If you employ workers in Canada who handle, store, or work near hazardous products — cleaning chemicals, sanitizers, compressed gases, pesticides, or any substance with a hazard label — you are legally required to provide WHMIS training. That obligation applies to every worker, regardless of how small your business is or how infrequently they use the product.
Canada — local requirements
federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities enforces WHMIS training under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR). Canada employers in food service must train workers before they work with or near hazardous products such as cleaning chemicals, degreasers, and sanitizer concentrates.
This article explains exactly what federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities require, what the December 2025 WHMIS updates changed, what a compliant WHMIS certificate must include, and how Canada employers can meet this obligation online without taking workers off the floor.
What is WHMIS and Why Does it Apply to Your Canada Business?
WHMIS — Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System — is Canada's national standard for communicating hazard information about products used in the workplace. It applies to any employer whose workers handle or work near hazardous products, and it is enforced in Canada under two pieces of legislation working together:
- Federal: The Hazardous Products Act and Hazardous Products Regulations — govern how suppliers label products and create Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
- Provincial: The provincial occupational health and safety requirements under federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities — requires Canada employers to provide worker education and training
Who must be trained: Any worker who works with or in proximity to a hazardous product — including cleaners, kitchen staff, maintenance workers, healthcare aides, warehouse employees, and agricultural workers. If there is a hazard label on a product in your workplace, the workers who encounter it must be trained.
The December 2025 WHMIS Updates — What Changed
WHMIS in Canada was aligned with the Global Harmonization System (GHS) in 2015 — that is why it is formally called WHMIS 2015. In December 2022, Health Canada announced updates to the Hazardous Products Regulations that took full effect in December 2025. These updates affect how certain products are classified and labelled.
The key changes that took effect in December 2025:
- Flammable gases — new sub-categories added (chemically unstable gases, pyrophoric gases)
- Chemicals under pressure — new hazard class covering aerosols and other pressurized products
- Updated pictograms and label requirements for affected categories
- Updated SDS format requirements for suppliers of affected products
If your WHMIS training was completed before December 2025, it may not cover the updated hazard classes. Workers who handle flammable gases or chemicals under pressure should complete updated training that reflects the December 2025 changes.
The system is still called WHMIS 2015 — the December 2025 changes are amendments to the existing system, not a replacement. Our WHMIS 2025 course covers the full updated content.
What Canada Employers Are Actually Required to Do
Under WorkSafeCanada workplace safety requirements, Canada employers must:
- Provide worker education — general WHMIS education covering hazard classes, pictograms, label reading, and SDS interpretation. This is the component that can be completed online.
- Provide site-specific training — training specific to the actual hazardous products used at your workplace: where they are stored, what PPE is required, what to do in an emergency. This component must be done by the employer internally — no external provider can do it for you.
- Keep records — documentation of who completed training, when, and what was covered.
- Update training when workers encounter new hazardous products or when regulations change.
The two-component distinction matters: An online WHMIS course covers the general education component. Your obligation as an employer does not end there — you must also provide site-specific training for your actual products. This must be communicated clearly to workers and documented separately.
Does federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities Certify or Approve WHMIS Providers?
No. This is one of the most common misconceptions about WHMIS in Canada.
federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities does not certify, endorse, or maintain a list of approved WHMIS training providers. The employer is responsible for ensuring that training covers the required content under WorkSafeCanada workplace safety requirements. Any provider whose course covers the required content is acceptable — including online providers.
This means you do not need to search for a "federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities-approved" WHMIS course — no such designation exists. What matters is that the course content covers what the regulation requires.
What Must a WHMIS Certificate Include?
For a WHMIS certificate to be accepted by a federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities inspector during an inspection, it should include:
| Required field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Worker's full legal name | Identifies who completed the training |
| Employer / company name | Links the certificate to the workplace |
| Course name and content covered | Confirms the training covers WHMIS 2015/2025 requirements |
| Completion date | Establishes the training timeline — federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities looks at recency |
| Exam score or pass confirmation | Demonstrates comprehension, not just attendance |
| Provider name | Identifies who delivered the training |
| Unique certificate number | Allows verification of authenticity |
Food Safety Academy's WHMIS certificate includes all of these fields, plus a QR code that allows federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities inspectors and employers to verify the certificate's authenticity instantly.
How Often Does WHMIS Training Need to Be Renewed in Canada?
There is no fixed legal renewal period for WHMIS training in Canada. The regulation requires training to be current and relevant — which means it must be updated:
- When a worker encounters a new hazardous product not previously covered
- When regulations change — as they did in December 2025
- When a worker's knowledge appears inadequate (identified through observation or incident)
- When a worker changes roles and encounters different hazardous products
federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities's best practice recommendation is annual renewal. Many Canada employers use annual WHMIS renewal as a simple compliance benchmark — it ensures workers stay current regardless of what triggers the legal obligation.
WHMIS in Canada Food Service — What Qualifies as a Hazardous Product
Food service employers in Canada often underestimate their WHMIS obligations. The following products commonly found in restaurant, café, and catering kitchens require WHMIS training for workers who handle them:
- Sanitizers and disinfectants — quaternary ammonium compounds, bleach solutions, iodine sanitizers
- Degreasers and oven cleaners — caustic alkali products with corrosive hazard classification
- Drain cleaners — strong acid or base products
- Compressed gas cylinders — CO₂ for beverage systems, nitrogen for draft beer
- Pest control products — if applied by staff rather than a licensed contractor
- Industrial dishwasher chemicals — rinse aids, detergents at commercial concentrations
Common mistake: Many food service employers train kitchen staff on WHMIS but overlook cleaning staff, dishwashers, and maintenance workers who often have the highest exposure to hazardous products. WHMIS training applies to all workers who encounter these products.
WHMIS 2015/2025 Training — Online, Any Time
From $15 CAD per worker · Volume discounts available · Certificate on completion
Covers the full December 2025 updates. Complete in 60–90 minutes. Certificate includes all fields required by federal and provincial occupational health and safety authorities.
Start WHMIS Training NowWhat the Online WHMIS Course Covers vs. What the Employer Must Do
| Component | Who provides it | Can be online? |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard classification system (9 physical + 11 health hazard classes) | Training provider (Food Safety Academy) | ✅ Yes |
| GHS pictograms — what each symbol means | Training provider | ✅ Yes |
| How to read a supplier label | Training provider | ✅ Yes |
| How to read a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — all 16 sections | Training provider | ✅ Yes |
| December 2025 updates — flammable gases, chemicals under pressure | Training provider | ✅ Yes |
| Specific products used at your workplace | Employer — site-specific training | ❌ Must be done internally |
| PPE required for your specific products | Employer — site-specific training | ❌ Must be done internally |
| Emergency procedures for your specific products | Employer — site-specific training | ❌ Must be done internally |
Employer Checklist — WHMIS Compliance in Canada
- ✅ Inventory of all hazardous products in your workplace — with current SDS for each
- ✅ WHMIS general education training completed by every affected worker
- ✅ Site-specific training documented for each worker — which products, what PPE, what to do in an emergency
- ✅ Training records on file — name, date, course, certificate number
- ✅ Training updated to cover December 2025 changes if applicable
- ✅ Process in place to train new workers before they handle hazardous products
- ✅ Process in place to retrain workers when new products are introduced
Frequently Asked Questions
Train Your Team on WHMIS 2015/2025 Today
From $15 CAD · Volume pricing for teams · Employer dashboard included
Covers the full December 2025 updates. Employer dashboard lets you track who has completed training and when certificates expire.
Enroll Your Team NowProvincial WHMIS training guides
This topic varies by jurisdiction. Read the guide for your province or territory: