North America: Canada updates its GHS implementation, the transitional period has begun

The Canadian GHS implementation

Back in 2015, the Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS), the Canadian national hazard communication standard for hazardous chemicals, aligned its classification and labelling system to the 5th revision of the GHS standard.

Last January 4th 2023, the Canadian Country Authority published on the Canadian Gazette the updated Hazardous Product Act (SOR/2022-272), updating its classification, labelling and Safety Data Sheet criteria to the UN GHS 7th revision.

Canadian GHS update: what’s new?

Compared to the WHMIS 2015, the following changes can be highlighted:

• Adoption of the Aerosol, Category 3 (also changing the name of the classification from “Flammable aerosols” to simply “Aerosols”)
• Alignment of the Flammable gases classification to UN 7th standard (adoption of subcategories 1A and 1B, with 1A including also pyrophoric gases and chemically unstable gases)
• Adoption of the Chemical under pressure classification from the GHS UN 8th revision

The GHS environmental classifications (such as Aquatic Acute or Chronic) remains outside the scope of Hazardous Product Act and are considered optional.

Canadian GHS update: when?

While the updated regulation has been published on the Canadian Official Gazelle on January 2023, the updated criteria came into force actually at the date of registration in the Gazette (December 15th 2022). As stated in the January publication, suppliers have until December 15th 2025 to bring product classification, safety data sheets and labels into compliance with the updated amendments.

For more information regarding the GHS update of Canada, please use the following links:

• Canadian Gazette Vol 157 (January 2023)