WHMIS was created to help reduce the injuries, illnesses, deaths, medical costs, fires and explosions caused by the unsafe use of hazardous products. Despite these noble objectives, 30 years after its creation it is one of the most frustrating pieces of legislation in the Health and Safety area.
Why is WHMIS so Difficult?
Frustration exists when you do the same thing over and over again without feeling like you have achieved any tangible results.
Do any of the following statements apply to you?
- SDSs are out of date, disorganized, untidy, or chaotic.
- No accurate or timely information on chemical hazards in your workplace is available
- A question is answered after researching the issues, only to repeat the exercise when that same question is asked 6 months later.
- You don’t know if you have asked all the right questions on potential hazards.
If you said Yes to any of the above, your frustration is the result of not having a system in place to manage chemical safety. Which is ironic because the S in WHMIS stands for system.
What You Can Do About It?
Create a System to manage WHMIS within your organization. A system is a way to connect information, people and tools together. An effective system would meet the following criteria:
- Has one primary purpose (Safe use of hazardous materials)
- Is designed with the end-user in mind (Employees, Students and Contractors who handle chemicals)
- Is simple for your targeted end-user to use and understand.
- Represents the best known way of doing things
- Has measurable performance standards.
Can SDS RiskAssist Help?
Yes it can! Because it was developed to meet your needs for a system to manage chemical safety by:
- Focusing on the people who handle chemicals
- Giving people who handle chemicals exactly (and only) the information they need
- Utilizing a simple user interface that you can learn in minutes.
- Incorporating Rillea’s founders 60 years’ experience managing chemicals
- Allowing measurement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure you have asked the right questions.
If you'd like to make better use of your WHMIS documents with a system to prevent the injuries, illnesses, deaths, medical costs, fires and explosions caused by the unsafe use of hazardous products, contact us.
