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The
First Annual Atlantic Human Resources Conference
TAKING
FLIGHT
Oct 1 – 3, 2008 in Moncton, NB!
HR’s
Body of Knowledge Evolves with Business World
Of
interest to those writing or thinking of writing one of the CHRP
exams in October
HRANB
Membership Survey Results
HRANB
and CCH Canadian Partner to Launch PD Webinars
Message
From CCHRA President
New
CCHRA Staff
A
Quiet Crisis Threatens Canadian Workplaces
Wilson
Banwell
Paramedical
services as a component of your organization’s wellness strategy
Jennifer
Macmurray
Second
Generation Harassment Solutions: A Two-tiered Approach to Awareness
and Prevention
Dylan
Hill
The
Bench
Moira
Goodfellow and Ryan Johnston
WHMIS
- Education and Training
H. Pickard & Associates Safety Consultants
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May
2008 Newsletter
WHMIS
- Education and Training
H. Pickard & Associates Safety Consultants
What
is WHMIS education and training?
Do I have to be educated and trained in WHMIS?
What is the purpose of WHMIS training?
What, in general, is the content of a WHMIS training
program?
Can people in the same plant receive different
training?
What are the criteria of a successful program?
What
is WHMIS education and training?
Education and training under WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System) can be thought of as two separate parts. Education
refers to the instruction of workers in general information such
as how WHMIS works and the hazards of controlled products. Training
refers to the instruction in site-specific information such as work
and emergency procedures. Both education and training are an important
part of understanding the hazards that may be present at your workplace.
Do
I have to be educated and trained in WHMIS?
Yes. All Canadian jurisdictions require that employers develop,
implement, and maintain a worker education program that will enable
workers to work safely with hazardous chemicals. Instruction on
requirements for labels and data sheets, information on how product
may affect the workers health or safety as well as training in safe
work procedures are necessary. The employer has the general responsibility
to provide all hazard information possible either from suppliers,
or information the employer is, or ought, to be aware of. This duty
is largely accomplished through education and training programs
offered on a regular basis.
The specific WHMIS education and training requirements are regulated
by each occupational health and safety jurisdiction. You should
contact the Labor Branch of Human Resources Development Canada if
you work in a federal workplace, or the regulating body in your
provincial and territorial jurisdictions to determine the exact
nature of their WHMIS requirements. This outline is intended for
general information purposes only.
What is the purpose of
WHMIS training?
While the specific details of what to teach will vary from workplace
to workplace, common objectives for any training program remain
the same. The overall goal is to give the workers knowledge and
information, which they can understand and apply to protect their
health and safety every day.
For example: it is not enough for a worker to know that the Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) suggests a particular type of respirator
for protection against certain product. The worker must know where
to get the respirator, locations in the plant where its use is mandatory,
how to test it for fit, and where necessary, how to maintain and
store it. A successful program gives the worker the ability to use
safe procedures with a controlled product and the understanding
of why such procedures are necessary.
What, in general, is
the content of a WHMIS training program?
Very simply, training typically has two parts:
- Education
about labels, MSDSs, and other identifiers. This section includes
the content of the label and MSDS, as well as the purpose, significance
(why a product is called a corrosive, for example), location and
modes of identification such as color, numbers, and abbreviations.
- Training
in work procedures such as storage, handling, use, disposal, emergencies,
and what to do in unusual situations such as fugitive emissions.
Can
people in the same plant receive different training?
Instruction is not only based on the information contained in labels
and data sheets but also on the conditions in the workplace such
as the likelihood of exposure to the product and the corrective
measures to be taken. The level of training will depend on the nature
of the work.
For
example: maintenance persons will require instruction on working
with chemicals, various processes and much more. Office workers
in the same facility likely only need training in emergency procedures.
What are the criteria of a
successful program?
At the end of the education and training program, a worker should
have the ability to answer four general questions:
- Where
can I get hazard information? Workers should demonstrate that
they know how to get the information provided by the labels and
MSDS’s. They should know about the supplier and workplace
labels and other ways used to identify the products and what these
labels mean. They must also know how to get the MSDS (either by
the binder location or by accessing a computer) so that they have
a way to obtain information significant to his or her health and
safety.
- What
are the hazards of the controlled product? The worker should be
able to read and understand the label and MSDS as well as be aware
of any possible harmful effects of the material in question.
- How
am I protected from those hazards? An understanding of the controls
used in the workplace is necessary whether these controls are
accomplished by means of the engineering, administration, or by
personal protective equipment.
- What
do I do in the case of an emergency? Understanding the procedures
to follow in the event of a spill, release, fire or poisoning
involving a controlled product is required. Included in the understanding
is the use of personal protective equipment that may be necessary
only in the case of emergency.
COURTESY
OF: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
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