Whmis

[eclipse1966]

so one of my staff members in the office got a call from WHMIS advising us that because we have a fire extinguisher and cleaning supplies (i.e. windex) in the office we now have to be certified yearly at $160 every year. What a load of crap and who thinks of this &hit!!!! I am lost for words on this stupid regulation.

 

[Stg2Suby]

I thought you just had to follow the rules, have SDS available, employee training (free online)

 

[eclipse1966]

we are only an office here so how difficult is it to use windex LOL. Unfortunately not free either as they want $160 per year. Crazy!

I thought you just had to follow the rules, have SDS available, employee training (free online)

 

[eclipse1966]

BTW, what is SDS?

I thought you just had to follow the rules, have SDS available, employee training (free online)

 

[DaveB]

BTW, what is SDS?

Safety Data Sheets....formerly MSDS.

 

[metrod]

If you have taken WHIMIS2015 it doesn't expire. The training companies put the expiry date on them. If you take your employees and review a SDS and document it you are good.
BC doesn't require a card for the employee either. Its all about getting the money for a refresher for the training company.

As an employer in BC, do I need to educate and train my employees on WHMIS?
The simple answer to this question is Yes, it is a requirement for employers to educate their workers on WHMIS, where controlled products are present in the workplace. This includes education on what WHMIS is, the classifications of hazards, labelling and how to read a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and is often referred to as "Generic WHMIS" because it would be the same training materials for any workplace regardless of the products used in the workplace and regardless of the types of hazards from these products. The employer has a second part to this responsibility and that is to provide more product specific or site specific training on the products and hazards that are applicable to the work that employee is performing and the products they would handle or be in contact with. How frequently do I need to train my workers on WHMIS in BC?
This is the question that can have a different answer from province to province and territory. It is the regulatory authority in each province or territory that sets the answer to this question. In BC employers who have controlled products in the workplace or workers exposed to controlled products must have a WHMIS program in place – and must review their WHMIS program annually – or more frequently if there is a change in conditions or a change in hazard information. Do I need to have a WHMIS Certificate for my employees?
BC WHMIS laws do not currently require employers to issue a certificate to their employees. A WHMIS Certificate or WHMIS Card can be issued by the person or organization which provides WHMIS education, training and testing. While BC WHMIS laws do not require that a WHMIS certificate is issued, it is becoming more common that workers from one organization are off site on other organizations work sites. In this case where you have workers on my job site, I can require you to show some form of evidence that your employees have had "Generic WHMIS education and training". Having a WHMIS Card or Certificate is a common way that contract workers or workers who work off site (not only at their own location) are able to provide documentation that speaks to the training they have had. A WHMIS certificate typically includes the person’s name, company employed by, a testing or training date and a test score if applicable. Most importantly is information on who issued the WHMIS certificate as a way for to assess the credibility of the training or verify the course completion details. When you have questions about local WHMIS requirements you can contact the jurisdiction that regulates WHMIS for BC. More information is available at this link on the WorkSafe BC site, ​

 

[lilduke]

so one of my staff members in the office got a call from WHMIS advising us that because we have a fire extinguisher and cleaning supplies (i.e. windex) in the office we now have to be certified yearly at $160 every year. What a load of crap and who thinks of this &hit!!!! I am lost for words on this stupid regulation.

Why don't you just take the windex home and bring it in when you nred it. And yes I agree that is some bull****

 

[eclipse1966]

tks for the info. I guess I am shocked that an office with computers, desks, filing cabinets would need such a thing. In my simple mind I see this as a cash grab as I am sure my staff can handle a bottle of windex or a fire extinguisher if needed.

If you have taken WHIMIS2015 it doesn't expire. The training companies put the expiry date on them. If you take your employees and review a SDS and document it you are good.
BC doesn't require a card for the employee either. Its all about getting the money for a refresher for the training company.

As an employer in BC, do I need to educate and train my employees on WHMIS?
The simple answer to this question is Yes, it is a requirement for employers to educate their workers on WHMIS, where controlled products are present in the workplace. This includes education on what WHMIS is, the classifications of hazards, labelling and how to read a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and is often referred to as "Generic WHMIS" because it would be the same training materials for any workplace regardless of the products used in the workplace and regardless of the types of hazards from these products. The employer has a second part to this responsibility and that is to provide more product specific or site specific training on the products and hazards that are applicable to the work that employee is performing and the products they would handle or be in contact with. How frequently do I need to train my workers on WHMIS in BC?
This is the question that can have a different answer from province to province and territory. It is the regulatory authority in each province or territory that sets the answer to this question. In BC employers who have controlled products in the workplace or workers exposed to controlled products must have a WHMIS program in place – and must review their WHMIS program annually – or more frequently if there is a change in conditions or a change in hazard information. Do I need to have a WHMIS Certificate for my employees?
BC WHMIS laws do not currently require employers to issue a certificate to their employees. A WHMIS Certificate or WHMIS Card can be issued by the person or organization which provides WHMIS education, training and testing. While BC WHMIS laws do not require that a WHMIS certificate is issued, it is becoming more common that workers from one organization are off site on other organizations work sites. In this case where you have workers on my job site, I can require you to show some form of evidence that your employees have had "Generic WHMIS education and training". Having a WHMIS Card or Certificate is a common way that contract workers or workers who work off site (not only at their own location) are able to provide documentation that speaks to the training they have had.A WHMIS certificate typically includes the person’s name, company employed by, a testing or training date and a test score if applicable. Most importantly is information on who issued the WHMIS certificate as a way for to assess the credibility of the training or verify the course completion details.When you have questions about local WHMIS requirements you can contact the jurisdiction that regulates WHMIS for BC. More information is available at this link on the WorkSafe BC site, ​

 

[eclipse1966]

better yet just ignore them until they come knocking at my door and take me away in handcuffs

Why don't you just take the windex home and bring it in when you nred it. And yes I agree that is some bull****

 

[lilduke]

better yet just ignore them until they come knocking at my door and take me away in handcuffs

Yeah we need some more martyrs, way to take one for the team!

 

[52weekbreak]

Good suggestion lilduke regarding the windex but it might be quite a run for the fire extinguisher

Why don't you just take the windex home and bring it in when you nred it. And yes I agree that is some bull****

 

[52weekbreak]

Yeah I think I would roll the dice on that one.

better yet just ignore them until they come knocking at my door and take me away in handcuffs

 

[lilduke]

Good suggestion lilduke regarding the windex but it might be quite a run for the fire extinguisher

That's what insurance is for.

 

[eclipse1966]

hey I have done it before and stood my ground with these guys for my wife's cafe shop. They wanted money for using Sirius radio at her cafe shop and I told them we won't be paying it. After some threats etc etc nothing ever became of it.

https://canadabusiness.ca/blog/do-you-play-music-in-your-business-you-may-need-a-socan-licence-1/

Yeah we need some more martyrs, way to take one for the team!

 

[lilduke]

hey I have done it before and stood my ground with these guys for my wife's cafe shop. They wanted money for using Sirius radio at her cafe shop and I told them we won't be paying it. After some threats etc etc nothing ever became of it.

https://canadabusiness.ca/blog/do-you-play-music-in-your-business-you-may-need-a-socan-licence-1/

That awesome. More people need to stand up to these crooks.

 

[freeflorider]

better yet just ignore them until they come knocking at my door and take me away in handcuffs

Squirt them from the bottle with some fake windex and see if they run a way like your cat does. These compliance guys can’t be all that smart.

 

[Rene G]

so one of my staff members in the office got a call from WHMIS advising us that because we have a fire extinguisher and cleaning supplies (i.e. windex) in the office we now have to be certified yearly at $160 every year. What a load of crap and who thinks of this &hit!!!! I am lost for words on this stupid regulation.

I wouldn’t read too much into that one, if they call again get your employees to forward the call to you and ask for some credentials, it sounds like a scam to me.

 

[doorfx]

Or your employee squirts themselves in the eyes and then sues you because you didn’t train them properly
Then the government backs them up.

 

[Rjjtcross8]

I wouldn’t read too much into that one, if they call again get your employees to forward the call to you and ask for some credentials, it sounds like a scam to me.

X2 on this sounding like a scam.

 

[Cyle]

Get rid of windex and fire extinguisher, problem solved.