4.11 Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Policy
Purpose
The policy is designed for the safety of all employees working with or near hazardous materials. It is the responsibility of all employees and supervisors to make sure that the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) policy is followed.
Policy
Supervisors
It is the responsibility of all supervisors of [Employer/Organization Name] to ensure that:
They are familiar with the hazardous materials, procedures and application.
Employees, contractor employees or supplied employees are identified and provided with proper and adequate time, tools and training to perform the work safely.
Every employee understands the need for WHMIS.
Proper enforcement of this policy is followed.
Employees
It is the responsibility of employees, contract employees or supplied employees to:
Take proper and adequate training in hazardous materials procedures.
Advise supervisors when proper procedures cannot be followed.
Employer
It is the responsibility of the employer to:
Maintain an inventory of all controlled materials at [Employer/Organization Name].
Ensure current Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all materials are accessible for employees.
Review MSDS for any new materials to be used at [Employer/Organization Name] before purchase to determine if the material is suitable for use.
Coordinate and maintain records of WHMIS training.
Requirements
Any employer that uses controlled substances must train employees in the use, handling and storage of chemicals.
Procedure
An up-to-date inventory of chemical substances used and stored at [Employer/Organization Name] will be maintained by the employer. All employees may access this information through a hard copy found on the Health and Safety Bulletin Board.
All areas will have access to MSDS sheet(s) that contains current MSDS relevant to the location. The employer is responsible for ensuring that the MSDS in each area are kept up to date, as required, and accessible to all employees.
MSDS must accompany ALL shipments of WHMIS Controlled Products and be turned over directly to the employer as appropriate for review, distribution and filing.
MSDS must precede new product shipments and pass review by the employer before [Employer/Organization Name] will receive them.
A master set of all MSDS will be on file, located [Location].
Primary containers are those containers in which a manufacturer/distributor supplies a product to the facility. In such cases, the manufacturer/distributor will ensure that WHMIS labeling requirements are met. No future in-house labeling is required provided that the material is not transferred to another container or that the primary container label is not/does not become defaced/illegible.
Secondary containers store substances which have been prepared in-house or transferred from a primary container. The employee transferring any product from a primary to a secondary container will ensure that the container is labeled with a workplace label.
An annual workplace assessment of the WHMIS program will be completed by the employer and Health and Safety Representative
All employees must receive both generic WHMIS training and task specific WHMIS training. The employer will be responsible for coordinating and recording participation details of generic WHMIS training. Supervisors will be responsible for coordinating and recording participation in specific WHMIS training.
Employee training must be completed at the following times:
Prior to the introduction of a new chemical to the workplace (specific)
Prior to starting work as a new work assignment (specific)
Prior to starting work as an employee (generic and specific)
As determined upon annual review, refresher for all employees (generic)
Employee WHMIS training must cover the following:
Information contained on MSDS
WHMIS legislation and symbols
Protective equipment for each particular task
The safe handling and disposal of chemicals and biological agents
The employer will review all MSDS for expiry. Any MSDS found to be expired will be removed from the binder(s). A MSDS request letter will be sent to the supplier of the material requesting a current MSDS. Once a current MSDS is received it will be reviewed for any changes and the inventory and MSDS binder(s) will be updated.
Supplier Labels
The supplier must determine if the product contains any hazardous ingredients. If so the supplier is responsible to attach a supplier label to the product prior to shipping.
The label has a "broken line" border around it and will contain the following information:
Product Identifier - name of the product
Risk Phrases - explains the dangers of the product
Precautionary Measures - safe handling procedures
Hazard Symbol - symbol surrounded by dark circle
Statement saying more information available from the MSDS
First Aid Measures
Name and address of the supplier
If at any time the supplier label becomes illegible or is missing, it must be immediately reported to the supervisor.
Workplace Labels
Workplace labels are required when product is transferred from the supplier container to another container or when the supplier label becomes illegible or is missing.
It is the employer/employee's responsibility to attach a workplace label to the new container.
Workplace labels will contain the following information:
Product Identifier - name of the product
Safety Precautions
Statement saying more information available from the MSDS
Employees must read and follow instructions.
MSDS
MSDSs contain a great deal of information about the product; they will outline the hazards and the precautions to avoid injury or illness when handling the product.
MSDS typically have nine categories of information, they are:
Product Information - the name of the substance and the name, address, and emergency phone number of the company that made the substance.
Hazardous Ingredients - the list of all hazardous ingredients within the product.
Physical Data - identifies the substance’s normal characteristics and danger points (e.g. odour, appearance, level of corrosiveness/pH).
Fire Or Explosion Hazard - alerts user if product is flammable or explosive - also, how to extinguish fire.
Reactivity Data - highlights the stability of the product; are there any products it is incompatible with (e.g. bleach mixed with ammonia will produce a toxic gas).
Toxicological Properties - explains possible health effects from exposure to the product. Highlights routes of entry to body (skin/eyes, ingestion, and inhalation). This section alerts you if the product is linked to cancer.
Preventive Measures - what protective measures are required (e.g. gloves, goggles, respirator, etc). In addition it will tell you how to clean up a spill of the product.
First Aid Measures - how to administer first aid if an exposure occurs with this product.
Preparation Information - this section provides the name and phone number of the group/ person who prepared the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and the date it was prepared. The supplier must update the MSDS every three years.
MSDS must be posted in all work areas that use controlled products. An additional copy should be kept on the health and safety board.
Additional Resources
MSDS Request Letter
Workplace Hazardous Materials Inventory
Legislation Reference
Occupational Health and Safety Act Sections 37, 38, 41, 42
Regulation 860 WHMIS
Document Management
Effective Date:Revision Date:
Material Safety Data Sheet Request Letter Template
«Company»
«Address1»«Address2»
«City»
«State»
«PostalCode»
Dear «Company»
Recently, a review of our Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) program was completed. This assessment revealed that some Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from your company are out of date. In order to comply with WHMIS requirements all MSDS’ must be updated every three years. Hence, new MSDS are required for any MSDS that has not been updated during this time. For this reason, I would appreciate your company forwarding revised MSDS to me for the following substances:
[Materials]
Thank you for your assistance in making our site a safe place to work.
Sincerely,
[Employer/Organization Name]
Workplace Hazardous Materials Inventory
[Employer/Organization Name]Date:
Prepared by:
Product Name / Supplier Contact Information / Volume / Location on Premises / MSDS (Y) / MSDS Expiry Date / Use