UPDATE: DEADLINE CHANGE

UPDATE:  DEADLINE CHANGE

This may seem like more of a rush for employers, but in reality, a lot of suppliers have ALREADY made the change.  Concerned about a specific chemical or supplier?  Give them a call!  All contact information must be included on both the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and the new version, the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).The deadline for manufacturers and importers of controlled substances to begin using the Safety Data Sheet (instead of the Material Safety Data Sheet), has been officially pushed back a year to June 1, 2018.  The deadline for distributors will also be bumped back 3 months to September 1, 2018.  But the deadline for employers, of December 1, 2018, will remain unchanged.

In Saskatchewan, WHMIS regulations are found in The Saskatchewan Employment Act and The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996, and The Occupational Health and Safety (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) Regulations.

These pieces of legislation outline employer responsibilities for a WHMIS program including the requirement of labels and SDSs (formerly MSDSs), as well as education and training requirements. The current regulations have been in force since 1988. Provincial inspectors also support the enforcement of federal WHMIS requirements from the Hazardous Product Act and associated regulations.

The regulations in Saskatchewan also include provisions for the transition to WHMIS 2015:

• Until December 1, 2018, workplaces have the option of complying either with the existing WHMIS provisions or the new provisions.
• After December 1, 2018, all workplaces must comply with new WHMIS provisions.

Click on the picture for a full-sized poster explaining the new WHMIS 2015 pictograms in an easy to understand way!

For more information on the change to WHMIS 2015, check out our YouTube Videos.