1. Wellington Health Care Alliance Presents
WHMIS 1988 and WHMIS 2015

2. What is WHMIS?
WHMIS stands for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
The purpose of WHMIS is to reduce injury, illness or disease caused by exposure to hazardous materials.
WHMIS is law under the Canada Labour Code and is applied in Ontario as a regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
All staff MUST complete WHMIS training
WHMIS covers all products considered “hazardous”

3. Which products are not under WHMIS?
Pest control products (Pest Control Products Act)
Consumer products (Canada Consumer Product Safety Act)
Pharmaceuticals, cosmetic, and food (Food and Drugs Act)
Wood or products made of wood
Nuclear substances (Nuclear Safety and Control Act)
Explosives (Explosives Act)
Hazardous waste being a hazardous product that is sold for recycling or recovery and is intended for disposal.
Tobacco and tobacco products (Tobacco Act)
NOTE: while a product may not be under the requirement to have a WHMIS label and SDS (Safety Data Sheets); employers must provide education and training on these products.

4. New to WHMIS 2015
Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) has been adopted
Products previously called “controlled” are now called “hazardous”
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are now called Safety Data Sheets (SDS); with no expiry dates
Pictograms on labels and Safety Data Sheets have changed
Signal words such as “Danger” have been added to Supplier Labels
More information have been added to Supplier Labels and Safety Data Sheets

5. What is GHS? What are the benefits of GHS?
WHMIS has aligned with the worldwide hazard communication system known as GHS – the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
Aligning with GHS provides many benefits, including:
More comprehensive hazard classification criteria
New hazard classes include physical and health hazards
Physical hazard criteria are consistent with the Transport of Dangerous Goods
Standardized language (hazard and precautionary statements).
Standardized SDS format and more comprehensive requirements.

6. Product Example prior to GHS
For product X (prior to GHS) it would be labelled as:
Imagine the legal complications and difficulty of exporting/importing this product from one country to another.
Imagine the number of different labels required for this product let alone how you accurately communicate the hazards associated with this product to workers who might use it.
Country
Label (prior to GHS labelling)
North America
Toxic
Australia and Europe
Harmful
China
Moderately Toxic
New Zealand
Hazardous
India
Non-toxic

7. Basically…
WHMIS GHS = WHMIS 2015

8. Supplier’s Duties
Suppliers who sell or import hazardous products must classify hazardous products.
Classification is determined based on comparison of all available hazard data for the ingredients or mixture to the WHMIS requirements.
When a product is a hazardous product, the supplier must label the product or container and they must provide a safety data sheet (SDS) to their customers.

9. Employer’s Duties
Educate and train workers on the hazards, safe storage, handling, and use of the hazardous products
Ensure hazardous products are properly labelled
Prepare workplace labels and safety data sheets (SDS) if required
Provide workers with access to up-to-date labels and SDS

10. Worker’s Duties
Follow safe work procedures and use required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when handling a WHMIS product
Notify your employer or supervisor about problems with labels and safety data sheets (SDS), such as improper or missing information
Report any violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or WHMIS to their manager/supervisor

11. Why do I require training on both WHMIS 1988 and 2015?
The transition time is present.
Suppliers have until May 31, 2017 to transition WHMIS 1988 labels/MSDS to WHMIS 2015 labels/SDS
Distributors have until May 31, 2018 to transition from WHMIS 1988
Employers have until November 30, 2018 to educate staff on WHMIS 2015
All staff will be educated on both systems during the transition time. Once the transition is complete, staff will solely be educated on WHMIS 2015

12. WHMIS 2015 Pictograms

13. WHMIS 1988 Hazard Symbols
You will continue to find WHMIS 1988 hazard symbols on products until the suppliers have transitioned over to WHMIS 2015

14. Pictogram Checkpoint: Match the pictogram with the description
Corrosive Oxidizing Hazards Health Hazard

15. Answers Pictogram Checkpoint: Match the pictogram with the description
Corrosive Oxidizing Hazards Health Hazard

16. Supplier Labels WHMIS 1988 vs. WHMIS 2015
A supplier label must:
appear on all controlled products received at workplaces in Canada
contain the following information:
name of product/product identifier
name of supplier
a statement that an MSDS is available
hazard symbols
risk phrases
precautionary measures
first aid measures
have all text in English and French
have the WHMIS hatched border.
A supplier label must:
appear on all hazardous products received at workplaces in Canada
contain the following information:
name of product/product identifier
name of supplier
a statement that a SDS is available
pictogram: with a red diamond shape
signal word: a single word to alert reader of hazard and it’s severity (ie. Danger)
hazard statement: describing the nature of the hazard
precautionary statement: measures taken place to prevent adverse event
supplemental label information
Information of distributer if the hazardous product is imported and distributed
Have all text in English and French

17. Sample WHMIS 2015 Supplier Label
Name of product Pictogram Signal word Hazard Statement Precautionary Statement Supplemental Label Information Name of Supplier

18. Workplace Labels WHMIS 1988 vs. WHMIS 2015
A workplace label must:
appear on all controlled products produced in a workplace or transferred to other containers by the employer
have the following information:
product identifier (product name)
information for the safe handling of the product
statement that the MSDS is available
may contain the WHMIS hazard symbols or other pictograms.
A workplace label must:
appear on all hazardous products produced in a workplace or transferred to other containers by the employer
Replace a lost or illegible supplier label
have the following information:
Product name (matching the SDS product name).
Safe handling precautions, may include pictograms or other supplier label information.
a reference to the SDS
*If the hazardous product is always used in the container with the supplier label, no other label is required.

19. MSDS vs. SDS SDS have 16 information points: Identification
MSDS have 9 information points:
Product Information: product identifier (name), manufacturer and suppliers names, addresses, and emergency phone numbers
Hazardous Ingredients
Physical Data
Fire or Explosion Hazard Data
Reactivity Data: information on the chemical instability of a product and the substances it may react with
Toxicological Properties: health effects
Preventive Measures
First Aid Measures
Preparation Information: who is responsible for preparation and date of preparation of MSDS
SDS have 16 information points:
Identification
Hazard(s) identification
Composition/information on ingredients
First-aid measures
Fire-fighting measures
Accidental release measures
Handling and Storage
Exposure controls/personal protection
Physical and chemical properties
Stability and reactivity
Toxicological information
Ecological information
Disposal considerations
Transport information
Regulatory information
Other information

20. How to Prevent Exposures
Receive education on how to use hazardous products
Wear PPE correctly if indicated
Review MSDS/SDS-> They are on the homepage on the intranet…
When in doubt, ask questions

21. WHMIS QUIZ: For GMCH Staff: For NWHC Staff: Click on the link:
*If you are having trouble opening the link, right click the mouse on the link and
click on “Open Hyperlink”
Type your FIRST and LAST name in the box labelled name
Password: GMCH
Complete the five questions
Your results will automatically be recorded
For NWHC Staff:
Click on the link:
*If you are having trouble opening the link, right click the mouse on the link and
click on “Open Hyperlink”
Type your FIRST and LAST name in the box labelled name
Password: NWHC
Complete the five questions
Your results will automatically be recorded

22. References
Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety Ontario Ministry of Labour MSDS Online