Top » Under WHMIS, what are the personal duties for people in the chemical industry?

Published by Jeff Burns on 30.09.2009 in and previewed 61 times


Within the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) it is stated that under WHMIS every hazardous chemical product puts an onus on each person who comes into contact with the substance. This means the suppliers, employers, and workers who sell or work in an environment with a hazardous chemical. Each person within the chemical industry has their own duties. Every single one of these people however, has the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the public’s health when the hazardous chemical product is in use, storage or transportation.

Under WHMIS, the suppliers within the chemical industry are the people who sell or import the chemical product in Canada. Under Canadian law, any WHMIS controlled product must have a current hazard label attached to it prior to sale. This ensures the proper health and safety information is available during transportation, storage and use of the chemical. The chemical product must also have an up-to-date MSDS. This MSDS has to be given to the customer around the time of sale to ensure product accuracy and safety.

Chemical industrial companies and employers have the duty of training their employees in regards to WHMIS. Every employee must be provided with educational training courses in regards to WHMIS safety as well as hands-on-training for those employees who are in direct contact with the hazardous chemicals on a daily basis. Employers also have the responsibility of ensuring that every chemical product on their premises contains the proper label and corresponding MSDS. Employers must address any employee concerns in regards to hazardous products, as well as make certain the work environment is safe at all times.

Workers in the chemical industry have a liability of partaking in the training courses their employer provides. They have the responsibility of using the hazardous chemicals in a safe manner to prevent accidents involving themselves and other employees. It is also the workers job to inform the employer when any product container is mislabelled, or missing information. Workers within the industry are usually the people who are at the greatest risk level for accidents happening with hazardous chemicals, but they are also the ones who have the greatest burden to ensure they possess the correct training and self awareness of the risk with which the products they are using hold.

About Author

Jeff Burns writes for Nexreg Compliance Inc., a company that provides WHMIS services and MSDS Authoring.

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