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An in-depth look at commonly asked questions surrounding Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
Regulatory requirements and industry best practices for authoring Safety Data Sheets.
Browse our comprehensive WHMIS guides, webinars, blogs & supporting resources.
Browse our comprehensive HazCom guides, webinars, blogs & supporting resources.
Learn about chemical hazards, control banding and EHS best practices.
Free videos and learning tools on chemical hazards and how they can impact your health.
Chemscape is proud to be the leading provider of SDS management solutions in Canada, providing Canadian businesses with valuable insights relating to WHMIS, ensuring worker safety and compliance. Within this WHMIS resources section, we have compiled information to provide an in-depth look at commonly asked questions pertaining to WHMIS guidelines and best-practices.
Explore Chemscape’s compilation of WHMIS PDF resources that include checklists, rules, pictograms, and more.
Set up an annual review of your WHMIS program with the help of this checklist.
A chart to display the WHMIS variations on SDS rules across Canada.
A side-by-side of comparison of hazardous product regulations between Canada and the USA.
Learn what needs to be on a supplier label in Canada.
WHMIS is a Canada-wide system that stands for the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. WHMIS was designed so employers and workers have health and safety information regarding hazardous products used in the workplace. Employers must use this information as well as information specific to their workplace and train their employees on the safe use, handling and storage of hazardous products at their workplace.
After many years of discussion Canada is aligned the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) with the international standard of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). WHMIS was created in 1988 and known as WHMIS 1988. In 2015, WHMIS incorporated GHS and was called WHMIS 2015. All current classifications, safety data sheets and labels use GHS. In December 2022 to amend WHMIS to GHS revision 7 & 8. Suppliers have until December 14, 2025, to update their SDSs to these changes.
The GHS is a framework developed by the United Nations for harmonizing hazard classification criteria and chemical hazard communication elements like safety data sheets and labelling worldwide. The purpose of classification under the GHS is to provide harmonized information to users of chemicals with the goal of enhancing protection of human health and the environment. Moving to one standard in the age of global trade simplifies regulations and improves the safety for workers who interact with hazardous products.
Manufacturers under WHMIS are expected to know the most about their chemical products. They are required to create WHMIS compliant container labels and SDSs. Manufacturers must distribute those SDSs. Those SDSs with the sale of their product directly to customers or through suppliers and distributors.
Suppliers may have chemical products that are made in Canada or imported from other countries. They are required to classify each product as hazardous or not hazardous according to WHMIS regulations. Chemical products need a supplier label and SDS before it is shipped to customers.
As per WHMIS regulations and standards, employers are responsible for protecting their workers from health and safety hazards. Employers need to ensure their workers understand the hazards of the products in the workplace and understand how to protect themselves from those hazards. All hazardous products need labels and an up-to-date SDS. Employers need to provide education and training programs to their workers. Chemscape has prepared a WHMIS checklist to help employers audit their WHMIS program.
Workers need to participate in WHMIS and chemical safety training. Workers should recognize hazards in the workplace and take steps to protect themselves. They are required to follow instructions and workplace procedures. Workers need to tell employers if they observe any problems with labels and SDSs. They should understand how to work with the hazardous products at their workplace.
Most of the hazard classes in WHMIS are common to GHS; this means they will be used worldwide with other countries that have adopted GHS. There are a few classes that are specific to WHMIS. WHMIS classifies by assigning a product to a group and then to a category and finally a class. WHMIS has two main groups of hazards: the physical hazards group and the health hazards group. There is also a third GHS group called the Environmental Hazards Group that was not adopted by Canada; as it uses other regulations for the environment. A product can have more than one hazard group classification.
Physical Hazards Group: chemicals in this hazard group present significant physical danger. Products are classified based on their physical state (solid, liquid, gas) and physical properties (explosive, flammable, corrosive).
Health Hazard Group: chemicals in this hazard group present health danger either in the short term or long term.
Example below: Methanol Classification
WHMIS GHS pictograms are graphic images that show you what type of hazard is present. They are organized according to the hazard group category. A chemical may have more than one pictogram.
Carcinogen
Mutagenicity
Reproductive Toxicity
Respiratory Sensitizer
Target Organ Toxicity
Aspiration Toxicity
Acute Toxicity:
Fatal or toxic
Irritant (skin & eye)
Skin Sensitizer
Acute Toxicity (harmful)
Respiratory Tract Irritant
Hazardous Ozone Layer
Narcotic Effects
Skin Corrosion/Burns
Eye Damage
Corrosive to Metals
Gases Under Pressure
Chemicals Under Pressure
Explosives
Self Reactives
Organic Peroxides
Flammables
Pyrophorics
Self-Heating
Emits Flammable Gas
Self-Reactives
Organic Peroxides
Oxidizers
Aquatic Toxicity
Hazardous Ozone Layer
Unique to Canada
You should see labels on every hazardous product container you use on the job. Labels are used to communicate essential information about a product including:
There are two types of labels: supplier labels and workplace labels. WHMIS regulations require a label on every product that is classified as hazardous product.
Labels need to be on every hazardous product container of product you use on the job. WHMIS supplier labels need to be written in French and English. It alerts you to the name of the product, the hazards of the product (signal word, pictograms, hazard statements), what precautions you need to take to work safely with the product (precautionary statements), and what to do in an emergency (precautionary statements and supplier contact information). Suppliers ship their product with a supplier label.
Employers may need to apply a WHMIS workplace label to a product, a workplace label may be required when:
• a hazardo us product is made at the workplace and used at the same workplace
• a hazardous product is transferred to a secondary container
• a supplier label becomes damaged or unreadable
Elements of a workplace label: Product name, Supplier Name, Pictograms, Hazard Statements, Precautionary Statements, and a reference to the SDS.
The Safety Data Sheet or SDS is a document that identities hazardous materials identify hazardous materials and gives you more details on what the hazards are. SDSs provide more detailed hazard information about the product than the label. It provides instruction on how to work safely with the hazardous product and better understanding.
You should be familiar with the hazards of a product before you start to use it. Ensure the product name on the container is an exact match with the SDS.
Here are some basic questions you need to be able to answer before you work safely with a product:
•What is this product? (Section 1: Product Identification)
•What are the hazards? (Section 2: Hazard Identification)
•How do I work with this safely? (Section 7: Handling and Storage)
•What do I do in an emergency? (Section 4, 5, and 6: First Aid, Fire Fighting Measures, and Accidental Release Measures)
WHMIS training is frequently done when employees are hired as part of their orientation to a new company. Although there is no standard or expiration for WHMIS training industry best practices recommends WHMIS training should be ongoing, reviewed at least annually and adapted as hazards change in the workplace. A good WHMIS training program incorporates dialogue between the employer and employee with engagement and dialogue between management and front-line workers.
WHMIS education is often the foundation and is more general on the elements of WHMIS including:
WHMIS Training is workplace specific and practical to the employees. Examples of regular training can include review of safe work procedures; emergency drills and standards; annual chemical inventory – company SDS and labelling practices; and regular toolbox talks on chemical safety.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Learn about common occupational illnesses and prevention strategies to protect workers from long-term health risks.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
WHMIS training is essential for workplace safety and compliance. Learn expert tips on creating engaging and impactful safety programs from Chemscape.
Thursday, November 28, 2024
HazCom Resources Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) The ERG is a crucial tool for first responders, aiding in hazard identification and protective measures during hazardous materials incidents. Developed by North American agencies, it’s updated regularly and available in multiple formats. Essential for transportation incidents but not a substitute for training.
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