HAMILTON, ON (September 29, 2014) – The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is changing as Canadians prepare to align with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). To help educate workers about the upcoming changes, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has released a new e-course, in partnership with the Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau of Health Canada (formerly the National Office of WHMIS) and funded by Health Canada. It is offered free of charge to the first 100,000 participants, for up to one year, and is available in English and French.
The goal of GHS is to have a common set of rules for classifying hazardous products, common rules for labels, and a standard format for safety data sheets (SDSs). The e-course, WHMIS (After GHS) for Workers, will help workers in Canada understand how to communicate hazard information through labels and safety data sheets under the new GHS requirements.
This course is recommended for workers in organizations where chemical products are used and will provide participants with education on the new WHMIS as amended by the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and the proposed Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR). Participants, who complete the e-course, can expect to better understand labels, recognize the pictograms (symbols) and the hazards that they represent, as well as identify the hazards represented by each hazard class. In addition, participants will also learn how to find additional information about hazards and protective measures on safety data sheets.
The course features case studies, quizzes, and the option to "ask a question". Employers who want to track that their workers have successfully completed the e-course can purchase a multi-user account with automated tracking.
Information about WHMIS (After GHS) for Workers is available on the CCOHS website.
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For Further Information, Contact:
Jennifer Howse, Communications Officer
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
(905) 572-2981, Ext. 4241 E-mail: jennifer.howse@ccohs.ca
www.ccohs.ca
About CCOHS
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a Canadian federal government agency based in Hamilton, Ontario is Canada's national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. CCOHS promotes the total well-being - physical, psychosocial and mental health - of working Canadians by providing information, training, education, management systems and solutions that support health and safety programs and the prevention of injury and illness. CCOHS partners and collaborates with agencies and organizations from Canada and around the world to improve the quality and quantity of resources and programs, as well as expand the breadth of usage of occupational health information to many different segments of society.
About Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau of Health Canada
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau of Health Canada coordinates the administration of the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and serves as the coordinator for the governance and administration of WHMIS in Canada. Health Canada also acts as the secretariat for this federal, provincial and territorial government partnership system.
