Authoring a Material Safety Data Sheet [(M)SDS] For Paint Is Not As Easy As...
Take a company that manufactures artist’s paints. They could sell hundreds of colors and most are made with the same “base” ingredients. Start adding the colorant, dye or pigment, and all of a sudden...
View ArticleCanada Adds 14 Substances to Domestic Substance List
The Department of the Environment, under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 has published an amendment in the Canada Gazette Order 2012-87-03-01, amending the Domestic Substance List. The...
View Article(M)SDS – Use & Abuse
After a few recent inquiries regarding reliability of information on MSDS (material safety data sheets), I began to reflect on the various ways that MSDS are used and abused. Having been around during...
View ArticleDid You Miss the First GHS Deadline? It’s Not Too Late!
OHSA implemented GHS as part of its Hazard Communication System (29 CR 1910.1200) back in March of 2012. The full conversion is not until June 2016, but there is a phase in process that you should...
View ArticleHealth Canada Proposes WHMIS 2.0 Timeframe
Update to the Canadian Standard The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is due for its greatest shakeup ever, as the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is introduced to replace the...
View ArticleICC Compliance Center Writes Science Fiction?
In the 1960’s, an American author by the name of Robert A. Heinlein wrote a science fiction story about a man born and raised on Mars, but as an adult comes to Earth. The title of the novel is...
View ArticleAlphabet Soup and the European Union
Remember eating alphabet soup as a child? Remember playing with the noodle letters to make more words than your friends or siblings? Remember when the letters would not cooperate and random letters...
View ArticleLooney Tunes, “Of Mice and Men,” and Safety Data Sheets
Which way do I go, George? John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men” is often a required reading for many school children. Though published in 1937 about a story of migrant workers in the Great...
View ArticleGHS Revision 6 is Coming!
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes David Bowie’s 1971 album “Hunky Dory” included the song “Changes” which was released in January 1972. While being recognized as one of Bowie’s most well-known songs, it never made...
View ArticleI’m late! I’m late! For a Very Important Date
The Time Has Come! I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!” No truer words are spoken than by the White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll’s story and the 1951 Disney movie “Alice in Wonderland”. The...
View ArticleOSHA HazCom2012 – One Month after the Deadline: What’s Different?
Where’s the Beef? A better question to ask than the one posed in the title is “Where’s the beef?” Many will remember this 1980’s catchphrase uttered by Clara Peller in an advertisement for the fast...
View ArticleStrictly Confidential (NOT) – SDS Ingredient Disclosure & CBI
The program to harmonize the Canadian WHMIS 2015 regulations and the US HCS2012 extends beyond adopting elements of the UN GHS. Unfortunately not all the differences can be removed, but the effort has...
View ArticleTime Requirements Under OSHA HazCom 2012
As a new order for classifications and label text is begun, the song “Time Is On My Side” by The Rolling Stones comes to my mind. Take a listen here to remind yourself of the rhythm and lyrics. I and...
View ArticleWHMIS 2015 – Administrative Aspects
Despite the publicity and awareness campaigns around the labels, SDS and classification aspects of WHMIS 2015, there are a few administrative areas that shouldn’t be overlooked. These elements of the...
View ArticleFAQ for Safety Data Sheets
Why did you use an exact concentration? Why was an exact concentration used? Health Canada eliminated the allowable ranges (previously allowed with WHMIS 1988) and went to exact concentrations. The...
View ArticleOSHA Hazard Communication Website Gets a Facelift
As I get older and more wrinkles, crow’s feet and age spots appear on my face, I consider some sort of plastic surgery like a facelift. According to the dictionary, a facelift is a procedure carried...
View ArticleA Scientist, an Actor, a Businessman, and Unknown Toxicity
Many good jokes have a common setup to them. That setup involves a unique group of individuals and some sort of humorous interaction that ends with a punchline. So here is my setup for this blog. What...
View ArticleOSHA Celebrates World Cancer Day?
We all have reminders on our calendars for such things as holidays, birthdays, and appointments. As I looked forward to February for some planning purposes, the date of February 4th popped up as World...
View ArticleSending and Receiving Safety Data Sheets
There are lots of songs out in the world about letters. You remember those things we used to write and send in the mail and have now been replaced by emails? There are some truly classic song regarding...
View ArticleI’m late! I’m late! For a Very Important Date
The Time Has Come! I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!” No truer words are spoken than by the White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll’s story and the 1951 Disney movie “Alice in Wonderland”. The...
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