WHMIS 2015 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

WHMIS 2015

Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System aligned with the UN GHS, requiring supplier labels, safety data sheets, and worker education for hazardous products.

Hazardous Products Act

Federal statute that governs the sale and import of hazardous products in Canada and authorizes the Hazardous Products Regulations.

Hazardous Products Regulations

Federal regulations under the HPA that set WHMIS 2015 hazard classes, classification criteria, label content, and SDS requirements for suppliers.

Health Canada role

Administers the HPA and HPR, maintains the WHMIS program, and sets national requirements for supplier labels and safety data sheets.

Provincial OHS role

Provincial and territorial labour ministries enforce workplace WHMIS duties, including workplace labels, SDS access, education, and safe use of products.

Supplier duty

The supplier must classify hazardous products correctly and provide compliant labels and SDSs in English and French before sale or import.

Employer duty

Employers must ensure products are labelled, SDSs are accessible, workers are educated, and safe work procedures and emergency response are in place.

Hazard-based classification

Products are classified by their intrinsic hazardous properties, not by exposure likelihood or risk controls, under the HPR.

Pictogram

A black symbol on a white background inside a red diamond border, assigned to specific hazard classes and categories under WHMIS 2015.

Flame pictogram

Covers flammable gases, liquids, and solids, pyrophoric substances, self-heating substances, water-reactive substances emitting flammable gas, and organic peroxides.

Corrosion pictogram

Covers skin corrosion, serious eye damage, and substances corrosive to metals; it indicates severe tissue damage or material destruction.

Health hazard pictogram

A silhouette with a starburst on the chest, covering carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory sensitization, and target organ toxicity.

Skull and crossbones

Indicates acute toxicity in the fatal or toxic category; it signals that exposure can cause serious harm or death.

Gas cylinder pictogram

Indicates gases under pressure, including compressed, liquefied, and dissolved gases, which can explode or cause cold burns.

Exclamation mark pictogram

Covers irritation, skin or respiratory sensitization, acute toxicity (harmful), and specific target organ toxicity (single exposure, category 3).

Biohazardous infectious materials

A WHMIS-specific pictogram for organisms or their toxins that cause disease in humans or animals, used in laboratories and health care.

Supplier label elements

Must include product identifier, supplier identifier, pictograms, signal word, hazard statements, and precautionary statements, in English and French.

Signal word

Either "Danger" (more severe hazard) or "Warning" (less severe hazard); some hazard classes and categories require no signal word.

Hazard statement

A standardized phrase describing the nature of a hazard, such as "Highly flammable liquid and vapour" or "Causes skin irritation."

Precautionary statement

A standardized phrase describing prevention, response, storage, or disposal measures to reduce risk from a hazardous product.

Workplace label

Required when a product is transferred to another container or a supplier label is illegible; must show product identifier, safe handling information, and SDS availability.

Portable container exemption

A container filled and used immediately by the same worker for the immediate task may not need a workplace label, depending on jurisdiction.

Label alteration

Removing, defacing, or altering a supplier label while the product remains in the container is prohibited; the employer must replace it.

Bilingual label requirement

Supplier labels and SDSs must be provided in both English and French under federal requirements, with legible and durable presentation.

SDS 16 sections

WHMIS 2015 safety data sheets have 16 sections in fixed order, from identification and hazards through toxicology, ecology, disposal, transport, and revision date.

SDS Section 2

Hazard identification section listing the GHS classification, pictograms, signal word, hazard statements, and precautionary statements for the product.

SDS Section 4

First-aid measures section describing necessary first-aid actions by exposure route and any immediate medical attention required.

SDS Section 8

Exposure controls and personal protection section listing exposure limits, engineering controls, and recommended personal protective equipment.

SDS availability

Employers must keep SDSs readily accessible to workers during work hours, in languages they understand, and replace outdated versions.

Worker education

Training on product hazards, label and pictogram meaning, SDS use, safe work procedures, and emergency response, updated when information changes.

Right to know

Workers are entitled to information about hazardous products they work with, including labels, SDSs, and education, under WHMIS and OHS law.

SDS revision date

Section 16 of an SDS includes the date of the most recent revision, helping employers identify and replace outdated safety data sheets.