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WHMIS overview

WHMIS: Supplier, employer and worker duties

Who 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.

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Supplier, employer and worker duties · Question 1Score 0/0

A distributor buys a hazardous product, repackages it into smaller containers and sells it. What does WHMIS now consider the distributor to be?

Study reference: CCOHS OSH Answers: WHMIS fact sheets (revised 2026-05-28), Ch. 3 WHMIS – WHMIS Program — Employer, worker and committee responsibilities, program elements

All 16 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. A distributor buys a hazardous product, repackages it into smaller containers and sells it. What does WHMIS now consider the distributor to be?

    1. A consumer
    2. An exempt reseller
    3. An importer
    4. A manufacturer

  2. Who should the employer consult when developing the workplace WHMIS program?

    1. The health and safety committee or representative
    2. The workers' family members
    3. The local fire department only
    4. The product's sales representative and the supplier

  3. Which group is responsible for classifying a hazardous product and providing its label and SDS?

    1. Customers who buy for home use
    2. Workers
    3. Suppliers
    4. Health and safety committees

  4. How long must suppliers keep documents such as copies of labels, SDSs and sales records, unless another period is prescribed?

    1. Ten years
    2. One year
    3. Three years
    4. Six years

  5. Under WHMIS, who counts as a supplier?

    1. Any business that sells or imports a hazardous product
    2. Any worker who pours a product into another container
    3. Only retail stores that sell hazardous products to the public
    4. Only companies that manufacture chemicals in Canada

  6. You were just hired and see a hazardous product you have never been trained on. What does WHMIS guidance say?

    1. Use it only if a co-worker is watching
    2. Use it carefully and read the label later
    3. Do not use it until you are trained in safe procedures
    4. Use it, since training can wait until the yearly review

  7. Who is ultimately responsible for the WHMIS program in a workplace?

    1. The employer
    2. The supplier of the products
    3. The most senior worker
    4. The health and safety committee

  8. You find a container in the storeroom with no label. What should you do?

    1. Smell it to identify the contents
    2. Use it if it looks like a familiar product
    3. Throw it in the regular garbage
    4. Do not use it and tell your supervisor

  9. Which of these is an employer duty under WHMIS?

    1. Classifying products for sale to other companies
    2. Setting the hazard statements used on labels
    3. Approving confidential business information claims
    4. Giving workers access to up-to-date safety data sheets

  10. Who must educate and train workers about the hazardous products in their workplace?

    1. Each worker on their own
    2. Health Canada
    3. The employer
    4. The product's supplier

  11. An old product with a WHMIS 1988 label is still on the shelf and the supplier has no current SDS. What are the employer's options?

    1. Return it to Health Canada for disposal
    2. Remove the old label and use it as an ordinary consumer product
    3. Keep using it, since old labels are still valid
    4. Write a new SDS and label to current rules, or dispose of it

  12. A company makes a cleaning mixture on site and uses it only in its own workplace. What must the employer do?

    1. Nothing, because it is never sold
    2. Classify it, apply a workplace label and prepare an SDS
    3. Label it only if a worker asks
    4. Send a sample to Health Canada for testing and approval first

  13. Your employer imports a hazardous product directly from a foreign supplier, only for use in its own plant. Under WHMIS, the employer is:

    1. Exempt, because the product is not resold
    2. The importer, with supplier duties for labels and SDSs
    3. Only responsible for training, not labels
    4. Required to send the product back for relabelling

  14. Which of these is one of the six elements of a WHMIS program described by CCOHS?

    1. Marketing and advertising
    2. Purchasing and inventory
    3. Payroll and benefits
    4. Customer service

  15. Which of these is a worker's responsibility under WHMIS?

    1. Inspecting the supplier's factory
    2. Taking part in WHMIS education and training
    3. Writing safety data sheets for new products
    4. Classifying products into hazard classes

  16. Why does a WHMIS program include a product inventory?

    1. So the employer always knows what is on site and how much
    2. So the employer can avoid buying labels
    3. So workers can take leftover products home
    4. So the supplier can bill the employer correctly

Supplier, employer and worker duties: 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 ↗

Supplier, manufacturer, importer, distributor

  • Supplier: a person who, in the course of business, sells or imports a hazardous product.
  • Manufacturer: a supplier who, in business in Canada, makes, produces, processes, packages or labels a hazardous product and sells it.
  • Importer: a supplier who brings a hazardous product into Canada but does not sell it.
  • Distributor: a Canadian supplier who buys a hazardous product and resells it unchanged; if it repackages or relabels before selling, it counts as a manufacturer.
  • An employer that imports a hazardous product only for its own workplace is the importer and must meet supplier requirements (may keep the foreign supplier's name, address and phone on label/SDS).

Supplier duties

  • Classify hazardous products; provide labels; provide SDSs (at time of sale).

Employer duties

  • Educate and train workers on hazards and safe use.
  • Give workers access to up-to-date SDSs.
  • Make sure hazardous products are labelled; prepare workplace labels as needed.
  • Prepare SDSs when needed (e.g., product made and used on site).
  • Put appropriate control measures in place.
  • Program duties also include: know what hazardous products are present and how used; keep records of identity and amount; identify hazards; determine who may be exposed; develop procedures (safe use, piping/vessels, protection, emergencies); update SDSs and labels when significant new data arrives; monitor the program.
  • WHMIS 1988 products still on site: get a current SDS from the supplier, or author a new SDS and label, or safely dispose of the product.
  • Employers who produce a hazardous product on site for their own use must classify it, apply a workplace label and prepare an SDS.

Worker duties

  • Participate in WHMIS education and training.
  • Take necessary steps to protect themselves and co-workers; take part in identifying and controlling hazards.
  • Follow instructions and safe work procedures; know the products you handle or may be exposed to (e.g., during a spill or fire); do not use a product until trained.
  • Keep labels in good condition; do not use unlabelled products; ask for a new label if unreadable.
  • Know how to get SDSs and understand them; ask for help; report concerns.

Health and safety committee

  • Employer is ultimately responsible for the WHMIS program.
  • The program should be developed by the employer in consultation with the health and safety committee or representative.
  • Committees may help develop the program and training, or monitor/audit; may raise concerns found during inspections.

Elements of a WHMIS program

  • Six elements: purchasing and inventory; hazard identification; inspections; worker education and training; review and evaluation; document and record-keeping.
  • Employer must know at all times what hazardous products are present and in what amounts.
  • Program reviewed at least annually, or more often if conditions change. A specific WHMIS inspection at least once a year may be advisable.
  • Suppliers must keep documents (label and SDS copies, sales/purchase info) for six years.

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