9.00 Hazardous Materials (WHMIS)

The Employer, Sir Sandford Fleming College, shall make and maintain an inventory of all hazardous materials and physical agents that are present in the workplace.

The Hazardous Materials inventory shall:

• include all information prescribed;
• be prepared by Purchasing Department in consultation with the Safety Officer and JOHSC;
• be revised yearly (February 1) to reflect all changes made during the preceding year.

The Employer shall:

• advise the Ministry of Labour Inspector, in writing if, after making reasonable efforts, he/she is unable to identify or obtain the identify of the ingredients of a hazardous material as required by the OH&S Regulations;
• not be in contravention of the Regulation if the employer has made every effort reasonable in the circumstances to identify or obtain the identity of the ingredients of a hazardous material;
• keep readily accessible at the workplace a floor plan showing the names of all hazardous materials and their locations and shall post a notice stating where the floor plan is kept. (This shall be a place where it is most likely to come to the attention of the workers.)

The Employer shall:

• ensure that all hazardous materials present in the workplace are identified in the prescribed manner;
• obtain or prepare an unexpired material safety data sheet for all hazardous materials present in the workplace;
• ensure that the identification required above is available in English and such other language as may be prescribed;
• ensure that a hazardous material is not used, handled or stored at a workplace unless the prescribed requirements concerning identification, material safety data sheets and worker instruction and training are met;
• advise the Ministry of Labour Inspector in writing if the Employer is unable to obtain an MSDS or label.

Material safety data sheets expire three years after the date of publication.

No person shall remove or deface the identification labelling for a hazardous material.

A copy of the most recent version of the inventory and of every unexpired material safety data sheet required for the hazardous materials in the workplace shall:

• be made available in the workplace in such a manner as to allow examination by the workers who may be exposed to the hazardous material;
• be furnished by the employer to the JOHSC;
• be furnished by the employer on request to the Medical Officer of Health of the health unit in which the workplace is located;
• be furnished by the employer on request to the Fire Department which serves the location in which the workplace is located;
• be filed by the employer with the Ministry of Labour Inspector on request.

An Employer who makes a Material Safety Data Sheet readily accessible on a computer terminal at a workplace:

• shall take all reasonable steps necessary to keep the terminal in working order;
• shall give a worker, upon request, a copy of the material safety data sheet;
• shall teach all workers who work with or in proximity to hazardous materials, the JOHSC and others deemed to require the information, how to retrieve the MSDS on the computer terminal.

The Employer shall:

• in addition to providing information and instruction to the worker, make sure that the worker receives and participates in specific instruction and training;
• ensure that the instruction and training is developed and implemented by the employer in consultation with the Safety Officer and JOHSC for the workplace.

The Employer shall review, in consultation with the Purchasing Department and JOHSC for the workplace, the training and instruction provided to the worker and the workers’ familiarity with the training on hazardous materials, at least annually.

The training shall be reviewed more frequently than annually if:

• the employer, on the advice of the Safety Officer or JOHSC for the workplace determines that such reviews are necessary;
• there is a change in circumstances that may affect the health and safety of a worker.