Common Issues of a WHMIS MSDS:

I believe my MSDS is WHMIS compliant but how do I tell for sure?

There are multiple requirements stated under the Hazardous Product Act (HPA) and Controlled Products Regulations (CPR) that must be present on a WHMIS MSDS to make sure it is compliant with Canadian law. However there are a few specific sections to keep your eye out for when determining whether a document is WHMIS compliant:

Hazardous data – The amount of each ingredient required to be disclosed by WHMIS must be stated on the MSDS using a prescribed concentration range.

Physical data – WHMIS requires a vast amount of data to be specified in this section of the WHMIS MSDS. The list particularly includes; physical state, odour and appearance, odour threshold, specific gravity, vapour pressure, vapour density, evaporation rate, boiling point, freezing point, pH, and coefficient of water/oil distribution. If there is no data available for any of these measurements then it must be declared as “not available” on the WHMIS MSDS.

Toxicological data – WHMIS requires each component of the chemical product to state the individual LD50 and LC50 for the disclosed components present in the mixture.

Transportation data – A WHMIS MSDS must specify the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) requirements of the chemical product.