WHMIS is implemented through a coordinated system of federal, provincial, and territorial laws. It is legally enforced by Health Canada for suppliers and by provincial/territorial OHS regulators for employers.
🇨🇦 The Core Components of WHMIS
The system is built on three main elements designed to ensure that information about hazardous products flows from suppliers to employers to workers.
Labels: WHMIS uses two main types. Supplier labels are provided by manufacturers and contain the full set of GHS elements, including a product identifier, pictogram, signal word ("Danger" or "Warning"), hazard statements, and precautionary statements. Workplace labels are used by employers when a product is decanted into a secondary container. They require at least a product identifier and general hazard information and must reference the availability of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
Safety Data Sheets (SDS): Every hazardous product must have an accompanying SDS that provides detailed information on properties, hazards, and safe handling procedures. Employers must ensure these are readily accessible to workers.
Worker Education and Training: Employers are legally required to provide both generic (general symbol and label knowledge) and workplace-specific (training on the exact products and procedures used on-site) education and training.
🔄 WHMIS vs. GHS
It is important to understand that GHS has not replaced WHMIS. Instead, Canada has incorporated GHS elements to update the original 1988 system, resulting in WHMIS 2015 .
This alignment introduced standardized hazard classification criteria, new pictograms, a 16-section SDS format, and consistent hazard statements.
🆕 Recent Updates and Transition Period
While the initial transition to WHMIS 2015 was completed in 2018, significant amendments were made to the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) on December 15, 2022.
Suppliers have a three-year transition period to comply with these changes, ending on December 14, 2025. Key updates include:
A new hazard class for Chemicals Under Pressure.
Revised classification criteria for Flammable Gases and Aerosols.
New hazard statement options for Combustible Dust.
Updated SDS format requirements for Section 9 (Physical and Chemical Properties) .
🏛️ Responsibilities Under WHMIS
The law divides responsibilities between suppliers and employers to ensure comprehensive safety coverage:
Suppliers (manufacturers, importers, distributors) are responsible for classifying hazards and providing compliant supplier labels and SDSs.
Employers are responsible for ensuring all hazardous products in the workplace have appropriate labels, that SDSs are available to workers, and that employees receive the required education and training. Employers must also replace damaged labels and maintain an up-to-date inventory of hazardous products.
🛡️ Scope and Exemptions
WHMIS applies to hazardous products used, handled, or stored in Canadian workplaces. However, certain products are partially or fully exempt from supplier labeling and SDS requirements, including:
Explosives, cosmetics, drugs, foods and pest control products (as defined by their respective federal acts).
Wood, tobacco, manufactured articles and products regulated under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act.
Consumer products in normal household quantities (e.g. a small bottle of bleach) generally do not require a WHMIS program, though large industrial containers of the same substance do.
Are you looking for the specific pictograms used in WHMIS, or would you like to know more about the responsibilities for employers versus suppliers under the system?
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