How long a transition period did suppliers get to update labels and SDSs after the 2022 amendments?
WHMIS overview
WHMIS: WHMIS law and enforcement
WHMIS 1988, WHMIS 2015 and the December 2022 amendments, the Hazardous Products Act and Regulations, who enforces WHMIS in each jurisdiction and what an inspector checks.
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Study reference: CCOHS OSH Answers: WHMIS fact sheets (revised 2026-05-28), Ch. 2 WHMIS – Legislation — Is WHMIS law, who enforces it, inspections, sources of legislation
All 15 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
How long a transition period did suppliers get to update labels and SDSs after the 2022 amendments?
- Six months
- Five years
- One year
- Three years
You work at a federally regulated workplace such as a bank. Who enforces WHMIS there?
- The federal Labour Program
- Health Canada's food inspectors
- The municipal fire department
- The provincial ministry of labour
Which agency enforces WHMIS in Quebec workplaces?
- Service NL
- Health Canada
- WorkSafeBC
- CNESST
Which body enforces WHMIS for provincially regulated workplaces in British Columbia?
- WorkSafeBC
- CNESST
- The ESDC Labour Program
- WorkSafeNB
Who enforces WHMIS in a provincially regulated workplace?
- The product's supplier
- The provincial or territorial OHS regulator
- The local police service
- The Canada Border Services Agency's inspectors
When may a Hazardous Products Act inspector enter a workplace?
- Only after giving 30 days' written notice
- With reasonable grounds to believe a hazardous product is there
- Only if a worker has filed a complaint
- Only with the written consent of every worker present at the site
Which federal law sets out the WHMIS duties of suppliers?
- The Hazardous Products Act
- The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act
- The Fisheries Act
- The Criminal Code
During a WHMIS inspection, which records should your employer be ready to show?
- Education and training records for exposed workers
- Customer sales receipts for the last year
- Each worker's medical history
- Workers' personal tax returns
Is WHMIS a legal requirement in Canada or a voluntary guideline?
- It is law only in Ontario and Quebec
- It is required only at companies with a unionized workforce
- It is a voluntary industry guideline
- It is law under federal, provincial and territorial rules
Why is the GHS-aligned system called WHMIS 2015?
- Its Hazardous Products Regulations were published in February 2015
- Every workplace had to be trained by January 2015
- It replaced the Transport of Dangerous Goods Act in 2015
- 2015 was the first year WHMIS became law
What does CCOHS now call the system in force after the 2022 amendments?
- WHMIS 2025, replacing all earlier rules and labels
- GHS Canada, replacing the WHMIS name
- Amended WHMIS, with WHMIS 2015 called former WHMIS
- WHMIS 1988, revised edition
Which federal department is responsible for the WHMIS supplier laws?
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Transport Canada
- Health Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
When did the latest amendments to the Hazardous Products Act and Regulations come into force?
- January 1, 2020
- February 11, 2015
- December 15, 2022
- December 1, 2018
An inspector stops you at your workstation. Which question might they ask to confirm you were trained?
- What would you do in an emergency with this product?
- How many years have you worked here?
- How much did this product cost?
- Who delivered this product to the loading dock last week?
In what year did WHMIS first become law in Canada?
- 2015
- 1978
- 1995
- 1988
WHMIS law and enforcement: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Is WHMIS law?
- Yes. WHMIS first became law in 1988 through complementary federal, provincial and territorial laws ("WHMIS 1988").
- Hazardous Products Regulations aligned with GHS were published in Canada Gazette Part II on February 11, 2015 ("WHMIS 2015").
- Amendments to the Hazardous Products Act and Regulations came into force December 15, 2022; suppliers had a 3-year transition (CCOHS: to December 15, 2025; whmis.org: ended December 14, 2025). CCOHS now calls this "amended WHMIS" and WHMIS 2015 "former WHMIS".
- Ontario page: WHMIS 2015 phased in between February 2015 and December 2018; from December 1, 2018 everyone had transitioned to WHMIS 2015.
Federal laws
- Federal: Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) set supplier duties (classification, labels, SDSs). Health Canada is responsible for supplier-related laws.
- Ontario guide: Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA) and Regulations protect confidential business information; Health Canada decides whether a CBI claim is valid.
- Under WHMIS 2015 "controlled products" became "hazardous products"; SDSs got a standardized 16-section format; no more 3-year SDS update rule (update as new information appears).
Workplace (employer) laws
- Each province/territory and the federal government (for federally regulated workplaces) has its own occupational health and safety WHMIS rules for employers, based on a common model; small differences possible.
Who enforces WHMIS?
- Enforced by provincial/territorial OHS departments or agencies, or by the federal Labour Program (ESDC) for federally regulated workplaces.
- Some inspectors are designated by Health Canada to enforce supplier requirements under the HPA/HPR.
- Examples from the CCOHS table: Ontario – Occupational Health and Safety Act + Regulation 860; BC – WorkSafeBC; Quebec – CNESST; federal workplaces – Canada Labour Code Part II, enforced by ESDC Labour Program.
Inspector visits
- Employers should be ready to: show a WHMIS program is in place; show where SDSs are; show products have proper labels; show education and training records.
- Inspectors may talk to workers to confirm training: what are the hazards, how do I protect myself, what to do in an emergency, where to get more information.
- HPA inspectors may enter a place if they have reasonable grounds to believe a WHMIS-related activity is happening or a hazardous product is there.
- Suppliers may be asked to show true copies of labels and SDSs in both official languages and sales/purchase records.
What all jurisdictions require of employers
- Run a worker education and training program; ensure proper labels (incl. workplace labels); give access to up-to-date SDSs (prepare them if needed); have appropriate control measures.
Other topics
- What WHMIS isWhat the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System is, its four main parts, how it lines up with the GHS, what counts as a hazardous product and which products are excluded.
- Supplier, employer and worker dutiesWho counts as a supplier, manufacturer, importer or distributor, what employers must provide, what workers must do, and the role of the health and safety committee.
- WHMIS education and trainingThe difference between education and site-specific training, who must be trained, what it must cover, the four questions every worker should be able to answer, reviews and refreshers.
- Hazard groups, classes and categoriesThe physical and health hazard groups, how classes group similar products, how categories and types show severity, and what changed in the 2022 amendments.
- Physical hazard classesFlammables, oxidizers, gases under pressure, pyrophoric and self-heating products, water-reactives, organic peroxides, corrosive to metals, combustible dusts, simple asphyxiants and chemicals under pressure.
- Health hazard classesAcute toxicity, skin and eye damage, sensitizers, mutagens, carcinogens, reproductive toxicity, target organ toxicity, aspiration hazard and biohazardous infectious materials.
- WHMIS pictogramsThe red-bordered diamond pictograms described in words: flame, flame over circle, gas cylinder, corrosion, exploding bomb, skull and crossbones, health hazard, exclamation mark and the biohazard symbol, plus classes with no pictogram.
- Supplier labelsThe required parts of a supplier label, the two signal words, hazard and precautionary statements, bilingual rules, small-container exemptions and the 180-day update rule.
- Workplace labels and other identificationWhen a workplace label is needed (decanting, products made on site, lost labels), the decanting exceptions, what a workplace label must say, and other means of identification.
- Safety data sheets (16 sections)What an SDS is, the 16 sections in their required order, which sections workers use most, update rules, and the employer's duty to keep SDSs available.
- Safe handling and storageEveryday precautions by pictogram: ventilation, ignition sources, incompatibles, gas cylinders, corrosives, toxic products, storage height, cabinets and controls such as substitution and PPE.
- Emergencies, spills and first aidWhere emergency information is on the SDS, reporting leaks and spills, fire and evacuation basics, eyewash and showers, and standard first-aid steps by route of exposure.
- Ontario WHMIS rules (Regulation 860)How Ontario applies WHMIS through the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulation 860: who is covered, decanted containers, SDS access, annual review of training, exemptions and hazardous waste.