GHS update: Government of Canada Introduces New Regulations to Protect Workers Handling Hazardous Materials

On July 30. 2016, the Government of Canada announced that new Occupational Health and Safety regulations under the Canada Labour Code, which are intended to better protect federally regulated workers who use, handle and store hazardous products in the workplace, will be published in Part II of the Canada Gazette later this month.

The amendments are part of a national and international initiative to implement the "Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals", known as the "GHS" - a worldwide standard of communicating hazards associated with workplace chemicals and mixtures intended for use, storage or handling in a workplace, through a series of standardized labels and safety data sheets.

CWWA has been monitoring efforts to implement the GHS across the country for some time, since many member facilities will have chemicals subject to the program onsite. Some of our members are federal facilities and will be subject to the new regulations when they come into effect. We anticipate that members will be required to update safety material onsite, and provide training in the new classification system and new procedures.

Access the Government of Canada's announcement at: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1092229