Upgrading WHMIS Training for Managers and Supervisors
As a management professional in a Canadian company, it's crucial to prioritize health and safety in the workplace. With the ever-evolving regulations and standards, it's essential to keep your WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) training up to date. In this blog post, we will explore practical solutions and actionable steps to help managers and supervisors enhance their WHMIS training, ensuring a safer work environment for all employees.
The Importance of WHMIS Training
Start with a catchy subheading: "Protecting People and Promoting Productivity"
Highlight relevant statistics on workplace accidents and the impact on businesses.
Explain how WHMIS training plays a vital role in reducing incidents and complying with Canadian OHS regulations.
Use real-life examples to illustrate the potential consequences of inadequate training.
Key Changes
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) has undergone significant changes, and it's crucial for managers and supervisors in Canadian companies to be aware of these updates. The transition from WHMIS 2015 to the amended WHMIS brings several notable impacts. These include the adoption of a new physical hazard class called "Chemicals Under Pressure," the introduction of a non-flammable aerosols hazard category, and the implementation of new subcategories for flammable gases. These changes broaden the understanding and management of workplace hazards.
In addition to hazard classification modifications, there are revisions to the information elements required on safety data sheets (SDS) and labels. Specifically, the elements concerning physical and chemical properties in section 9 of the SDS have been modified. New elements, such as boiling point, flammability, kinematic viscosity, density and relative density, relative vapour density, and particle characteristics, have been introduced. Some elements, including odour threshold, evaporation rate, vapour density, and viscosity, have been removed. Nonetheless, safety data sheets can still provide these elements as supplementary information as long as they are not false or misleading.
Another important amendment mandates the disclosure of all hazardous ingredients present in a mixture above the relevant cut-off levels, regardless of whether they contribute to the product's classification as hazardous or not. This ensures transparency and empowers workers and users to make informed decisions about potential risks.
While all industries using, storing, or handling hazardous products need to update their training programs, certain sectors will experience a more significant impact. Industries such as mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction, petroleum and coal product manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, plastics and rubber products manufacturing, non-metallic mineral product manufacturing, primary metal manufacturing, and animal feed manufacturing are likely to be most affected by the amended WHMIS regulations.
To ensure compliance with the updated WHMIS, managers and supervisors should take proactive steps in updating their training programs. This includes conducting a training needs assessment to identify knowledge gaps, staying informed about the changes through resources provided by Health Canada, partnering with reputable training providers specializing in WHMIS, tailoring training programs to address industry-specific hazards, and providing ongoing support through regular refresher courses and access to updated materials.
By staying updated and implementing comprehensive training programs, managers and supervisors can create safer work environments that prioritize health and safety in accordance with Canadian regulations.
Update your WHMIS Training
Here are the latest training programs available for WHMIS - LINK
