Chemical Safety Symbols

Chemical Safety Symbols

We use chemicals everyday in our homes, at school and in the workplace. List some examples of where you are likely to use hazardous (dangerous) chemicals and what kind of chemicals you might encounter.

Where you might find hazardous chemicals / Examples of hazardous chemicals
In your house
At school

How do we know which chemicals are hazardous and which are safe?

How do we know what are the hazards for each different kind of chemical?

Answer: ______

(A) WHMIS – stands for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System

· A system designed to give students, workers and employers important safety, storage and handling information using:

o WHMIS labels

o Safety symbols

o Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

· All WHMIS controlled products fall into one or more of 6 classes of hazardous materials

Name / Symbol / Risk(s) / Example(s)
CLASS A / Compressed Gas /
CLASS B / Flammable /
CLASS C / Oxidizing Material /
CLASS D – POISONOUS AND INFECTIOUS / CLASS D1 / Toxic (immediate) /
CLASS D2 / Toxic
(long term) /
CLASS D3 / Biohazard /
CLASS E / Corrosive /
CLASS F / Dangerously
Reactive /

· WHMIS Labels

o All WHMIS controlled chemicals must be labeled

o To identify a WHMIS label, look for the cross hatched border on the chemical container

o Supplier labels are provided by the manufacturer of the chemical and must include:

§ Name of product

§ Supplier identifier

§ Statement referring to MSDS

§ Hazard symbols

§ Risk phrases

§ Precautionary measures

§ First aid treatment

Below is an example of a typical WHMIS label
/ Use the sample label to answer the following questions:
1) How do you know that this is a WHMIS label by looking at it?
______
______
2) Name the hazard categories that acetone belongs to:
______
______
3) What safety equipment should you wear when handling acetone?
______
______
4) What should you do if you get acetone on your skin?
______
______
5) Who is the supplier of this acetone product?
______
______

· MSDS - stands for Material Safety Data Sheet

o Contains detailed information about a WHMIS controlled product including:

§ Product identification and uses of the product
§ Hazardous ingredients
§ Physical data
§ Fire and explosion data
§ Reactivity data / § Toxicological properties
§ Preventive measures
§ First Aid Measures
§ Source of MSDS and data

Answer the questions below using the sample MSDS sheet provided on the following page.
Identify which numbered section of the document contains the answer:

1) What is the full name of the product?
______
2) Name the manufacturer, their location and emergency contact information.
______
______
3) What safety equipment should you wear when handling this product
______
4) What should you do if you get this product on your skin?
______
5) What should you do if you swallow this product?
______
6) Does this product have an odor? ______
7) What is the WHMIS classification of this product? ______
8) What percentage of the solution is water? ______/ Section:
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______

(B) Hazardous Household Product Symbols (HHPS)

· Not all products are controlled by WHMIS

· You will find other symbols on products purchased commercially for home use

o Eg. hairspray, garden herbicides, cleaners

· For your safety, you should be able to recognize these symbols and understand what hazards they represent

DANGER / WARNING / CAUTION / Explanation
Poison
Flammable
Explosive
Corrosive /
/
/

What do the different borders mean?

octagon
diamond
Triangle

PRACTICE!

1) Match the letter and symbols below with correct definitions.
There is only one best answer for each definition.

A / B / C / D1 / D2 / D3 / E / F
i. This material could kill you if it is swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin.
ii. Chemicals in this division won't kill you immediately, but could cause such unwelcome effects as birth defects in your children or liver damage.
iii. The fact that most aerosol cans have propellants that can be ignited easily means that this symbol should be on their labels.
iv. Industrial cleaners containing sodium hydroxide, a very corrosive base, should have this symbol on their label.
v. Heating or dropping could cause these cylinders of pressurized gases to explode.
vi. Some chemicals bearing this symbol could undergo a dangerous reaction if they come in contact with water.
vii. Blood samples that have been contaminated by Hepatitis B viruses should be tagged with this symbol.
viii. Since it poses such a fire hazard, a bottle of methanol would have this symbol on its label.
ix. A chemical that causes cancer after prolonged and repeated exposure would get this symbol on its label.
x. By releasing oxygen, can cause a flammable material to burn more easily.

2) What does WHMIS stand for?
______

3) Name 4 useful pieces of information that you should always check you on a WHMIS supplier label?
______

4) Do all products and chemicals have WHMIS labels? Explain.
______

5) The table below lists substances that you may find in your home. For each, predict if the substance needs a hazardous household product symbol and if so, which symbol(s) and border(s) it needs. Indicate your answers in the table using the letters associated with each symbol and border below. After you have made your predictions, see if you can find these items at home. Record your observations of the actual symbols and borders in the table.

Symbols / Borders
A / B / C / D / D / W / C
Predict / Observe
Substance / Does it need a symbol?
(Y or N) / Which symbol(s) do you
think it has? / Which border(s) do you
think it has? / Which symbol(s) does it
actually have? / Which border(s) does it
actually have?
White-out or liquid paper
Rat Poison
Bleach
Coke Cola
Hair Spray
Batteries
Windshield washer fluid
Glass cleaner
Raw Chicken
Propane
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Furniture Polish
Car Exhaust
Spray paint

PRACTICE! …… SOLUTIONS

1) Match the letter and symbols below with correct definitions.
There is only one best answer for each definition.

A / B / C / D1 / D2 / D3 / E / F
i. This material could kill you if it is swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. / D1
ii. Chemicals in this division won't kill you immediately, but could cause such unwelcome effects as birth defects in your children or liver damage. / D2
iii. The fact that most aerosol cans have propellants that can be ignited easily means that this symbol should be on their labels. / B
iv. Industrial cleaners containing sodium hydroxide, a very corrosive base, should have this symbol on their label. / E
v. Heating or dropping could cause these cylinders of pressurized gases to explode. / A
vi. Some chemicals bearing this symbol could undergo a dangerous reaction if they come in contact with water. / F
vii. Blood samples that have been contaminated by Hepatitis B viruses should be tagged with this symbol. / D3
viii. Since it poses such a fire hazard, a bottle of methanol would have this symbol on its label. / B
ix. A chemical that causes cancer after prolonged and repeated exposure would get this symbol on its label. / D2
x. By releasing oxygen, can cause a flammable material to burn more easily. / C

2) What does WHMIS stand for?
_Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System______

3) Name 4 useful pieces of information that you should always check on WHMIS supplier label?
_Chemical name, WHMIS symbol, first aid infromation, and precautionary measures______
______

4) Do all products and chemicals have WHMIS labels? Explain.
_No, only hazardous chemicals for use in the workplace would get a WHMIS label.______
______

Symbols / Borders
P / F / E / C / D / W / C
Predict / Observe
Substance / Does it need a symbol?
(Y or N) / Which symbol(s) do you
think it has? / Which border(s) do you
think it has? / Which symbol(s) does it
actually have? / Which border(s) does it
actually have?
White-out or liquid paper / Y / F / D
Rat Poison / Y / P / D
Bleach / Y / C / D
Coke Cola / N
Hair Spray / Y / F / E / D / C
Batteries / N
Windshield washer fluid / Y / P / F / D / D
Glass cleaner / N
Raw Chicken / N
Propane / Y / F / E / D / C
Toilet Bowl Cleaner / Y / C / D
Furniture Polish / Y / E / some F / C / D
Car Exhaust / N
Spray paint / Y / P / F / E / D / D/ C