(Intro Music)
WHMIS, as it's now known, is the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System.
It's a major response to Canadian workers' right to know more about the health and safety hazards
of materials used in the workplace.
The system has been in effect since October 31, 1988.
WHMIS provides workers and employers nationwide
with vital information about hazardous materials
or controlled products, as they are referred to in the legislation.
Exposure to hazardous material can result in health problems
such as irritation to the eyes, sensitization of the skin or lungs,
heart ailments, kidney damage and cancer.
Some materials can cause or contribute to fires, explosions or other accidents
when improperly stored or handled.
Approximately one in four Canadian workers is exposed to chemical hazards on the job.
Materials that cause disease or injury have major economic impact.
Recent findings estimate the social cost of exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace
to be about $600 million a year.
Due to the seriousness of these health and safety problems
and the lack of information available to employers and workers,
government agreed to implement WHMIS with the goal of reduced illness and injury
caused by hazardous materials in the workplace.
WHMIS was the result of a consensus developed over a period of almost a decade
through the cooperative efforts of industry, labour and government.
In Canada, there are many forms of legislation governing a variety of hazardous products.
WHMIS considered various aspects of the existing legislation and,
with certain amendments, packaged it within a single legislated information system
that applies to workplaces across Canada.
The three key elements of WHMIS information delivery to workers are:
Labelling, the Material Safety Data Sheet or MSDS, and worker education and training.
Labels on controlled product containers alert workers to hazards and necessary precautions.
Material Safety Data Sheets are complimentary information bulletins
that contain detailed hazard, precautionary and emergency information on controlled products.
Workers must receive education concerning product hazards,
as well as training in work and emergency procedures.
The WHMIS System is based on three key participants:
the supplier, the employer and the worker.
Suppliers, who sell and distribute controlled products,
must provide labels and MSDSson those products as a condition of sale.
Employers who purchase these products must ensure this information
is readily available in the workplace and educate workers accordingly.
The overall goal of WHMIS is an informed worker who is able to apply the information on the job.
To assist employers in their education role, this video and print program has been developed.
It's meant for everyone affected by WHMIS, including workers, supervisors and foremen,
members of safety and health committees, employers and suppliers.
People will learn how WHMIS works and understand the additional steps
that must be taken to successfully implement the system in the workplace.
The program can be presented by an instructor such as a supervisor,
a representative from the safety and health committee,
or by the firm's WHMIS coordinator.
There are five parts in the video program.
This video gives an introduction to WHMIS, what will be covered in your instruction program,
and what is expected of you.
The other four cover Classification, Labelling,
Material Safety Data Sheets and WHMIS Education and Implementation.
The Participant Workbook can be used in class, as well as for future reference.
Once you've completed this introductory module, you will move on to Part Two:
The Classification video which discusses the various classes of controlled products,
examples of products excluded from WHMIS requirements,
the relationship between WHMIS information requirements and those of other legislation,
and the general classification procedure.
The classification module lets you apply the new information
to an in class inventory of controlled products in your workplace.
Part Three, The Label, describes the different types of WHMIS Labelling:
supplier labels, workplace labels and other means of identification,
as well as responsibilities for labelling.
We'll show how labels can be developed within WHMIS requirements
and give you a guide for developing a sample label in the classroom.
Part Four, the MSDS, outlines the purpose of a Material Safety Data Sheet
and how it relates to the worker.
It covers supplier, employer and worker responsibilities for MSDSs,
the requirements for MSDS design, and the relation of MSDS content
to the development of job procedures and workplace labels.
This information will help the class interpret information
from an actual Material Safety Data Sheet and apply it to the workplace.
Part Five, Education and Implementation, shows how WHMIS information
is combined with other workplace information to determine the necessary job procedures,
on site worker education and workplace environment controls.
It outlines the eight key steps to WHMIS implementation,
examples of worker education requirements,
and how the employer and health and safety committees or representatives
can develop the WHMIS program together.