According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS): “In Canada, every material that is controlled by WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) must have an accompanying MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) that is specific to each individual product or material (both the product name and supplier on the MSDS must match the material in use).”

COHS goes on to explain that “A Material Safety Data Sheet is a document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product. It is an essential starting point for the development of a complete health and safety program. It also contains information on the use, storage, handling and emergency procedures all related to the hazards of the material. The MSDS contains much more information about the material than the label. MSDSs are prepared by the supplier or manufacturer of the material. They are intended to indicate the hazards of a product, how to use the product safely, what to expect if the recommendations are not followed, what to do if accidents occur, how to recognize symptoms of overexposure and what to do if such incidents occur.”

In my own experience in the powersport trade, I can think of at least a few shops I worked in that didn’t have a MSDS station on site.
In my home province of Alberta, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, an employer must ensure that a controlled product is used, stored, handled or manufactured at a work site in accordance with part 29 (WHMIS) of the code. Part 29 includes such topics as hazardous waste, employee training and product labelling, amongst others. Included in part 29 of the Act (subsections 404-407) is information on MSDS.
With very few exceptions, employers who acquire a controlled product for use at a work site must obtain a supplier’s MSDS for that controlled product, and ensure that the MSDS is readily available to workers who may be exposed to the controlled product and to the joint work site health and safety committee (if one exists).

As an employer, you must have an MSDS station, complete with MSDSs on every controlled substance used in your shop, mounted in a readily accessible area so that your employees can easily access the station.

MSDSs are usually available from your supplier. You simply have to ask for one whenever you purchase a new controlled substance. Let’s say you decide to switch to a different brand of brake cleaner for the shop. By law, you’re allowed 90 days from the time the product is introduced into your shop to the time you have the MSDS in your MSDS station. Also, you must make sure that the sheet for a particular substance is updated every three years. Sometimes, new information is introduced into an MSDS, and by updating the sheet every three years you’re ensuring that your employees have the latest health information available to them.

Don’t think of posting MSDSs in the workplace as simply complying with OHS regulations for the sake of compliance. Think of it as protecting the health of your most valuable asset, your employees. Healthy workers who feel their employer is looking out for their well being make for a healthy bottom line in your business.

To assist you, here’s the link to the Canadian OHS website: <www.ccohs.ca/>
By subscribing to the site you can find all the information you’ll need on WHMIS and MSDS, including WHMIS acts and regulations by province, along with controlled substance definitions.