What are the WHMIS Label Requirements?
WHMIS or Workplace Hazardous Material Information System label is a requirement under the Canadian law
. In Canada WHMIS label is basically one of the ways health hazard information is made available to anyone using the material. These labels tell also what precautions should be taken when the product is used. Suppliers of a WHMIS-controlled product are responsible to have a WHMIS label authored or have a regulatory company do it for them. However, there are two different types that are used most often: the supplier label and the workplace label.The content of the suppler and the workplace labels is slightly different depending on who is required to put the label on the product. If a supplier label is not attached to a controlled product the employee is not to use the material until the supplier delivers an MSDS and a supplier label, which means under the Canadian law the WHMIS label is to appear on all controlled products received at workplaces. The supplier WHMIS label must have following information and format:
1.product identifier (name of product)
2.supplier identifier (name of company that sold it)
3.a statement that an MSDS is available
4.hazard symbols [the pictures of the classification(s)]
5.risk phrases (words that describe the main hazards of the product)
6.precautionary measures (how to work with the product safely), and
7.first aid measures (what to do in an emergency)
8.have all text in English and French
9.have the WHMIS hatched border.
Supplier labels for materials from a laboratory supply house that are intended for use in a laboratory in amount less than 10 kg and any controlled product sold in a container with less than 100 ml may contain less information than listed above. In that case, if the product is always used in the container with the supplier label, no other label is required. However, sometimes the lab tech would want to put some of the material into another container for use in the workplace. This new container does require a workplace WHMIS label, which must appear on all controlled products produced in a workplace or transferred to other containers by the employer. In this case the WHMIS label may appear in placard form on controlled products received in bulk from a supplier which must have the following information:
product identifier (product name)
1.information for the safe handling of the product
2.statement that the MSDS is available
3.may contain the WHMIS hazard symbols or other pictograms
Although, these are the minimum requirements for workplace labels the employer may wish to put more information on the labels which again are not required under the Canadian law.
What are the WHMIS Label Requirements?
By: Editor123