1.Advice on carcinogens and possible carcinogens –

  • We have an unofficial rule to discourage/ avoid/not allow student use of chemicals that potentially cause gene mutations and possibly cancer causing. Commonly used phenolphthalein has been determined to fall into this group of chemicals. Do we discontinue using it and substitute with another indicator?

This is a curricular matter.

  • Other chemicals that may be in this group… what is our policy? Hazardous chemicals such as pentane and petroleum ether; are there plans to develop a safe work practice related to hazardous chemicals? Science technicians would like input if there are.

There is no policy and SAS does not have a position. There are no plans for a SWP regarding hazardous chemicals.

  • From Safety in the Science Classroom: “Fewer chemicals have carcinogenic properties compared to other risks, and those that do should be avoided, if possible. Whether to stock and use chemicals with carcinogenic properties will depend on curricular requirements, adequacy of facilities and the ability to safely handle these chemicals with the frequency required. Serious consideration should be given to using alternative chemicals where possible.”

2.WHMIS 2015

  • Although both WHMIS1988 & 2015 labels are available …the labels generated from Public SchoolWorks are rather useless. The print is really tiny for the space provided. Unless you build your own each time by selecting several tick boxes on the form, you only get a label in 1, 2, 4 or 8 per page with the name of the chemical. You have to choose the pictogram and need to add additional First Aid & Precaution statements. Nice red hashed border though! If you do tick off & add the correct info, the GHS North America labels are a little better (larger print & pictograms) than the previous PSW WHMIS1988 labels. So in essence, youbuild your own label with not a lot of detailed help from the 3E Company service. This also completely defeats the purpose of standardized labels. (Prior consultation in the selection of a program beforehand would possibly have resulted in having acquired a useful program and save CBE technician time.)

Fred shared an example label that he had made using the program. SAS provides the service.

SAS will not be requiring that hatch borders be used for WHMIS 2015 labelling.

  • CBE resources for MSDS/SDS –

*MSDS for Schools - used science technicians work that we already had to put into the system, it has been and is out of date; most techs never used it as a source and only a few techs used the site for the labels.

* SDS from Public School Works, are out of date or not available,WHMIS poster is a poster for the phone number, not a WHMIS poster. Labels form public school works, not useful. Have to input all our own information, so no real assistance. Pictogram is too small. Even though the info given in the PSW training module on SDS's indicates that phoning in your request for an SDS is the "preferred method", it is a lot more likely you will get a matching SDS from one of our suppliers (Prolab, Boreal, but maybe not Westlab) than using the 3eonline method and definitely faster and with less stress than the 10 minutes “trial” that one of the techs did. The fastest & most reliable method to get SDS's is directly from the online portal of the supplier - usually Prolab - and not going to PSW at all.

The service is provided. The phone number provided is for emergencies rather than updating

MSDS/SDS binders.

  • Will there be provision of universal SDS binders that are cross-school identifiable as SDS binders?

CBE SDS binders will not be forthcoming.

  • Will there be distribution of WHMIS posters from Safety Advisory Services?

Yes. CBE branded CCOHS posters will be distributed.

  • The WHMIS 2015 Bulletin - the confusing pictogram listing, there isn’t a supplier label example, terminology is old,,, should use” pictograms” rather than “symbols”, heading of conserve the environment, really heads a paragraph on chemical management, other improvements could be made. Could bulletin be fixed with consultation and re-issued?

No. A bulk order of the sample bulletins has been ordered and will be distributed throughout CBE.

  • Workplace labels under WHMIS 2015 do not have to have hatch-mark borders, but employers may specify their use. Will CBE be requiring borders for replacement supplier labels/workplace labels?

Hatch borders will not be required.

  • Do the SDSs that we keep on file have to be in color? We have been receiving black and white only SDS’s with shipments of chemicals.

There are no statements in the legislation regarding the pictograms of SDS’s.

3. Waste issues:

  • New WHMIS labels for waste containers – Do the pictograms have to be in color?
  • Old labels did not have safe handling statements, will new ones have to? Will Science technicians be involved in the decision process of designing new labels and the possibility of changing up the waste streams? Will Safety Services once again supply the labels or must science technicians have to continue to print them? Should the labels be bilingual?

WHMIS labels for routine waste containers will not be provided. There is no indication that workplace labels are to be bilingual.

  • Changes to request for pickup forms without consultation. New form is not user friendly and does not have multiple signing ability, i.e.to get the designated person and the TDG certified signatures. The “For Carrier Only” section is not applicable and is a throwback from when Highfield internally transported wastes to Highfield.

The “For Carrier Only” section is useful for other non-science department deliveries within CBE.

  • What is the purpose of differentiating two wastes for dissection materials? Is this necessary? Are they disposed of differently? Regardless, science technicians do not separate dissection waste according to how it was preserved, shipped or packaged. It all goes into to the same pail. How are we to ship it?

DISSECTION WASTE (TRACE FORMALDEHYDE)Class 3(8) UN1198 P.G.III (Correct shipping name for UN1198 is FORMALDEHYDE, SOLUTIONS, FLAMMABLE) DISSECTION WASTE (TRACE FORMALIN)

Terra Pure on pickup, called all dissection waste UN1198.

Err on the side of safety, and use the Formaldehyde designation for mixed shipments.

  • Request alignment of shipping names between what we request and those on manifests for consistent tracking and ease of signing documents.

Alignment of naming will not be forthcoming.

  • Routine waste streams do not reflect the waste that is being generated (iodine, thiocyanates, nitric acid, organic acids are not inorganic acids)

Updating of waste streams will not be forthcoming.

  • Could we have metal containers for organics instead of plastic, which are affected by the organics? Also a different container for iodine, which leaches through the plastic ones and into the environment that technicians breathe.

.

There will be no additional container choices for disposing of waste solutions.

4. Batteries

  • 9V/6V batteries- taped and to trash?

There is no CBE policy for disposing of these batteries.

5. Eye wash poster

We question the preferred first aid treatment for dust in eyes.

New CBE eye wash station signs have been designed and printed. Schools will be receiving them shortly. For additional copies, contact Kathleen Hoglund.

6. Safe Work Practices

  • Eyewash SWP 4-11

see chart for:

Emergency Eyewash Station Yearly Maintenance Checklist (to be completed by CBE trades Person, Plumber). Are these maintenance checks in place? Fred was not sure whether or not this was being performed by facilities. Science technicians should check the eyewashes as part of room safety checks and report faulty stations to their facilities for maintenance/repair.

7. Management of Chemicals and Hazardous Materials

  • The cover is poorly done and the pictogram information is misleading, the document has numerous editing issues (SDSs should be replaced with SDS or vice versa), the waste pickup request form was changed and resulted in the confusion of using the formalin or formaldehyde categories, content in the manual has been copied without referencing source(s).

Could we arrange a workshop meeting of SAS and science technicians to work on a revision of Management of Chemicals and Hazardous Materials?

The Management of Chemicals and Hazardous Materials is a CBE encompassing document, not science specific.

8. Lack of consultation

  • Over the past number of years, there has been a decreasing lack of consultation before Safety Advisory Services’ implementation of changes to documents (e.g. Science Safety Guide, Management of Chemicals and Hazardous Materials), SWP, bulletins, posters or purchasing of software programs (MSDS/SDS) leading to frustrations as to usefulness and quality of the materials. Materials (that science personnel were originators) are increasingly changed without having any feedback before implementation.