2016- 2017 Workplace Chemicals Work Plans

Health Canada and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have collaborated to develop 2016-17 Workplace Chemicals Work Plan with employee safety as a number one priority. The agreement is intended to efficiently regulate hazardous materials and chemicals in the workplace without compromising on work safety. The plan seeks to curtail the regulatory barriers between the Canadian and US systems to work in a far more organized fashion to guard citizens of both countries. The agreement, developed through the Regulatory Cooperation Council, has been in the pipeline since Health Canada signed an MOU with OSHA in 2013.

What are some of the details of the arrangement?

The two departments will focus on enforcing the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling (GHS) in their countries. Canada and the US have agreed to share the details of any form of updates to worker safety and engage their respective stakeholders to recognize the greatest risks in their systems. There will be periodic communication to stakeholders of any revisions in the GHS and an understanding to develop amicable solutions when differences between the two bodies eventually crop up.

Canada and the US ultimately hope to create the best possible working environment that they can for workers who work with hazardous chemicals on a daily basis.