The Government of Canada has announced that new Occupational Health and Safety regulations under the Canada Labour Code, which are intended to better protect federally regulated workers who use, handle and store hazardous products in the workplace, will be published in Part II of the Canada Gazette.

As we have written about in our previous blog posts, these amendments are part of a national and international initiative to implement the "Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals", known as "GHS", which is a worldwide standard of communicating the hazards associated with workplace hazardous chemicals. The Government notes that, in addition to Canada, the United States, Australia, the European Union, and China, among others, are already in the process of implementing the GHS.  Applying an international standard for workplace hazardous chemicals will streamline hazard information among suppliers from many of Canada's trading partners, which will, among other things, facilitate trade and reduce compliance costs associated with shipment of products across borders.

The Government also notes that the creation of an international standard for the classification and labelling of hazardous workplace chemicals will serve to increase the health and safety of workers in Canada while also improving their overall health and safety of workers by providing clear and consistent information on how to safely use hazardous materials in the workplace.

The amendments are contained in the following 5 Occupational Health and Safety regulations under Part II of the Canada Labour Code:

For the Government of Canada's announcement, click here.

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For more information, visit our Occupational Health & Safety Law blog at www.occupationalhealthandsafetylaw.com

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