You now know that you need to be aware of the WHMIS symbols and their meaning and that employers have a responsibility to be trained and to provide employees with training to work safely with these products. In this activity, you will look at some common examples of workplace situations that involve WHMIS products.

One common circumstance where you might find yourself working with WHMIS products is in the food service industry. Image the following situation:

Lisa is a 17-year-old student working weekends at the seniors lodge in her community. One of her jobs in the kitchen is cleaning the dishes. This might require her to work with some powerful cleaning solutions. In this case, Lisa must be sure that she wears the necessary protective equipment (gloves, an apron, and perhaps safety goggles) to protect herself from splashes and spills of the chemicals she is using. A heavy pan could slip into the chemical solution and splash into Lisa's face or eyes.

Figure 2:  Personal Protective Equipment; PPE.  Courtesy of Pixabay

 

Fingure 3:  Chlorine Product with WHMIS label.    Courtesy of Wikipedia

 

Or how about this situation:

Tyler is working at the local swimming pool for the summer, and part of his job is to ensure the water is clean. This job involves working with potentially dangerous chemicals such as chlorine. Before Tyler starts to work on pool maintenance, he must talk to his employer and get training to be sure he knows how to work safely with the chemicals used in the pool.

Another situation where you would need to be aware of WHMIS products is in the barbershop, spa, or beauty salon. Several chemicals are in use in these workplaces, and you need to be sure that you know correct procedures if you are working with materials that might be dangerous. If you are mixing and applying colour, bleach, or other hair solutions or if you are cleaning up the shop using chemicals, you must read the labels on the products so you know how to use them safely. You must wear the necessary protective equipment (glove, aprons, and eye protection) to be safe from the possible hazards indicated on the label.

 

Figure 4:  Hair treatment chemicals.  Courtesy of Needpix

 

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Figure 5:  Measuring correct tire pressure for safe driving.  Courtesy of Wikipedia

What if you want to work in the automotive industry? Mechanics must be aware of safety procedures in most aspects of their work. For example, working with air conditioning systems involves dealing with chemicals that might be flammable. Working on brakes might expose the mechanic to asbestos. Inflating tires means working with high pressure air. This is a problem when a tire is not inflated properly and explodes with thousands of kilograms of force. Welding repairs may expose the worker to gases and fumes.

The main idea about WHMIS is that you can keep yourself as safe as possible if you are aware of WHMIS symbols and take the necessary steps to work carefully and responsibly with hazardous materials.