Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and Laboratory Safety

WHAT IS WHMIS?? A Canadian-wide Information System Designed to protect the worker Provides information about hazardous materials Provides workers with the right to be informed

“No employer may allow the use, handling or storage of a Controlled Product in a workplace unless the product carries a label and a material safety data sheet which meet the requirements of this Act and the regulations and unless the worker has received the training and information required to carry out the work entrusted to him safely”. IT’S THE LAW!!!!

Main Elements of WHMIS LABELS MSDS TRAINING

LABELS Supplier Workplace Laboratory

Supplier Labels On all containers received from a commercial supplier Have a dark hatch-mark boarder Different color from the rest of container In English and French

Pictograms on Supplier Labels

CLASS A: Compressed Gas Gas inside cylinder is under pressure The cylinder may explode if heated or damaged Sudden release of high pressure gas streams may puncture skin and cause fatal embolism Precautions: Transport and handle with care Make sure cylinders are properly secured Store away from sources of heat or fire Use proper regulator

Flammable and Combustible Material CLASS B: Flammable and Combustible Material Store away from Class C (oxidizing materials) Store away from sources of heat, sparks and flame Do not smoke near these materials

CLASS C: Oxidizing Materials Can cause other materials to burn or explode by providing oxygen May burn skin and eyes on contact Precautions: Store away from Class B (flammable and combustible) materials Store away from sources of heat and ignition Wear the recommended protective equipment and clothing

CLASS D: Controlled Products Division 1: Materials Causing Immediate and Serious Toxic Effects Division 2: Materials Causing Other Toxic Effects Materials Causing Immediate and Serious Toxic Effects: May cause immediate death or serious injury if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin Avoid inhaling gas or vapours Avoid skin and eye contact Wear the recommended protective equipment and clothing Do not eat, drink or smoke near these materials Wash hands after handling Materials Causing Other Toxic Effects: May cause death or permanent injury following repeated or long-term exposure May irritate eyes, skin and breathing passages: may lead to chronic lung problems and skin sensitivity May cause liver or kidney damage, cancer, birth defects or sterility Biohazardous Infectious Materials Contact with microbiological agents (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi and their toxins) may cause illness or death Work with these materials in designated areas Disinfect area after handling Division 3: Biohazardous Infectious Materials

CLASS E: Corrosive Materials Will burn eyes and skin on contact Will burn tissues of respiratory tract if inhaled Precautions: Store acids and bases in separate areas Avoid inhaling these materials Avoid contact with skin and eyes Wear the recommended protective equipment and clothing

Dangerously Reactive Materials CLASS F: Dangerously Reactive Materials May be unstable, reacting dangerously to jarring, compression, heat or exposure to light May burn, explode or produce dangerous gases when mixed with incompatible materials Store away from heat Avoid shock and friction Wear the recommended protective equipment and clothing

NOT CLASSIFIED AS CONTROLLED PRODUCTS Explosives Radioactive materials Domestic goods Cosmetics Food and drug additives Drugs and diagnostic chemicals Pesticides Hazardous waste

Workplace Labels

Laboratory Labels From a laboratory house, Intended for use in the lab only, Are packaged in less than 10kg quantities Product name First aid measures Risk phrases Precautionary measures Reference to MSDS Sample name, chemical identity Hazardous ingredients Supplier name and telephone # Statement: “This is a hazardous laboratory sample. For hazard information or in emergencies call…..” Special Laboratory Rules: If a controlled product/chemical is produced in the laboratory for evaluation, analysis, or testing purposes then while it is in the laboratory, it must be legibly identified. The teachers and students must understand the labeling system and can trace it back to an MSDS or information necessary to ensure safe use storage and handling. If a controlled product received in a laboratory has been transferred from the original container for use, analysis, testing, or evaluation in the laboratory, then the contents of the second container must be clearly identified. The teacher and students must be familiar with this mode of identification and thus can trace the identification back to the supplier or workplace label and its MSDS. In other words, beakers containing chemicals may be identified with numbers or colors as long as all those using them understand the identity system.

MSDS Supplier must provide Accessible to ALL workers in the workplace Must be kept up to date (less than 3 years old) Must be made available to doctor in the event of exposure All chemicals used or stored in a laboratory must be listed and must have a current MSDS. The list and the MSDSs must be available to those using the lab. Chemicals can only be stored but not used if they do not have an MSDS. Product Identification – name, company, phone # MSDS Preparation – date, preparer Ingredients – CAS #, OSHA PEL, ACGIH TLV Physical Properties – odour, colour, state Fire and Explosion data - Product Reactivity Toxicological Information Preventative Measures First Aid Measures

MSDS DEFINITIONS Threshold Limit Value TLV (TWA) average concentration to which most workers can be exposed during an 8-hour workday, day after day, without harmful effects. TLV (STEL) is a 15 minute “short term exposure limit”. Ceiling (C) is a maximum concentration never to be exceeded. TLV= is an 8-hour time-weighted average believed to be the

Flash Point °C varsol 40 ethyl alcohol 13 methyl alcohol 11 acetone -18 gasoline -43 ether (diethyl) -45 natural gas - 88 The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid produces enough vapour to ignite in the presence of a source of ignition. The lower the flash point, the greater the risk of fire.

LD50 LD50 (Lethal Dose50) is the amount of a substance that, when administered by a defined route of entry (e.g. oral or dermal) over a specified period of time, is expected to cause the death of 50 per cent of a defined animal population.

LC50 LC50 (Lethal Concentration50) is the amount of a substance in air that, when given by inhalation over a specified period of time, is expected to cause the death in 50 per cent of a defined animal population.

TRAINING: Lab Safety Maintain quiet, orderly behaviour Be alert Do not leave experiments unattended Know the lab procedure Avoid loose, bulky clothing Tie back long hair No shorts or sandals No food or drink Stay out of the Storage Room

Lab Safety Wear safety goggles Know location and operation of safety equipment Know escape route Keep work areas clean and tidy Do not carry hot or dangerous chemicals through a crowd Always waft odors towards your nose Wash hands after handling any chemical Remove electric plugs with the plug, not the cord

Lab Safety Never taste chemicals Broken glass should be placed in a container provided for that purpose Dispose of chemicals as instructed by the teacher Never return unused solutions to stock containers or reagent bottles Rinse any skin burn immediately with lots of water Report all injuries, regardless of how minor Beware of drops on the table, they may be corrosive

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CHEMISTRY… You have just received WHMIS training for Secondary School Science Programs BE SAFE and ENJOY!!!