Health Canada announced today that the revised Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and the new Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) are now law in Canada. The amendments establish new requirements for labels and safety data sheets (SDSs) under Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS). The HPA and HPR regulate suppliers (importers, manufacturers, distributors) while WorkSafeNB regulates the requirements of WHMIS in workplaces.
“Transition to the new requirements will be implemented in phases, giving employers and employees ample time to learn the new regulations and hazard symbols, and allowing suppliers and distributors time to deplete their stock of existing labels,” said Gerard Adams, president and chief executive officer of WorkSafeNB.
“Since WHMIS falls under provincial occupational health and safety legislation, and New Brunswick’s WHMIS regulation has not yet been amended to reflect these changes, temporary measures have been developed to guide workplaces during the transition and until provincial regulations are updated,” Adams said.
Information to help with the transition from WHMIS 1988 to WHMIS 2015 is available for suppliers, distributors, employers and employees through WHMIS.org and WorkSafeNB.ca. In addition, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) offers a free online course on WHMIS 2015 for Workers as well as other eCourses on WHMIS.
For more information contact WorkSafeNB’s department of Compliance and Regulatory Review at compliance.conformite@ws-ts.nb.ca
For media inquiries, contact the Communications Department, 506 632-2223 or communications@ws-ts.nb.ca.