The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS, known as SIMDUT, Système d'information sur les matières dangereuses utilisées au travail in French, Canada's other national language) is Canada's national workplace hazard communication standard. The key elements of the system, which came into effect on October 31, 1988, are cautionary labelling of containers of WHMIS controlled products, the provision of material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and worker education and site-specific training programs.
WHMIS is an example of synchronization and cooperation amongst Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments. The coordinated approach avoided duplication, inefficiency through loss of scale and the interprovincial trade barriers that would have been created had each province and territory established its own hazard communication system.
Class A Compressed gas |
Class D-2 Materials causing other toxic effects |
Class B Flammable and combustible material |
Class D-3 Biohazardous infectious material |
Class C Oxidizing material |
Class E Corrosive material |
Class D-1 Materials causing immediate and serious toxic effects |
Class F Dangerously reactive material |
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The federal Hazardous Products Act and associated Controlled Products Regulations, administered by the National Office of WHMIS residing in the federal Department of Health Canada, established the national standard for chemical classification and hazard communication in Canada and is the foundation for the workers' "right-to-know" legislation enacted in each of Canada's provinces and territories.
Under the Constitution of Canada, labour legislation falls primarily under the jurisdiction of Canada's provinces and territories. The Labour Program, of the federal government Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, is the occupational health and safety (OHS) regulatory authority for the approximately 10% of workplaces designated to be under federal jurisdiction. As such, each of the thirteen federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) agencies responsible for OHS has established employer WHMIS requirements within their respective jurisdiction. These requirements place an onus on employers to ensure that controlled products used, stored or handled in the workplace are properly labelled, that material safety data sheets are made available to workers, and that workers receive education and site-specific training to ensure the safe storage, handling and use of controlled products in the workplace.
The WHMIS initiative represents an excellent example of consensus-building public engagement. Industry, organized labour and all governments actively participated in the development of WHMIS; i.e., Canada's national workplace hazard communication system represents a consensus amongst stakeholders. The system, a shared responsibility, continues to evolve through consensus. This system of identifying Hazardous Materials is taught to students and employees working within Canada.
Implementation of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals will require changes to the federal Hazardous Products Act and associated Controlled Products Regulations. Technical consultations through the long established multi-stakeholder WHMIS Current Issues Committee are approaching completion. Drafting of revised regulations is anticipated to commence in 2009. Decisions on a number of key areas are yet to be made including, for example, the implementation date, transition period and special provisions for labels and MSDSs. Stakeholder consensus on outstanding issues will be developed concurrently with the drafting of the revised regulations. Canadian GHS implementation objectives include harmonization to the greatest extent possible between Canada and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries.