WHMIS and Hazardous Products Toolbox Talk
Adhesives, solvents, fuels, sealants, form oil and cleaners can burn your skin, damage your lungs or catch fire. Some cause cancer or asthma years later. The information you need to stay safe is on the label and the safety data sheet, so read them before you use the product.
Takes about 7 minutes, plus a 5-question quiz.
What happened: a real incident
In 2013, two workers in British Columbia were resurfacing a condo deck. One was spreading a flammable adhesive while the other used a hot air blower to weld vinyl sheeting nearby. The adhesive vapours caught fire and both workers were severely burned. WorkSafeBC found the instructions on the container to let the vapours clear had not been followed, and that training was informal with no written safe work procedures.
Source: WorkSafeBC
Key points to read out
- Read the WHMIS label and the safety data sheet (SDS) before using a product. You must have WHMIS training.
- Know the hazard pictograms on the label: flame, skull, corrosion, health hazard and exclamation mark.
- Keep SDSs on site where everyone can get to them, and check they are up to date. Since December 2025 all labels and SDS must follow the updated WHMIS rules, including the new Chemicals Under Pressure class.
- If you decant a product into another container, it needs a workplace label with the product name, safe handling steps and a reference to the SDS. Never use drink bottles.
- Use good ventilation. Do not use solvents or adhesives in enclosed spaces without extra air or a respirator.
- Read the label for drying or flash-off times. Solvent vapour hangs around after you stop spraying or spreading, and it can travel along the floor to an ignition source.
- Keep heat guns, torches, grinders, heaters and cigarettes well away from flammable adhesives, primers and fuels until the vapour has cleared.
- Wear the PPE listed on the SDS: usually gloves, eye protection and sometimes a respirator.
- Store flammables away from heat and sparks, and keep incompatible chemicals apart.
- Know where the spill kit is, and report spills straight away.
- Know the first aid steps on the SDS before you need them, and where the eyewash is.
- Wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking.
Questions to ask the crew
- What chemicals are we using today?
- Where are the safety data sheets kept?
- What PPE does the SDS say we need?
- What would you do if a product splashed on your skin?
- Which products today give off flammable vapour, and what ignition sources are nearby?
Reference: WHMIS 2015 (Hazardous Products Act and Hazardous Products Regulations)
How to run this talk
- Bring two or three products the crew will use today, with their safety data sheets.
- Read one label out loud and have the crew find the hazards, PPE and first aid on the SDS.
- Show where the SDS folder or app, the spill kit and the eyewash are on this site.
- Check any decanted containers on site and fix missing labels on the spot.
- Agree which products give off flammable vapour today and what ignition sources must be kept away.
- Record attendance and the products covered on the sign-in sheet.
WHMIS and Hazardous Products quiz
Ask these after the talk. Answers are underneath each question.
Where do you find out what PPE a product needs?
- The supplier's website banner
- The WHMIS label and safety data sheet (SDS)
- Ask whoever used it last
Answer: B. The SDS sets out the hazards, PPE, first aid and storage for each product, so read it before you start.
You need a small amount of solvent in a smaller container. What do you do?
- Use an empty drink bottle
- Use a proper container with a workplace label: product name, safe handling steps and a reference to the SDS
- Use any container and remember what is in it
Answer: B. Unlabelled or drink containers lead to people drinking, mixing or misusing chemicals.
You have just spread a flammable contact adhesive. When can you use a heat gun nearby?
- Straight away, the glue is down
- Only after the vapour has cleared as the label or SDS says
- Never, heat guns are banned
Answer: B. Solvent vapour lingers and travels along the floor to ignition sources, and flash fires from it have badly burned workers.
A chemical splashes in your eye. What do you do first?
- Rub it
- Flush it at the eyewash with clean water for a long time and get help
- Wait to see if it stings
Answer: B. Fast, long flushing limits the damage; most SDSs say at least 15 minutes, then follow the SDS first aid steps.
What does a flame pictogram on a label tell you?
- The product is flammable
- The product is toxic if swallowed
- The product is corrosive
Answer: A. Pictograms give a quick warning of the main hazard, and the SDS gives the detail.
Questions about whmis and hazardous products
What is a safety data sheet and where should it be kept?
A safety data sheet (SDS) is the supplier's document setting out a product's hazards, safe handling, PPE, first aid, storage and spill steps in 16 standard sections. Under WHMIS, employers must make a current SDS for every hazardous product readily available to workers and to the health and safety committee or representative.
How often do safety data sheets need to be updated?
Under WHMIS 2015 there is no longer a three year expiry date for SDSs. Suppliers must update the SDS within 90 days of learning of significant new data, and employers must make the updated version available.
Is WHMIS training required every year?
WHMIS education and training is required before workers use hazardous products, and most provinces require it to be reviewed at least once a year or when conditions change; Ontario, for example, requires an annual review. Training must cover the labels, SDSs and the safe use of the products in your workplace.
What do the hazard pictograms mean?
WHMIS pictograms show the main hazards: flame (flammable), skull and crossbones (acutely toxic), corrosion (burns skin and eyes, damages metal), health hazard (long term harm such as cancer or asthma), exclamation mark (irritant or less serious harm), gas cylinder (gas under pressure), flame over circle (oxidiser), exploding bomb (explosive) and the WHMIS biohazardous infectious materials symbol. The SDS explains each hazard in detail.
What the law says in Canada
Across Canada, WHMIS requires hazardous products to carry proper labels and come with up to date safety data sheets that workers can get to. Employers must make workplace labels when needed and must educate and train workers on the hazards and safe use of each product, and workers must take part in that training. The federal rules were amended in December 2022, and the supplier transition ended in December 2025.
Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.