WHMIS 2015

[MUSIC PLAYING] 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.