[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":113},["ShallowReactive",2],{"gql:data:lxaBo-Ob-_NVnWTzvbpZhI-0A4SKj5gUnXcYPTeVwjg":3},{"blogPostInfo":4},{"id":5,"title":6,"slug":7,"slug_en":7,"slug_fr":8,"published_date":9,"modified_time":10,"read_time":11,"media":12,"quick_navigation":15,"info_cta":49,"content_first_part":54,"content_second_part":14,"recommended_courses":20,"resources":55,"related_articles":81,"votes":100,"schema":104},263125,"WHMIS Employer Responsibilities: Building a Compliant Program","whmis-employer-responsibilities","responsabilites-employeur-simdut","Aug 31, 2026","2026-08-31T16:40:18+03:00","9 min",{"video":13},{"src":14,"duration":14},"",[16,21,25,29,33,37,41,45],{"title":17,"subtitles":20},{"text":18,"slug":19},"Duty 1 — Educate and train workers","duty-educate-and-train-workers",null,{"title":22,"subtitles":20},{"text":23,"slug":24},"Duty 2 — Ensure hazardous products are properly labelled","duty-ensure-hazardous-products-are-properly-labelled",{"title":26,"subtitles":20},{"text":27,"slug":28},"Duty 3 — Keep safety data sheets accessible","duty-keep-safety-data-sheets-accessible",{"title":30,"subtitles":20},{"text":31,"slug":32},"What a WHMIS program must include — checklist","what-a-whmis-program-must-include-checklist",{"title":34,"subtitles":20},{"text":35,"slug":36},"Which products are exempt from WHMIS","which-products-are-exempt-from-whmis",{"title":38,"subtitles":20},{"text":39,"slug":40},"Program review and documentation","program-review-and-documentation",{"title":42,"subtitles":20},{"text":43,"slug":44},"Penalties for non-compliance","penalties-for-non-compliance",{"title":46,"subtitles":20},{"text":47,"slug":48},"Training your team","training-your-team",{"content":50,"slug":53},[51,52],"While this informational page discusses various aspects of WHMIS definition, legislation, changes and training requirements, our company also offers WHMIS training services.","For more information, please consult the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fesafetyfirst.com\u002Fcourses\u002Fwhmis\u002F\">WHMIS\u003C\u002Fa> product page.","whmis","\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>Under WHMIS, employers carry three core duties: educate and train workers, make sure hazardous products are properly labelled, and keep safety data sheets accessible — plus reviewing the program regularly.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Those duties come from \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhmis-in-the-workplace-understanding-the-key-components\u002F\">WHMIS legislation\u003C\u002Fa> in every province and territory. Here is each duty in practice, what a compliant program includes, and which products are exempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-duty-1-educate-and-train-workers\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Duty 1 — Educate and train workers\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>WHMIS splits worker learning into two parts, and employers owe both.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Education is the generic, portable knowledge — what WHMIS is, what the pictograms mean, how to read a supplier label and a safety data sheet. It applies in any workplace and travels with the worker between jobs. Training is site-specific: the procedures for the actual products used here, covering storage, handling, use, disposal, spills and emergencies. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"CCOHS\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">1\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An online course can cover the general education component, but it does not transfer the legal obligation: the employer remains responsible for confirming that the education provided is adequate, and for delivering the site-specific training itself. An inspector will ask about both, and will ask the employer, not the provider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who must receive it: anyone who works with, or may be exposed to, a hazardous product — the exposure test the pillar's who-needs-training section walks through, and it reaches supervisors and emergency responders too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>What \"trained\" means in practice is a four-question test.\u003C\u002Fstrong> For every hazardous product they work with, a worker should be able to say: what are the hazards of this product, how do I protect myself, what do I do in an emergency, and where do I get further information? If a worker cannot answer those four questions on the floor, the program has not worked — regardless of what the training records say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-duty-2-ensure-hazardous-products-are-properly-labelled\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Duty 2 — Ensure hazardous products are properly labelled\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Employers do not write supplier labels — but they are responsible for what is on the shelf. Three obligations follow. \u003Cstrong>Check that incoming products carry a compliant supplier label\u003C\u002Fstrong> and that it is legible: a product that arrives unlabelled, or with an English-only label from a US supplier, should not go into service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>Create \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhmis-labels-supplier-vs-workplace\u002F\">workplace labels\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fstrong> whenever a product is decanted into another container, produced on site, or arrives with a label that has been lost or damaged. \u003Cstrong>Replace labels that degrade\u003C\u002Fstrong> — solvent splash and abrasion wear labels out long before the product runs out, and an unreadable label fails the requirement just as a missing one does.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An employer that imports products directly, or produces hazardous products on site, takes on supplier-side duties too — the detail sits with \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fghs-canada-whmis-alignment\u002F\">the supplier, importer and employer duties under the amended rules\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-duty-3-keep-safety-data-sheets-accessible\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Duty 3 — Keep safety data sheets accessible\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>\"Accessible\" has a specific meaning: a worker must be able to consult the safety data sheet for any product they work with at any time during their shift, without asking permission and without waiting for someone with a key.\u003C\u002Fstrong> A binder in a locked office fails. A binder on the wall by the storage area passes. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"CCOHS\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">1\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Digital SDS systems are explicitly permitted, with three conditions: every worker has access to a working device and has been trained to use it, the devices are maintained, and a paper copy is produced on request from a worker or the health and safety committee. Keeping \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fsafety-data-sheet-sections-explained\u002F\">accessible safety data sheets\u003C\u002Fa> current is part of the same duty — the update rules are covered with the SDS sections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-what-a-whmis-program-must-include-checklist\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What a WHMIS program must include — checklist\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A practical WHMIS program should include the following elements:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>A hazardous product inventory\u003C\u002Fstrong> — every classified product on site, with location and quantity. Nothing else in the program can be complete until this is.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Labelling procedures\u003C\u002Fstrong> — who creates workplace labels, from what template, using which printer, and who checks incoming supplier labels.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>SDS management\u003C\u002Fstrong> — how sheets are obtained, where they live, who keeps them current, and how workers reach them on every shift.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>A worker education and training plan\u003C\u002Fstrong> — who needs it, what generic education they receive, when, and how completion is recorded.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Site-specific procedures\u003C\u002Fstrong> — safe handling, storage, disposal, spill response and emergency procedures for the products in the inventory.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>A regular review process\u003C\u002Fstrong> — a scheduled review of the program, in consultation with the joint health and safety committee or representative, with the date recorded.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"cta-panel\">\n    \u003Cdiv>\n      \u003Cp class=\"cta-panel-title\">Get the full WHMIS compliance checklist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n      \u003Cp>A printable checklist covering inventory, labelling, SDS management, training, and annual review — everything a compliant program needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"cta-media\">\n      \u003Ca class=\"cta-button\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.esafetyfirst.com\u002Ffiles\u002FWHMIS-Program-Checklist.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Download the PDF (opens in a new tab)\">Download the PDF \u003Cspan aria-hidden=\"true\">❯\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n  \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-which-products-are-exempt-from-whmis\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which products are exempt from WHMIS\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WHMIS does not cover everything hazardous in a workplace. The following are excluded from some or all of the supplier requirements under the Hazardous Products Act: \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"Hazardous Products Act (R.S.C.\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">2\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>Explosives, as defined in the Explosives Act\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Cosmetics, devices, drugs and food, as defined in the Food and Drugs Act\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Pest control products, as defined in the Pest Control Products Act\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Consumer products, as defined in the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Wood and products made of wood\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Nuclear substances that are radioactive, under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Hazardous waste — a hazardous product sold for recycling or recovery, or intended for disposal\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Tobacco and tobacco products, as defined in the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>Manufactured articles\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>These are exclusions from the federal supplier rules on labels and safety data sheets — not from the duty to protect workers.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Most of the products above are regulated under other legislation, provincial and territorial OHS duties continue to apply, and every one of them can still injure someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where a consumer product is used at work, or a pest control product is applied on site, the employer must still identify the hazards and train workers on safe use, storage and disposal. Building the WHMIS program around only the WHMIS-regulated inventory is a common and expensive gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-program-review-and-documentation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Program review and documentation\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CCOHS's guidance is that the employer should review the WHMIS education and training program \u003Cstrong>at least annually\u003C\u002Fstrong>, in consultation with the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative — and Ontario's OHSA makes an annual review a legal requirement (s. 42). \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"CCOHS\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">1\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">3\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa> The review is not automatically retraining: its purpose is to establish whether the program still matches the workplace. Retraining is required whenever conditions change — new hazardous products, changed processes, new hazard information, or evidence that a worker cannot answer the four questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For documentation, the useful framing is not \"what does the regulation say\" but \u003Cstrong>what an inspector actually asks for\u003C\u002Fstrong>:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Training records\u003C\u002Fstrong> — who was trained, on what, when, and by whom, covering both generic education and site-specific training.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The hazardous product inventory\u003C\u002Fstrong>, current.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Proof of SDS access\u003C\u002Fstrong> — show the inspector where the sheets are and let a worker retrieve one.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Review dates\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the record of the program review and who was consulted.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The workers themselves.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Inspectors routinely speak to workers to confirm training happened. The four questions are the test.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-penalties-for-non-compliance\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Penalties for non-compliance\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two enforcement regimes can reach the same organization. \u003Cstrong>Federally, under section 28 of the Hazardous Products Act, a person who contravenes the Act or its regulations is liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to $250,000 or six months' imprisonment for a first offence — rising to $500,000 and 18 months for a subsequent offence — and on conviction on indictment to a fine of up to $5,000,000 or two years' imprisonment, or both.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Health Canada inspectors can also order a supplier to stop selling or importing a product, seize product, and require corrective measures. These provisions bite on suppliers, importers and distributors — including employers who import for their own use. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"Hazardous Products Act (R.S.C.\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">2\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003Cstrong>Provincially, employer breaches are prosecuted under the applicable OHS statute, and the maximums are substantial.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Three examples give the range:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ontario\u003C\u002Fstrong> — under section 66 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act: up to \u003Cstrong>$2,000,000 for a corporation\u003C\u002Fstrong>, up to \u003Cstrong>$1,500,000 for a director or officer\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and up to \u003Cstrong>$500,000 for any other person\u003C\u002Fstrong>. For individuals, including directors and officers, up to 12 months' imprisonment can be added; a corporation can only be fined. Where a corporation is convicted of a second or subsequent offence that results in the death or serious injury of one or more workers within a two-year period, there is a \u003Cstrong>minimum\u003C\u002Fstrong> fine of $500,000. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">3\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Alberta\u003C\u002Fstrong> — under section 48 of the OHS Act: a first offence carries up to \u003Cstrong>$500,000\u003C\u002Fstrong>, plus a further \u003Cstrong>$30,000 for each day\u003C\u002Fstrong> a continuing offence continues, or six months' imprisonment; a second or subsequent offence carries up to \u003Cstrong>$1,000,000\u003C\u002Fstrong>, plus \u003Cstrong>$60,000 per day\u003C\u002Fstrong>, or 12 months. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">4\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\n\n\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>British Columbia\u003C\u002Fstrong> — WorkSafeBC usually issues an administrative penalty rather than prosecuting. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"WorkSafeBC\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">5\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa> The maximum is set by the Workers Compensation Act and re-indexed each 1 January in line with the consumer price index. \u003Ca class=\"source\" href=\"#resources-and-guides\" data-source-name=\"Workers Compensation Act (British Columbia)\">\u003Cspan class=\"source-number\">6\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice, most WHMIS enforcement never reaches any of these numbers. It arrives as an inspector's order with a compliance deadline, and the real cost is the stop-work order and the remediation, not the fine. The figures matter because they set the ceiling — and because directors and officers are personally exposed in several jurisdictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 id=\"h-training-your-team\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Training your team\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Group WHMIS accounts let you train your staff, assign courses, and pull completion records for your own documentation — the training-records line on the inspector's list, handled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"cta-panel\">\n  \u003Cdiv>\n      \u003Cp class=\"cta-panel-title\">Train unlimited staff with group WHMIS accounts — progress tracked for your records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n      \u003Cp>Want to gauge your team first? \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhmis-practice-test\u002F\">Test your team's WHMIS knowledge\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n  \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"cta-media\">\n      \u003Ca class=\"cta-button\" href=\"\u002Fcourses\u002Fwhmis\u002F\">Group training options \u003Cspan aria-hidden=\"true\">❯\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fa>\n    \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n  \u003C\u002Fdiv>\n",[56,61,65,69,73,77],{"author_name":57,"page_site_title":58,"available_at":59,"accessed_at":60},"CCOHS","WHMIS: Education and Training","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ccohs.ca\u002Foshanswers\u002Fchemicals\u002Fwhmis_ghs\u002Feducation_training.html","10\u002F08\u002F2026",{"author_name":62,"page_site_title":63,"available_at":64,"accessed_at":60},"Hazardous Products Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-3)","s. 28 and s. 12\u002FSchedule 1 exclusions","https:\u002F\u002Flaws-lois.justice.gc.ca\u002Feng\u002Facts\u002Fh-3\u002F",{"author_name":66,"page_site_title":67,"available_at":68,"accessed_at":60},"Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act","ss. 42 and 66","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ontario.ca\u002Flaws\u002Fstatute\u002F90o01",{"author_name":70,"page_site_title":71,"available_at":72,"accessed_at":60},"Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act","s. 48","https:\u002F\u002Fsearch-ohs-laws.alberta.ca\u002Flegislation\u002Foccupational-health-and-safety-act\u002F",{"author_name":74,"page_site_title":75,"available_at":76,"accessed_at":60},"WorkSafeBC","administrative penalties","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.worksafebc.com\u002Fen\u002Fhealth-safety\u002Fcreate-manage\u002Fincident-investigations\u002Fpenalties",{"author_name":78,"page_site_title":79,"available_at":80,"accessed_at":60},"Workers Compensation Act (British Columbia)","s. 333, annual consumer price index adjustment","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bclaws.gov.bc.ca\u002Fcivix\u002Fdocument\u002Fid\u002Fcomplete\u002Fstatreg\u002F19001_08",[82,88,94],{"title":83,"slug":84,"slug_en":84,"media":85},"The 16 Sections of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Explained","safety-data-sheet-sections-explained",{"image":86},{"alt":87},"eSafetyFirst - The 16 Sections of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Explained",{"title":89,"slug":90,"slug_en":90,"media":91},"WHMIS Symbols & Pictograms: All 10 Hazard Symbols Explained","whmis-symbols-pictograms-guide",{"image":92},{"alt":93},"eSafetyFirst - WHMIS Symbols & Pictograms: All 10 Hazard Symbols Explained",{"title":95,"slug":96,"slug_en":96,"media":97},"GHS in Canada: How the Global Standard Works with WHMIS","ghs-canada-whmis-alignment",{"image":98},{"alt":99},"eSafetyFirst - GHS in Canada: How the Global Standard Works with WHMIS",{"yes":101,"no":102,"user_voted":103},"1","0","not-voted",{"title":6,"description":105,"article_section":14,"about":106},"WHMIS employer responsibilities: the three core duties — worker training, labelling, SDS access — plus the program checklist, exemptions, and penalties.",[107,110],{"name":108,"same_as":109},"Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System","https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FWorkplace_Hazardous_Materials_Information_System",{"name":111,"same_as":112},"Occupational safety and health","https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FOccupational_safety_and_health",1788410573394]