Update WHMIS to GHS Seventh Edition

Summary#

Health Canada published a proposal in the Canada Gazette, Part I on December 19, 2020 to change the Hazardous Products Regulations so they match the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System (GHS), Seventh Revised Edition. The practical effect would be updated rules for classifying hazardous workplace products and for the labels and safety data sheets that come with them, with a planned transition period of two years.

What it does#

• Adopts the GHS, Seventh Revised Edition for workplace hazardous products. That means new or changed hazard categories, definitions, tests and label/SDS elements.
• Adds or adjusts hazard categories, for example:
  • splits Flammable Gases into subcategories (e.g. 1A and 1B) and adds definitions for pyrophoric gas and chemically unstable gas,
  • renames and expands the Aerosols class to include a new non‑flammable aerosol Category 3.
• Updates classification tests and criteria, for example:
  • adds a new test procedure for Oxidizing Solids,
  • corrects criteria for some organic peroxides and combustible dust rules.
• Changes what must appear on safety data sheets, including new physical/chemical property items (e.g., melting point, boiling point, density).
• Makes technical clarifications to how mixtures are classified, how labels and SDSs can combine or omit statements, and how confidential‑business claims work.
• Provides a transition rule allowing continued sale or import under the old rules for up to two years after the new rules come into force.
• This text was published as a proposal. Interested parties were invited to make representations within 70 days of publication.

Who's affected#

• Suppliers (manufacturers, importers) of workplace hazardous products will be the most affected. They will need to re-evaluate some products and update labels and safety data sheets.
• Employers and workers in any workplace that uses hazardous products will see updated hazard information and may need brief retraining.
• Industries most likely to notice immediate impacts include chemical manufacturing, petroleum and coal product manufacturing, mining and oil and gas extraction, plastics and rubber, primary metals, non‑metallic mineral products, and animal feed.
• Small businesses are included; the department estimates most costs fall on small firms in the affected sectors, though government says a two‑year transition should help.
• Provincial and territorial workplace safety authorities are involved because WHMIS is implemented across jurisdictions.

Why it matters#

• Worker safety: The updated GHS rules mean more precise classifications and more complete label and SDS information in many cases. That can help workers better understand hazards and take safer precautions.
• Trade and cost alignment: The United States is also adopting the GHS seventh edition. Staying aligned avoids the need for double labels and SDSs for products sold in both countries. Health Canada’s analysis estimated a present‑value cost to industry of $52.0 million over 10 years (about $7.4 million annualized), with a larger one‑time national estimate of about $61.5 million during the first two years. Supporters told the department these up‑front costs would be outweighed over time by savings from harmonized rules.
• Practical change, not immediate law yet: This was a proposed regulatory text (a notice inviting comments). It would only become binding if the government finalizes and registers the amended regulations; the proposal also includes a planned two‑year transition window for businesses to adapt.
• Uncertainties remain: Health benefits (fewer injuries or illnesses) were described qualitatively and not monetized. Some technical impacts — for example, whether particular products will be newly classified under a hazard class — will only be clear after firms re‑evaluate specific products.