to be aware of in the future. AS: Where has Canada gone beyond GHS and how does this affect employers? JC: There are differences between "pure" GHS and WHMIS 2015. It helps to think of these as two different systems. To answer where Canada has gone beyond GHS, Health Canada has included the biohazardous infectious materials hazard class in WHMIS 2015. Inclusion of this hazard class maintains the level of protection for workers provided by WHMIS 1988. In addition, either to Amanda Silliker: What are some of the key deadlines employers need to know? Jan Chappel: As of February 2015, suppliers are allowed to sell hazardous products that are classifi ed, labelled and have safety data sheets (SDSs) in compliance with WHMIS 2015. (Note the change to SDS from material safety data sheets (MSDSs) maintain the level of protection or to harmonize with the implementation of GHS by the United States' Hazard Communication System 2012 (HCS 2012), the following hazard classes, which are not part of the GHS at this time, are also included in WHMIS 2015: • combustible dusts • simple asphyxiants • pyrophoric gases • physical hazards not otherwise classifi ed • health hazards not otherwise classifi ed. Employers should read the labels and SDSs for the hazardous products they purchase. If you are aware, for example, that the product is a simple asphyxiant but it is not identifi ed as such, contact your supplier. All hazardous products (that is, those products that meet the WHMIS 2015 criteria) used, handled or stored in Canadian workplaces must comply with the requirements of WHMIS 2015. If the supplier is foreign and cannot or will not meet all of WHMIS 2015 requirements, compliance becomes the employer's responsibility. AS: I see that Health Canada did not adopt explosives. Is this covered somewhere else? Is there anything else it did not adopt? JC: True. Health Canada did not adopt the explosives hazard class as detailed by GHS. Currently, explosives are covered by the Explosives Act. Health Canada also did not adopt any of the environmental hazard classes and some of the lowest hazard categories within a hazard class (such as Acute Toxicity – Category 5). AS: What does the exclusion of some GHS classes mean for employers? JC: Workplaces are required to follow any legislation that may apply to the excluded products. In terms of WHMIS labelling or SDSs, you may still see explosives or the environmental hazard classes listed. Having additional information on a label or SDS is considered OK as long as that information does not contradict the information that is required by WHMIS. AS: WHMIS 1988 used to exclude other products such as pesticides and consumer goods. Is this still the case and what does an employer have to do if these products are used in the workplace? JC: The exclusions under WHMIS 2015 are the same as WHMIS 1988. They include products such as pest control products and manufactured articles. Many of these products are covered under other legislation. As before, employers must still provide education and training on how to work safely with all products, regardless of whether the product falls under WHMIS or not. The most common example is consumer products — those products that can be purchased in a store and are generally intended to be used in the home. They often include cleaning products, adhesives or lubricants. A comprehensive chemical safety program in the workplace would include hazardous products as regulated by WHMIS and any other products that a worker may be exposed to (which includes consumer products). AS: What education and training do employers need to provide? JC: All workers must learn about the WHMIS system and job-specifi c health and safety information for hazardous products. The hazard information should include the information received from the supplier as well as any other information that the employer is aware of about I t's not just the long title, the transition to the new global chemical labelling standard is causing frustration among employers. Editor of COS, Amanda Silliker, sat down with Jan Chappel, senior technical specialist at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), to get the answers to your questions around Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System 2015 (WHMIS 2015) and how Canada adopted the Globally Harmonized System of Classi�ication and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Training, labels, deadlines causing confusion Your top WHMIS 2015 questions answered

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