WHMIS

2015
Quick Reference
What exactly is WHMIS?

WHMIS is an acronym for the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System -

legislation that has been in force across Canada since 1988. WHMIS is the national
standard for hazard communication in Canada and it requires an employer to edu-
cate all employees about the safe handling, storage and use of controlled products
in the workplace.
WHMIS provides the requirements that the supplier and employer must follow
concerning:
• the labeling of hazardous material,
• the availability of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) in the workplace
• the education and training of the worker In the understanding of the SDSs.

GHS and WHMIS 2015

GHS is a shortened acronym for Globally Harmonized WHMIS
System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. Its
development was facilitated by the United Nations with the + GHS
cooperation of all member states as an international system
of hazard communication. On February 11, 2015, the WHMIS
Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR), changed WHMIS
1988 to incorporate the GHS for workplace chemicals.
This modified WHMIS is referred to as WHMIS 2015.
2015
Benefits
• Promotion of regulatory efficiencies • Encouraging the safe transport,
• Facilitation of trade handling and use of chemicals
• Easing compliance • Promoting better emergency
response to chemical incidents
• Formalizing a standardized language
• Reducing the need for animal testing
• Providing improved, consistent hazard
information
Responsibilities under WHMIS
Supplier: must classify the material into
appropriate hazard classes, develop or
obtain supplier labels for products that
are considered controlled products,
and provide a SDS for the product.
Employer: is required to complete a
workplace inventory in consultation with
the Joint Health and Safety Committee.
• If the employer is a producer of
controlled products, they must
ensure that the products have
supplier labels.
• It is also the employer's responsi-
bility to provide workplace labels
containing the appropriate informa-
tion, to make SDS's accessible
to the workers, and to provide
workers with WHMIS training con-
cerning the use, storage and safe
handling of hazardous materials.
Worker: Must participate in hazardous materials training
and then be able to apply this knowledge in the workplace.
During the transition from WHMIS 1988 to WHMIS 2015,
employers and workers must be trained to recognize both
systems until the transition is complete in the workplace.
Workers must also comply with the general responsibilities
of a worker as outlined in the OHSA, including:
• using or wearing the appropriate protective gear as
required by the employer;
• Reporting the absence of—or defect in—protective
equipment or devices; and,
• Reporting any contravention of the Act or Regulations.

Exceptions to the WHMIS Regulation

• Explosives • Tobacco/Tobacco Products
• Hazardous Waste • Manufactured Articles
• Pesticides • Food
• Radioactive Materials • Drugs
• Wood or Wood Products • Cosmetics or Devices
• Hazardous Materials in Transit • Consumer Products
Note: WHMIS does not regulate the use of hazardous
materials in the home or the disposal of any hazardous
materials. Please use caution and read all labels before
using and/or handling these products.
WHMIS 1988 Pictograms

Class A Class B Class C Class D

Compressed Flammable and Oxidizing Poisonous and
Gases Combustible Materials Materials Infectious Materials:
Severe Acute Toxicity

Class D Class D Class E Class F

Poisonous and Poisonous and Corrosive Dangerously
Infectious Materials: Infectious Materials: Materials Reactive Materials
Long-term Toxicity Biohazardous
infectious materials

WHMIS 1988 Labels

Supplier's label must be on all controlled products present in workplaces in
Canada.
• Information must be presented in
both English and French.
• The label must have a broken
or hatched coloured border that
is different than the background
color of the container.
• The hazardous material must be
identified by its common name,
chemical name, trade name,
generic name, brand name, code
name or code number.
• The label will display all WHMIS
hazard class symbols that apply
to the hazardous material.
Workplace label is used to indicate
that a hazardous product has been
transferred from one container to
another.
Laboratory label identifies the sample as a controlled product that is intended to be
used in laboratory tests for analysis or research and development purposes.
WHMIS 2015 Pictograms

Gas Under Flammable Material Oxidizer Health Hazard

Pressure

Acute Toxicity Corrosion Explosion Hazard Harmful Irritant

Hazardous to the Biohazardous

Aquatic Environment Infectious Material

WHMIS 2015 Labels

The label must present information in both English and French. The hatched
border is no longer required.

Information required on a
WHMIS 2015 label:
• Product Identifier
• Hazard Pictograms
• Signal Word
• Hazard Statements
• Precautionary Statements
• Initial Supplier Identifier
• Supplemental Information
MSDSs (WHMIS 1988)
MSDS's are chemical reports prepared by a manufacturer or supplier to provide
the worker with specific information about the safe handling of chemicals in the
workplace.
The information provided covers nine areas:
1. Product Information 6. Toxicological Properties
2. Hazardous Ingredients 7. Preventative Measures
3. Physical Data 8. First Aid Measures
4. Fire and Explosion Hazards 9. Preparation Information
5. Reactivity Data

SDSs (WHMIS 2015)

The 2015 SDS has 16 sections, whereas the 1988
MSDS has 9 sections. The information on an 2015
SDS is better organized and more clear. WHMIS
2015 also made changes to MSDS’s with the use
of newly designed Safety Data Sheets (SDS’s).
The information provided covers 16 areas:
1. Identification 9. Physical and Chemical Properties
2. Hazard Identification 10. Stability and Reactivity
3. Composition/Information on Ingredients 11. Toxicological Information
4. First-Aid Measures 12. Ecological Information
5. Fire-Fighting Measures 13. Disposal Considerations
6. Accidental Release Measures 14. Transport Information
7. Handling and Storage 15. Regulatory Information
8. Exposure Controls/Personal Protection 16. Other Information

Chemical Entry into the Body

Inhalation Absorption
breathing chemical
entry through
the skin

Ingestion Injection
eating or entry needle or
through the forceful
mouth penetration
Definitions
Latency - When workers develop symptoms several years after being exposed to a
hazardous material or product. (ex. Lead, pesticide or metallic poisoning)
Synergy - The interaction of two or more substances to produce a combined effect
greater than the sum of their separate effects. (ex. Asbestos and smoking)
LD50 – A test to determine the amount of a chemical that, in a single dose, will
kill 50% of the test groups’ population; is used to determine the oral and dermal
toxicity. LD=Lethal Dose.
LC50 – A test used to measure the toxicity of gas, vapor or airborne dust. In this
test, animals are exposed to varying concentrations of a gas or vapor for a 4-hour
period. The concentration that kills half of the test animals is known as the LC50.
LC = Lethal Concentration
OEL (Occupational Exposure Limit) - An exposure limit that indicates a TWA
concentration of a chemical under which most people can work for 8 hours a day,
day after day, with no harmful effects. The OEL is a guideline.
TWA (Time Weighted Average) – A measurement indicating the average exposure
to a chemical over an 8-hr workday or a 40-hr work-week. It is likely that during any
part of the working day a worker may be exposed to concentrations higher than the
listed TWA.
STEL (Short-Term Exposure Limit) - The maximum airborne concentration of a
biological or chemical agent to which a worker may be exposed in any 15-minute
period. The number of times the concentration reaches the STEL and the amount
of time between these occurrences can also be restricted.
C - Ceiling Exposure Value cannot be exceeded at any time. C is most commonly
applied to chemicals that are considered extremely hazardous

Notes:
WHMIS2015
WHMIS is the national standard for hazard communication in Canada
It requires an employer to educate all employees about the safe
handling, storage and use of controlled products in the workplace.
Currently, we are in a multi-year transition.
• Manufacturers and importers can use WHMIS 1988 or
WHMIS 2015 until May 31, 2017.
• Distributors can use WHMIS 1988 or WHMIS 2015 until
May 31, 2018.
• Employers have until November 30, 2018 to bring their
existing inventories of hazardous products into compliance
with WHMIS 2015.

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