Points to remember:
1. Chemicals are a part of everyone's life. At least 400 million tonnes of chemicals are produced each year worldwide and at least 1,200 new chemicals are developed each year in North America alone.
2. For the majority of chemicals used and developed, there is no information about their possible immediate or long-term health effects, yet workers are still required to work with potentially toxic substances. Many workers are required to work - without any protection - with chemicals that are known to be hazardous to human health.
3. In many countries, chemicals are dumped into the environment, often with serious human and environmental consequences. The laws about chemical disposal in other countries are strict, to protect both people and the environment.
4. Nearly all workers today are exposed to some sort of chemical hazard since chemicals are used in every type of industry. Therefore it is important to learn as much as possible about the chemicals you work with.
Source: International Labour Organization
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CHEMICALS IN THE WORKPLACE: Your health and safety at work by the International Labour Organization. This Module provides trainees with background information on chemical hazards in the workplace. Topics discussed include: types of chemical hazards found in the workplace, how chemicals can harm you, how to obtain and understand information about chemicals used at work, and the role of the health and safety representative in ensuring the safe use of chemicals found in the workplace.
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Reproductive Health Hazards
Points to remember:
1. Thousands of hazardous chemicals are produced and used in a wide variety of workplaces worldwide. Some of these substances can have negative effects on the reproductive health of workers who are exposed to them.
2. There are also physical and biological agents and a variety of work situations that may result in negative reproductive health outcomes when workers are exposed to them.
3. Little is known about the potential for damage to the reproductive system from exposure to certain substances, agents, or work situations. Despite the lack of adequate information, many workers are forced to work with and be exposed to reproductive hazards.
4. Workers and unions need to be as informed as possible about the substances used in their workplaces.
5. Protective measures should be implemented to ensure that pregnant workers and workers (male or female) planning to have a child are not exposed to known or suspected reproduction health hazards.
Source: International Labour Organization
MALE AND FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH HAZARDS IN THE WORKPLACE Your health and safety at work by the International Labour Organization. This Module provides trainees with background information on how occupational hazards can affect the reproductive systems of both men and women. Topics discussed include: when and how reproductive damage occurs, what kinds of reproductive health problems can occur, how a worker can tell if a chemical or work situation is hazardous to his or her reproductive health, how workers are protected, and the role of the health and safety representative.
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Guide to Less Toxic Products: Nova Scotia Allergy & Environmental Health Association Overview On a typical cleaning day in a typical Canadian home, levels of chemicals in the indoor air can be hundreds, even thousands of times higher than the outdoor air in the most polluted of cities. In fact, indoor air pollution levels would be high enough to trigger an inspection by health and safety authorities in any workplace setting.
WHMIS Exemptions
Workplace Guidance Manual to the Hazardous Materials Information System by the Government of Manitoba (1996)
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WHMIS Educational Material
CHEMICAL SAFETY TRAINING MODULES by the IPCS (International Programme on Chemical Safety)
This training material is intended for those who need to widen their general knowledge of chemical safety in the workplace. It
could be used by people who handle chemicals in their work who have to decide on measures where chemical information is needed, such as a worker's safety representative needing physical and chemical information on a specific substance, or a factory inspector looking for guidance on safe use of chemicals who guide and educate others in handling and using chemicals.
A person using this package in a training workshop would benefit if he or she has certain amount of background information in order to understand the world of chemistry, although this is not absolutely essential.
This training material consists of ten independent chapters which cover different areas of managing chemical hazards. The text is designed to be used as background material for sessions and discussions.
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY IN THE USE OF CHEMICALS
1. Chemical risks to health
2. How can workplace chemicals enter our body
3. How chemicals affect us 3.1 Acute effects - Chronic effects 3.2 Local effects - Systemic effects 3.3 Target organs 3.4 Allergic reactions 3.5 Interactions
4. What is toxicology 4.1 Exposure routes 4.3 Limit values
5. Common chemical groups that cause health risks 5.1 Dusts, fumes and gases 5.2 Solvents 5.3 Metals 5.4 Acids and bases 5.5 Pesticides
6. How to minimize the risks caused by chemicals
PART II: IDENTIFICATION, CLASSIFICATION AND LABELLING OF CHEMICALS
1. Introduction
2. Identification and Classification
3. What is a hazardous chemical
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YouTube WHMIS Videos of value:
The WHMIS Warble: This video is a a MSDS/WHMIS parody written by Maddie Carroll from Winnipeg. Would serve well as a quick refresher for your fellow staff.
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