Saskatchewan
In Saskatchewan, the role of education and enforcement for WHMIS and GHS is shared by the partnership of WorkSafe Saskatchewan, a partnership between the Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety (LRWS).
The WCB provides education and information to workers and employers, while LRWS Occupational Health and Safety Division focuses primarily on the enforcement of WHMIS.
WHMIS regulations are found in The Saskatchewan Employment Act and The Occupational Health and Safety (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) Regulations.
These pieces of legislation outline employer responsibilities for a WHMIS program including the requirement of labels and SDSs, as well as education and training requirements. Provincial inspectors also support the enforcement of federal WHMIS requirements from the Hazardous Product Act and associated regulations.
WHMIS Status
Current Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Requirements
The Saskatchewan Employment Act (Part III Division 7, sections 3-47 to 3-51)
The Occupational Health and Safety (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) Regulations
As of December 1, 2018 employers must ensure that they are in full compliance with WHMIS 2015. Chemical products that were present in the workplace on or before November 30, 2018 may not be compliant with the WHMIS 2015 system. If you still have hazardous products with WHMIS 1988 labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in your workplace you must either:
- Relabel WHMIS 1988 products with a WHMIS 2015 compliant workplace label, and obtain or prepare a WHMIS 2015 compliant Safety Data Sheet (SDS);
- Relabel WHMIS 1988 products with a WHMIS 2015 compliant supplier label, and obtain or prepare a WHMIS 2015 compliant SDS; or
- Safely dispose of WHMIS 1988 products that cannot be brought into compliance with WHMIS 2015.
Communications
On January 1, 2016, housekeeping amendments were made to Part III of The Saskatchewan Employment Act to allow for the appropriate references to federal legislation and regulations.
On August 17, 2016, amendments to The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 and The Occupational Health and Safety (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) Regulations take effect. These regulations contain requirements for employers and workers. They also include provisions for the transition to WHMIS 2015.
As of December 1, 2018 employers must ensure that all workers have been trained and educated on the WHMIS 2015 system. In addition, all chemicals must have a WHMIS 2015 compliant label and a safety data sheet. Products that cannot be brought into compliance must be safely disposed of. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) collaborated with WorkSafe to provide training materials for workers.