Health Canada

E-mail:
whmis-simdut@hc-sc.gc.ca
Website:
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) - Canada.ca

Description

Federal Jurisdiction - Workplace Hazardous Products Program, within Consumer and Hazardous Products Safety Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada.
WHMIS is implemented through coordinated and interlocking federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) legislation, which ensures a consistent national system of hazard communication for all workers in Canada. At the federal level, Health Canada administers the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) which regulates the sale and importation of hazardous products in Canada. Health Canada collaborates with federal, provincial and territorial occupational health and safety (OHS) agencies to implement WHMIS including the compliance and enforcement of the HPA and HPR.
In addition, when a supplier or employer wants to be exempt from having to disclose certain confidential business information (CBI), such as the chemical identity of one or more trade-secret hazardous ingredients, they must file a claim for exemption with Health Canada.

WHMIS Status

On January 4, 2023, Health Canada published amendments to the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) in the Canada Gazette, Part II, to align with the 7th revised edition, and certain provisions of the 8th revised edition, of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The amendments came into force on December 15, 2022.

Transition period

The regulatory amendments provide a 3-year transition period, ending on December 14, 2025.

The transition to the amended HPR is from the former HPR that were in effect immediately before the coming into force of the amendments.

The 3-year transition period gives suppliers, employers, and workers time to adjust to the changes, and helps ensure consistency across Canada through coordination and alignment between federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions.

Compliance during transition period

During the 3-year transition period, regulated parties can choose to comply with either the former HPR or the amended HPR, but not a combination of both. The hazard classification and safety data sheet (and label, if applicable) of a hazardous product must be fully compliant with the version of the regulation chosen.