Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 4, 2022
Please be informed that series of free of charge EU REACH Reform Web Meetings is going to be organized in April and May 2022. You are invited to participate and share this information. Small and medium-sized workplaces rely on safety data sheets for understanding the hazards associated with the chemicals they are using. But what if you have more questions about the chemicals? Following a collaborative study by UNEP and the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), which provided a comprehensive inventory of the publicly available databases on industrial chemicals in commerce, SAICM coordinated the development of an e-learning course to bridge the information gap by improving accessibility to environment, health, and safety (EHS) information for industrial chemicals. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2022 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria are now in effect. The 2022 out-of-service criteria replace and supersede all previous versions. Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) will meet to discuss the governments commitment to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and phase out public financing. Federal If passed by Parliament, many of the proposed amendments stemming from Bill S–6 would reduce administrative burden for business, facilitate digital interactions with government, simplify regulatory processes, make exemptions from certain regulatory requirements to test new products, and make cross-border trade easier through more consistent and coherent rules across governments. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has changed its requirement to submit the original hardcopy phytosanitary certificates to the National Import Service Centre. Importers are now required to keep the original and show it to a CFIA inspector upon request. Measures to reduce exposures to benzophenone from certain cosmetics by describing it as a prohibited or restricted ingredient on the Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. A measure to reduce the concentrations of benzophenone to a maximum of 0.1 % (w/w) or 1,000 mg/kg in certain exterior and interior paint, stain and/or coating products that are available to consumers in Canada. This document outlines the risk management options under consideration for Malachite Green (MG), Basic Violet 3 (BV3), Basic Violet 4 (BV4), and Basic Blue 7 (BB7), four non-sulfonated triarylmethane substances within the Triarylmethanes Group that have been found to be harmful to the environment and, in the case of MG, also harmful to human health. Communicating measures to reduce exposures to MG from certain cosmetics by describing it as a prohibited or restricted ingredient on Health Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. Requiring that any proposed new manufacture, import or use of certain manufactured items containing MG (e.g. markers) be subject to further assessment and potential risk management, by applying Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions under CEPA. This is to inform you of an adjustment to the fees for claims for exemption filed under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA) that comes into effect today, April 1, 2022. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency welcomes the news from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) today, that imports of Prince Edward Island (PEI) potatoes for consumption can now resume to the United States with conditions. Field grown seed potatoes from PEI may not be exported to the U.S. at this time. The March 2022 issue of the Health Product InfoWatch published by Health Canada is now available. This monthly publication provides clinically relevant safety information on pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices and natural health products. On March 28, 2022, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI), subtype H5N1, at a second poultry farm in southern Ontario. The Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have assessed information in their possession in respect of the substance 1-hexanamine, 2-ethyl-N,N-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 1860-26-0, under section 83 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The use of the substance in the manufacture of a cosmetic, as defined in section 2 of the Food and Drugs Act, in which the substance is present in a concentration that is greater than or equal to 1% by weight, including the distribution and sale in a quantity greater than 10 kg in a calendar year. Health Canada proposes to codify current practice by amending subsection 3(1) of the PCPR to exempt antimicrobials used for preservation from the application of the PCPA, when those antimicrobials are used in treated articles regulated under any of the Food and Drugs Act, Feeds Act or Fertilizers Act. The treated article itself would also be exempted from the application of the PCPA. This exemption would only apply to the use of those antimicrobials in or on the treated articles regulated under those Acts, and would not apply to additional uses of the antimicrobial preservative outside the scope of the Food and Drugs Act, Feeds Act or Fertilizers Act (i.e. any additional uses of the antimicrobial preservative would require registration under the PCPA). To further strengthen Canada’s ability to respond to oil spills, the federal government is considering enabling the careful and appropriate use of Alternative Response Measures (ARMs) as additional oil spill response tools, when beneficial, for the protection of the environment.
WorkSafeBC adopted a new rate-setting model on January 1, 2019. Policy changes are needed to align policy with the current model and ensure WorkSafeBC’s timely ability to place and move industry groups into appropriate rate groups. You’re invited to provide feedback on the options until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022. As part of its plan to keep costs down for Ontario families and businesses, the Ontario government is introducing legislation that would, if passed, cut the gas tax by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel tax by 5.3 cents per litre for six months beginning July 1, 2022. The Ministry of Labour has revamped its website. Anyone interested in compliance issues with the industrial sector should bookmark the new site. Nova Scotia’s largest gathering of workplace health and safety presenters and professionals is back in 2022, with an option for in-person attendance for the first time since 2019. The SSNS Annual Conference will be hosted at the Prince George Hotel in Halifax on Monday, April 11 and Tuesday, April 12. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing additional guidance to laminated product producers and stakeholders on submitting petitions to request an exemption from the hardwood plywood formaldehyde emission standards and certain third-party certification requirements found in EPA’s Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products rule. The Report on the Certification of Color Additive 2nd quarter 2002 is now available. This year we will roll out our Enterprise Modernization Action Plan – our plans to shape the FDA’s future by delivering successful cross-agency efforts that optimize shared business processes, enhance operational efficiency and use of our data, while strengthening the alignment between agency-wide strategic objectives and investments. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing amendments to its occupational injury and illness recordkeeping regulation, 29 CFR 1904.41. The current regulation requires certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness information – that they are required to keep – to OSHA. The agency uses these reports to identify and respond to emerging hazards and makes aspects of the information publicly available The FDA has been exploring what administrative, scientific, and technical avenues we can take to further harmonization of generic drug standards globally, by employing international standard setting organizations and through dialogue with the worlds leading regulatory authorities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local partners are investigating consumer complaints and/or reports of infant illness related to products from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI, facility. The four ill patients are reported to have consumed powdered infant formula produced from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI, facility. Drawing on information in the IC Act, General Rules and the Industrial Chemicals Categorisation Guidelines, this practical step-by-step guide with supporting self-guided decision tools helps you categorise your chemical introduction as listed or exempted or reported or assessed. The proposal for the harmonised classification and labelling of glyphosate (EC 213-997-4, CAS 1071-83-6) was submitted by Sweden and subject to a consultation, which ended on 22 November 2021. The deadline for comments is 12 April 2022. We are consulting to gather information, views and experience on how the Cosmetics Product Regulation could be improved in order to ensure human health and the functioning of the internal market. The Fitness Check of the most relevant chemicals legislation (excluding REACH), the Fitness Check on endocrine disruptors and the status Report/Review on the use of nanomaterials in cosmetics identified a number of shortcomings in and related to the Cosmetic Products Regulation. In particular, the lack of specific provisions for endocrine disruptors, the applicability of a generic approach on risk management (GRA) for other harmful substances, the potential diverging opinions from committees responsible for the assessment of chemicals and the lack of coherence between legislations on the definition of nanomaterials. Safety Share Slips, trips and falls can happen in any New Brunswick workplace. In 2018, 1,387 New Brunswickers were hurt seriously enough from a slip, trip or fall to miss time from work. That hurts. Think you don’t need a seatbelt in forklifts and other heavy machinery? Think again! Webinar: Restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in firefighting foams 5 April 2022, 11:00-13:00 Helsinki time FAO in Geneva – One Health Dialogue Series Correction on the date for April the event is on 20th not 22nd After a great deal of deliberation with stakeholders and guests, we have decided to cancel the May 3-4, 2022 scheduled event.. Safety Connection session at no-cost exploring emergency preparedness and how you can ensure you are ready. Developing simulation exercises to comply with the Environmental Emergency Regulations, 2019 Chemspec Europe is back in 2022 in Frankfurt, Germany. Due to COVID-19 health concerns, the 2022 event will be held on May 31-June 1 at Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany. In a slightly delayed celebration of its 125thanniversary, the National Fire Protection Association®(NFPA®) will return to an in-person event for its annual Conference & Expo (C&E) at the Boston Convention Center in Boston, Mass., June 6-9, 2022. Options to notify the public in the event of an environmental emergency
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