WHMIS - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System

What is WHMIS?

WHMIS is a short form for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. It is a comprehensive plan for providing information on the safe use of hazardous materials used in Canadian workplaces. Information is provided by means of product labels,  safety data sheets (SDS) and worker education programs.

-Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

WHMIS 2015

Canada has now adopted new international standards - the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). This includes Safety Data Sheets (SDS), a new labelling system and classification of hazardous products into two broad hazard groups; physical hazards and health hazards.

At Western this means:

WHMIS training at Western is now fully updated to WHMIS 2015. If you completed the transition training called WHMIS *NEW* your training is current until it expires (once every three years) as this module covered both the old WHMIS 1988 and the new WHMIS 2015.

In addition to WHMIS 2015, anyone working in a laboratory must complete Laboratory Safety & Hazardous Waste Management training which has Western specific information.

The new WHMIS 2015 training course will take approximately 1.5 hours to complete.

Online WHMIS training is on OWL.

More details on WHMIS and other training can be found on the Required Training webpage.

Helpful links:
Read more about WHMIS 2015 in Ontario
Learn more about Western Workplace labels
WHMIS 2015 labels
WHMIS 2015 pictograms
Information on Safety Data Sheets
Chemical inventory - The current chemical inventory is a module of WorkSafe at Western.

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