Blog

Alberta Bill 30 makes a distinction between education and training as does WHMIS 2015. Chemscape will breakdown for you what the distinction is between both and how you can develop your WHMIS program accordingly.

When Is WHMIS Training Required? WHMIS training should be updated as necessary or when significant information has changed. WHMIS training should be provided by the employer when a new employee is hired during orientation.

What Employees Need WHMIS Training? The answer to who needs training and the extent of WHMIS education and training is something a company needs to consider. Everyone needs the basics.

Banning, Prohibiting and /or Restricting a Chemical or Ingredient Eliminating the chemical or ingredient in the workplace eliminates the hazards associated with the chemical or ingredient. Elimination can prevent injuries, illness, loss or adverse effect on the environment. Elimination is the first method of control in chemical handling to consider.

There are many options for Safety Data Sheet authoring on the market. Here are some red flags we see when examining SDSs written by low-cost providers and automated authoring programs. The results are poorly written SDSs that do not conform to GHS standards, provide inaccurate information and can even be non-compliant.

Does one SDS work now for all countries since it is a Globally Harmonized System(GHS)? Although the GHS has introduced standardized communication for Labels and Safety Data Sheets, countries have adopted these standards into their own legislation, and SDSs still vary significantly by country.

Do you have Concurrent or Simultaneous Operations in your organization? Could one operator’s tasks be unknowingly generating health hazards for others? Learn how to quickly Identify, Communicate and Control Chemical Hazards and Health Risk at these job sites. Our safety expert John Artym and Industrial Hygienist Mike Phibbs CIH ROH face off.

It is well known that exposure to noise levels in the workplace can cause hearing loss.  However, you may not be aware that exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace as well as medication you may take on a regular basis can also damage your hearing.  These chemicals are said to be ototoxic (oto = ear, toxic = poisonous).  Furthermore, work activities where noise and ototoxin

On November 29, 2017 WorkSafeBC presented a Pre-Drilling Season Update in Ft St John. Chemscape attended and I wanted to share some key points from this meeting. The Upstream Oil and Gas Industry in BC currently has 1,891 employers. Oil and Gas has the lowest injury rate of all classification Business Units in BC but they have one of the highest short term disability duration.

As you are probably aware the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act is currently being reviewed, proposed changes have been shared for comment and Bill 30 has received first reading in the Legislative Assembly.

Here are some Health and Safety apps for working with Chemical Hazards that we have been recommending to make your work more productive:

If your organization produces or ships chemical products you likely have different departments working on different areas of that product’s life cycle; whether that is marketing them, managing their hazards and risks, or transporting those products. All departments have many common links and tasks between managing a chemical but frequently, they do not communicate with each other.