Canada - GHS Status

GHS implementation status

Focal points:

Department of Health: Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch (HECSB), Consumer and Hazardous Products Safety Directorate (CHPSD), Workplace Hazardous Materials Bureau

Department of Transport: Transportation of Dangerous Goods Directorate Department of Health: HECSB, CHPSD, Consumer Product Safety Program Department of Health: Pest Management Regulatory Agency

Main relevant legislation:

Hazardous Products Act and associated Hazardous Products Regulations

Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 and associated Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR)

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and associated Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, 2001

Pest Control Products Act and associated regulations

Transport of dangerous goods

Implemented

For international transport of dangerous goods see “Implementation through international legal instruments, recommendations, codes and guidelines”.

In Canada, national transport of dangerous goods is regulated under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 (TDG Act), the TDGR made under the TDG Act and standards incorporated by reference into the TDGR. The TDGR are updated periodically in accordance with the provisions of the UN Recommendations and the international modal regulations, which are incorporated by reference. The TDGR incorporate by reference the UN Recommendations, the ICAO Technical Instructions and the IMDG Code for requirements.

The Canadian Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations were amended in 2016 in accordance with the 19th revised edition of the UN Model Regulations. The amendments (International harmonization update 2016) were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on 12 July 2017. They entered into force 12 months after their publication in the Canada Gazette.

A consolidated updated version of the regulations is available from the Canadian Justice Laws website.

Further information about transport of dangerous goods in Canada is available on Transport Canada website.

Workplace

Implemented

The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is Canada’s national hazard communication standard. WHMIS is a comprehensive system for providing health and safety information on hazardous products intended for use, handling, or storage in Canadian workplaces.

Canada adopted the GHS for workplace hazardous products through amendments to the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and the publication of the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) on February 11, 2015. Since the adoption of the GHS and HPR in 2015, WHMIS is referred to as WHMIS 2015, to distinguish it from Canada’s previous WHMIS 1988, which was not based on the GHS.

By December 1, 2018, all suppliers of workplace hazardous products, and employers with such products in their workplaces, were required to be in compliance with WHMIS 2015.

The HPR are aligned with the 5^th revised edition of the GHS, except for the Flammable Gases hazard class and Aerosols hazard class, which are aligned with the 3^rd revised edition of the GHS. The building blocks excluded are: the Explosives hazard class, all Environmental hazard classes, Acute Toxicity Category 5, Skin Corrosion/Irritation Category 3 and Aspiration Hazard Category 2.

Health Canada is proposing revisions to bring the HPR into alignment with the 7^th revised edition of the GHS. It is intended to maintain the existing scope of adoption, plus include the following new categories or subcategories: Flammable Gases 1A/1B, Chemically Unstable Gases and