WHMIS 2015
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Our jobs at sea or ashore may require us
to come in contact with hazardous chemicals
and materials.
It is our right to understand
about the risks that
accompany any hazardous
substances we might handle,
as well as the preventive measures
necessary to secure ourselves from harm.
When working with chemicals, first of
all you need to be properly trained
and understand the procedures,
both with your company
and with the local regulatory bodies.
The Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System, or WHMIS,
educates crew and personnel
about the potential dangers
of chemicals and substances
used in the workplace
through easy to understand symbols
and product information sheets.
While several port states have had their
own hazardous communication standards
for many years, the United Nations adopted
the Globally Harmonized System, or GHS,
in 2003, which creates a worldwide model
standard for chemical identification
and safety documentation.
It officially went into
effect in October of 2013
and has been adopted by
more than 60 countries.
We now live in a global economy, and the
purpose behind the Global Harmonization
System or GHS is to ensure that products,
no matter where they're manufactured
and where they're shipped from, come in
with exactly the information that workers
and employers in Canada
need to understand how
to protect themselves from unnecessary
exposure to hazardous products.
In this program, we'll learn about what
constitutes a physical and health hazard
and examples of each.
We'll go over the updated WHMIS 2015
standard incorporating Globally Harmonized
System criteria for warning labels as well
as the Transportation of Dangerous Goods
labeling standard for maritime use.
We'll see how the GHS
aligned safety data sheets
differ from the previous
material safety data sheets.
And we'll also take a look at personal
protection from materials and substances,
either through safe practices and/or
use of personal protective equipment.
A chemical hazard is any
substance that can cause harm
to us, machinery, or the environment.
These are typically divided into
two categories, physical hazards
and health hazards.
Examples of physical hazards include
flammable substances or gases, corrosives,
gases under pressure.
Flammables are considered to be
materials that will burn or ignite,
causing fire or combustion.
A flammable chemical has a low
flash point and will ignite easily.
A combustible will burn but
requires a steady source of flame
and has a higher flash point.
Acetone and diesel fuel are examples
of flammables and combustibles.
Corrosives are chemicals that can damage
or destroy living tissue, along with metals
and other substances.
Examples of corrosive is include
hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.
Materials that burn or explode when
exposed to air, water, or other chemicals
are considered to be reactive.
Chemicals that spontaneously ignite when
exposed to air are called pyrophoric.
Examples of pyrophorics
include white phosphorus
and metallic sodium and potassium.
Physical hazards not otherwise
classified is a grouping
reserved for substances or
compounds that can cause harm
but aren't specifically covered
under the physical hazards category.
Examples of health hazards
include chemicals that
can cause skin irritation
or damage, serious eye
damage, respiratory damage, acute toxicity,
or are biohazardous infectious materials.
Chemicals that cause harm to the body and
other living organisms are labeled toxic.
Some of these substances
can be further identified
as carcinogens or cancer causing, while
others are considered to be poisonous,
which can cause severe injury or even death.
There is also a category for health
hazards not otherwise classified,
which covers hazards that occur after
acute or repeated exposure to a substance.
The first step toward safely
using hazardous materials
is to accurately communicate
the potential risk in handling.
Standardized labels are an
effective method to accomplish this.
The challenge is to ensure this is done,
regardless of geography and language.
Each port state has its own method of
labeling and identifying potential hazards.
The WHMIS 2015 Standard is
Health Canada's alignment to GHS.
While the use of pictograms and
safety data sheets is international,
WHMIS is foremost a Canadian standard.
We spent a fair bit of time getting
a good definition for education
and training to make sure that
both of those components are met.
I think that's uniquely Canadian.
Any chemical product labeling used
in Canada must conform to WHMIS 2015.
New warning labels must be
written in both English and French
and are required to contains six
specific pieces of information.
First, the product name as it
appears on the safety data sheet.
Below this, you'll find
one or more pictograms.
These symbols communicate the type
of hazard found in the chemical,
whether it's physical or health related.
It is important to know what
each of these symbols represent.
The health hazards pictogram, for
chemicals that pose a risk to your health
if used improperly.
Flammables, designated by a flame
pictogram, which signifies the risk of fire
and caution to be taken
around ignition sources.
The exclamation mark
pictogram used in combination
with the health hazards pictogram
for particular health risks
that are less severe than
the skull and crossbones
pictogram, which signals acute toxicity.
Pressurized gases are denoted by the gas
cylinder pictograms indicating caution
with the use and storage
of compressed gases.
The corrosives pictogram, which signals to
be aware of PPE and storage requirements.
Self-reactive substances
and organic peroxides
are represented by the explosion pictogram.
The oxidizers pictogram, found on warning
labels of chemicals that produce oxygen.
And finally, the biohazardous
infectious materials
pictogram, which is used to signify category
1 biohazardous infectious materials.
Each GHS-aligned warning label will contain
a signal word in the top left corner,
either danger for the most severe
instances or warning for those less severe.
Below that, you'll find the hazard
statement describing the chemical's nature
and effects.
Next is any necessary precautions
that need to be taken if exposed.
And finally the manufacturer's
name and contact information
will be provided at the bottom.
Employers are required to
label workplace containers
containing any hazardous chemicals.
Employers can use the same GHS
label provided by the manufacturer,
or they can use an internal label or
labels, provided it meets WHMIS standards.
Transport Canada has jurisdiction over
hazardous materials transported by water
by way of the Transportation
of Dangerous Goods Act.
Hazardous materials that are a
regular part of ships' stores
are governed by WHMIS and not the TDGA.
Maritime requirements in the TDGA drawn from
the International Maritime Dangerous Goods
Code or IMDG.
The IMDG divides hazardous
materials into nine classes.
These are explosives, including
high explosives and materials
which can explode when exposed to fire.
Gases, including flammable,
non-flammable and toxic.
Flammable liquids.
Flammable solids, which also
include reactive agents that
produce flammable gases.
Oxidizers, including organic peroxides.
Toxic and infectious substances.
Radioactive materials.
Corrosives.
And miscellaneous hazardous
substances and goods.
Hazardous goods transported
into the United States
may also require NFPA 704 designations.
More commonly referred
to as the fire diamond,
it is primarily designed for emergency
first responders to quickly evaluate risk.
Use of NFPA 704 is usually determined by
US federal, state, or local regulations.
Safety data sheets, once known
as material safety data sheets,
are now standardized under GHS.
A safety data sheet is
broken down into 16 sections.
They include the identification
of the product, recommended use
and restrictions on use, supplier contact
information, and emergency contact numbers.
All hazards associated with the
chemical are to be found here,
as well as required warning label elements.
Composition of ingredients,
including the chemical name,
CAS number, and in the case of
a mixture, the concentrations
of the hazardous substance.
First aid measures to be taken in the event
of contact, including symptoms, effects,
and required treatment.
Firefighting measures, including
extinguishing techniques and equipment,
as well as possible chemical
reactions from fire.
Accidental release measures, including
emergency procedures and proper methods
of containment and cleanup.
Safe handling and storage instructions.
Personal protection controls, which
details permissible exposure limits,
threshold limit values,
engineering controls, and PPE.
Physical and chemical properties, such
as the physical state, odor, appearance,
molecular formula, boiling and freezing
points, density, pH level, and more.
Stability and reactivity
of the hazard, which
includes the possibility of hazardous
reactions and situations to avoid.
Toxicological information,
including routes or pathways
of exposure and acute and chronic effects.
Aquatic and terrestrial toxicity, should
the material be spilled or released.
Disposal guidance, including information
about recycling, if applicable.
Transport information,
including proper classification
for shipping by road, air, rail, or sea.
Any regulatory information that is specific
to the product and not indicated elsewhere.
And finally, up-to-date information
on the preparation of the SDS
at hand, including any
revisions by the manufacturer
or every three years as required by WHMIS.
Proper precautions must be taken when
handling any chemical or compound.
A substance on its own may
not be especially hazardous.
But when combined with another chemical,
a dangerous reaction might occur.
Don't mix substances without first checking
any necessary warning labels or safety data
sheets.
Your company's Safety
Management System, or SMS,
or Integrated Management
System, or IMS, will
have detailed information regarding
the procedures for safe handling
of the chemicals you are working with,
in addition to emergency precautions.
Always make sure you have
proper ventilation when
working on enclosed or confined spaces.
Vapors may build up in an area
that is not properly ventilated,
leading to inhalation hazards.
Being able to detect unsafe
levels of atmospheric components
is critical to safety, especially
in enclosed or confined spaces.
Atmospheric monitoring devices can be
used to measure if the Threshold Limit
Value, or TLV, has been exceeded, especially
in the case of a spill or accidental
release.
Practice good housekeeping.
Be sure to wash your hands after
handling hazardous materials,
especially if you are handling food.
Even if you are not, make sure all traces
of chemicals are taken care of immediately
after completion of the job.
Your ship will have personal
protective equipment on hand
that may be required when
handling certain chemicals.
Labels and safety data sheets
will contain information
on the necessary PPE for a certain job.
Wearing the proper personal
protective equipment
is really important for worker safety.
If you don't wear it, you may
become sick, ill, or get hurt.
Don it properly, wear it, and make
sure that you protect yourself.
This may include gloves, eye
protection, respiratory protection,
and hearing protection.
Hearing projection in a noisy
environment, it actually
may not hurt you that day, but down
the road it will affect your hearing.
Certain chemicals, including
toluene and xylene,
can increase the risk of hearing loss
when exposed to in a noisy environment
and may require additional PPE,
such as chemically resistant gloves
and respirators.
Disposing of chemicals can
be a challenge at times also.
You don't want to intermix
chemicals that react.
Remember, good preventive measures
don't end when a job is complete.
It's always critical to follow proper
storage and disposal procedures.
The storage is essential.
Keep it away from hot work.
Make sure it's well ventilated
and away from the work.
Never store flammable chemicals
near an open heat source.
Store chemicals that emit toxic vapors
in areas that are properly ventilated.
And always dispose of leftover chemicals
and containers in the proper manner.
Proper signage must be displayed
in approved storage locations,
not only describing the
type of hazard being stored
but also designating the appropriate PPE
to use for that type of chemical hazard.
Before you use a chemical, you should
refer to the safety data sheet.
Remember, you'll find the proper
procedures for storage and disposal
in the safety data sheet, as well
as in your company's SMS or IMS.
In addition to printed copies, the SDS
for a particular product or substance
can also be found in an electronic version.
Today, we've reviewed four important
aspects of handling chemicals
in the maritime workplace.
Physical and health hazards
and examples of them
you're likely to find on board or ashore.
The six standard elements of
warning labels-- product identifier,
hazard pictograms, signal words, hazard
statements, precautionary statements,
and supplier identifier.
We also learned about the
individual pictograms used,
which include health hazards,
flammables, the exclamation mark used
in conjunction with health
hazards, the skull and crossbones
used for toxic hazards,
pressurized gases, corrosives.
Self-reactive substances
and organic peroxides
are represented by the explosion pictogram.
Oxidizers and biohazardous
infectious materials.
We learned about the 16-section safety
data sheets, as standardized under GHS.
And we learned about personal protection,
including precautionary measures,
personal protective equipment, and
safe storage and disposal information.
The number one cause of accidents
with chemicals is human error.
As always, having the knowledge
and the tools you need
will make your job safer and easier.
The WHMIS 2015 alignment to
GHS will help ensure this.
What the Canadian government
has done is enhanced the system
to ensure that products that
are either shipped out of Canada
or brought into Canada meet the standards
as they come and go across the border,
rather than have to do a lot of conversions.
But the protections that workers and
employers have enjoyed under WHMIS
continue.