WHMIS 2015 — Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System aligned with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) — is mandatory training for workers who handle, store, or work near controlled products in Canadian workplaces. Whether you are completing initial WHMIS training or reviewing for a workplace certification assessment, our free practice test PDF gives you a printable set of questions covering every major WHMIS 2015 topic.
The PDF covers the full WHMIS 2015 hazard classification system, Safety Data Sheet format, supplier and workplace label requirements, the eight GHS pictograms, signal words, and workers' rights. Download it once and use it to study anywhere — no internet connection required after download.
WHMIS 2015 updated Canada's original 1988 WHMIS legislation to align with the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The key changes from WHMIS 1988 include replacing Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) with standardized 16-section Safety Data Sheets (SDS), replacing supplier labels with GHS-format labels, and adopting internationally consistent hazard classification criteria. WHMIS 2015 is implemented federally under the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) and Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR), and provincially through occupational health and safety legislation in each province and territory.
WHMIS 2015 organizes hazardous products into three broad hazard groups: physical hazards, health hazards, and environmental hazards. Physical hazards relate to the product's physical or chemical properties (e.g., flammability, reactivity). Health hazards relate to the product's toxic effects on the human body. Environmental hazards cover aquatic toxicity. Each hazard group contains multiple classes, and each class may have multiple categories indicating the severity of the hazard — Category 1 is always the most severe.
There are 9 physical hazard classes under WHMIS 2015: (1) Flammable gases, (2) Flammable aerosols, (3) Oxidizing gases, (4) Gases under pressure, (5) Flammable liquids, (6) Flammable solids, (7) Self-reactive substances and mixtures, (8) Pyrophoric liquids and solids, and (9) Self-heating substances. Exam questions frequently ask about flash points used to classify flammable liquids (flash point below 60°C for Category 1–4) and the difference between flammable and combustible liquids under older WHMIS 1988 classifications.
There are 10 health hazard classes under WHMIS 2015: (1) Acute toxicity, (2) Skin corrosion/irritation, (3) Serious eye damage/eye irritation, (4) Respiratory or skin sensitization, (5) Germ cell mutagenicity, (6) Carcinogenicity, (7) Reproductive toxicity, (8) Specific target organ toxicity — single exposure (STOT-SE), (9) Specific target organ toxicity — repeated exposure (STOT-RE), and (10) Aspiration hazard. Acute toxicity is classified by route of exposure: oral, dermal, or inhalation. Category 1 represents the highest acute toxicity in each route.
Every SDS must contain 16 sections in a standardized order: (1) Identification, (2) Hazard identification, (3) Composition/information on ingredients, (4) First-aid measures, (5) Fire-fighting measures, (6) Accidental release measures, (7) Handling and storage, (8) Exposure controls/personal protective equipment, (9) Physical and chemical properties, (10) Stability and reactivity, (11) Toxicological information, (12) Ecological information, (13) Disposal considerations, (14) Transport information, (15) Regulatory information, (16) Other information. Workers most often need Sections 4 (first aid), 8 (PPE), and 14 (transport). Suppliers must provide an SDS with every controlled product shipped to a Canadian workplace.
A WHMIS 2015 supplier label must include: (1) Product identifier (the product name), (2) Initial supplier identifier (name, address, phone of the Canadian supplier), (3) Hazard pictogram(s), (4) Signal word ("Danger" or "Warning"), (5) Hazard statement(s) — standardized phrases describing the nature and degree of hazard, (6) Precautionary statement(s) — recommended measures to minimize or prevent adverse effects. Supplemental label elements such as supplemental hazard information and precautionary information may also appear. Labels must be in both English and French for products sold in Canada.
A workplace label is required when a controlled product is produced in the workplace and used there, or when a product is transferred from its original supplier container into another container. A workplace label must include: (1) Product identifier, (2) Safe handling instructions, (3) A reference to the SDS. Workplace labels do not need to meet all the supplier label requirements, but they must clearly identify the product and direct workers to the SDS for full hazard information. They must be legible, durable, and written in official language(s) understood by the workers.
WHMIS 2015 uses 8 GHS pictograms, each a black symbol on a white diamond with a red border: (1) Flame — flammable materials and self-reactives; (2) Flame over circle — oxidizers; (3) Exploding bomb — explosives and self-reactives; (4) Gas cylinder — gases under pressure; (5) Corrosion — skin/eye corrosion and metal corrosion; (6) Skull and crossbones — acute toxicity (Categories 1–3); (7) Exclamation mark — lower-severity hazards (acute toxicity Cat. 4, skin/eye irritation, sensitization, STOT-SE Cat. 3); (8) Health hazard (person with starburst) — serious long-term health effects (carcinogen, mutagen, reproductive toxin, STOT, aspiration hazard). WHMIS 1988 had a unique biohazardous infectious materials symbol that WHMIS 2015 retains outside the standard 8 GHS pictograms.
"Danger" is used for more severe hazard categories (typically Category 1 and 2 within a class). "Warning" is used for less severe categories (typically Category 3 and 4). Only one signal word appears on a label — if both "Danger" and "Warning" apply, only "Danger" is used. Some hazard categories do not require a signal word at all. Understanding which signal word applies to which category is a common exam topic.
Under WHMIS legislation, workers have three core rights: the right to know about hazardous products in the workplace, the right to participate in health and safety activities, and the right to refuse unsafe work. Employers are obligated to provide WHMIS education and training to all workers who work with or near controlled products, ensure SDS are available and accessible, apply workplace labels as required, and review and update training at regular intervals or whenever a new hazardous product is introduced. Training must cover both the general WHMIS system and the specific products workers encounter in their workplace.
WHMIS and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) regulations both deal with hazardous materials, but they apply at different points in a product's lifecycle. WHMIS governs hazardous products in the workplace — when they are stored, handled, and used by workers. TDG governs the movement of dangerous goods in commerce — when products are being transported by road, rail, air, or water. A product in transit is regulated under TDG; once it arrives at a workplace and is being used, WHMIS applies. Both sets of regulations may apply at loading docks and receiving areas. The TDG system uses different classification criteria, labels (called "danger placards"), and documentation (shipping documents) than WHMIS.
Want to test yourself interactively with instant scoring and answer explanations? Our WHMIS practice test lets you practice all WHMIS 2015 topics online for free — no registration required.