WHMIS - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System Safety Data Sheets (SDS) Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under WHMIS regulations, which section of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provides detailed information on first-aid measures, including symptoms and effects of exposure?
- Section 2: Hazard Identification
- Section 8: Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
- Section 11: Toxicological Information
- Section 4: First-Aid Measures (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Section 4: First-Aid Measures
Section 4 of the SDS is specifically dedicated to first-aid measures. It outlines the necessary steps to be taken in case of exposure via inhalation, skin/eye contact, or ingestion, and describes the most important symptoms and effects, both acute and delayed.
Question 2: A worker decants a hazardous cleaning product from a large supplier drum into a smaller, unlabeled spray bottle for daily use. According to WHMIS, what is now required?
- The worker must memorize the product's hazards.
- A workplace label must be created and affixed to the spray bottle. (Correct answer)
- A new SDS must be requested from the supplier for the spray bottle.
- The spray bottle can only be used by the person who filled it.
Correct answer: A workplace label must be created and affixed to the spray bottle.
WHMIS requires a workplace label to be created when a hazardous product is transferred (decanted) into a new container. This label must include the product name, safe handling precautions, and a reference to the SDS.
Question 3: Which of the following pieces of information is NOT a mandatory component of a supplier label under WHMIS?
- Product Identifier
- Signal Word
- The date the SDS was last reviewed (Correct answer)
- Hazard Pictogram(s)
Correct answer: The date the SDS was last reviewed
A WHMIS supplier label must include six key elements: Product Identifier, Initial Supplier Identifier, Pictogram(s), Signal Word, Hazard Statement(s), and Precautionary Statement(s). The date of SDS review is found on the SDS itself (Section 16), not the supplier label.
Question 4: An employer receives a hazardous product from a supplier with an SDS dated four years ago. The supplier confirms in writing that no significant new data has emerged. What is the employer's responsibility regarding the SDS?
- Immediately stop using the product until a new SDS is issued.
- The employer must create a new SDS based on their own research.
- Accept the existing SDS as compliant since the supplier verified its accuracy. (Correct answer)
- Update the SDS every three years regardless of new data.
Correct answer: Accept the existing SDS as compliant since the supplier verified its accuracy.
Under WHMIS 2015, the strict three-year update rule from WHMIS 1988 is gone. Suppliers have an ongoing responsibility to ensure SDSs are accurate at the time of sale. If a supplier confirms the information is still current, the employer can continue to use the existing SDS. Employers must ensure SDSs are up-to-date when they enter the workplace.
Question 5: In which section of the Safety Data Sheet would you find the product's flash point, pH, and solubility?
- Section 5: Fire-Fighting Measures
- Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties (Correct answer)
- Section 10: Stability and Reactivity
- Section 3: Composition/Information on Ingredients
Correct answer: Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties
Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties contains information about the product's characteristics, such as its appearance, odor, pH, flash point, solubility, and other data that describe its physical and chemical makeup.
Question 6: A product's SDS displays the 'Health Hazard' pictogram (a silhouette with a starburst in the chest). What is one of the primary hazards this symbol represents?
- Acute toxicity (harmful)
- Skin or eye irritation
- Carcinogenicity (Correct answer)
- Gases under pressure
Correct answer: Carcinogenicity
The Health Hazard pictogram indicates serious, long-term health effects. Its presence warns of hazards such as carcinogenicity (may cause cancer), respiratory sensitization, reproductive toxicity, or specific target organ toxicity after repeated exposure.
WHMIS - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System Safety Data Sheets (SDS) Questions and Answers 1
Under WHMIS regulations, which section of a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provides detailed information on first-aid measures, including symptoms and effects of exposure?