REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 24, 2022

• International Standards now available from CCOHS

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has partnered with the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to sell International Organization of Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.

These standards can help you develop your organization’s health and safety requirements, processes, and programs. Choose from hundreds of international standards for quality management, environmental management, health and safety, energy management, food safety, and IT security.

• Food fraud challenges

Food fraud mitigation steps require a company to perform a food fraud vulnerability assessment and to execute a control plan. First what is food fraud?

“Food fraud, including the subcategory of economically motivated adulteration, is of growing concern. It is deception of consumers using food products, ingredients and packaging for economic gain and includes substitution, unapproved enhancements, misbranding, counterfeiting, stolen goods or others.” (GFSI, 2014)

“Food fraud: A collective term encompassing the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, labelling, product information or false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain that could impact consumer health.” (GFSI Benchmarking Requirements, 2017).

Federal

• Marketing Authorization for Vitamin D in Milk, Goat’s Milk and Margarine

The Marketing Authorization (MA) will enable manufacturers to voluntarily increase the vitamin D level in cow’s milk, goat’s milk and margarine by creating an exemption to certain prohibitions found in the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and provisions found in the FDR. In the absence of this MA, these higher amounts of vitamin D would be prohibited under the FDA and the FDR. As such, the MA will create exemptions to paragraphs 4(1)(a) and (d) and sections 6 and 6.1 of the FDA, and sections B.01.042 and D.01.011 for cow’s milk and margarine, and paragraphs 4(1)(a) and (d) of the FDA and sections B.08.029 and D.01.011 of the FDR for goat’s milk.

• British Columbia updates high-risk strategies and industry initiatives

WorkSafeBC’s High-Risk Strategies and Industry Initiatives identify and target industries and employers with a high risk of serious workplace injury and a significant contribution to the serious injury rate.

• Northwest Territories introduces mandatory entry-level training for commercial truck drivers

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has introduced mandatory entry-level training for commercial truck drivers obtaining a Class 1 licence.

• Ontario amends Industrial Establishments Regulation

Amendments to pre-start review requirements in section 7 of the Industrial Establishments Regulation came into effect on January 1, 2022. The updated Guideline for Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews is now available online. The guide includes updated compliance information for employers and helpful flow charts.

• Ontario’s Small Business Health and Safety Program

Ontario’s Small Business Health and Safety Training Program reimburses eligible employers for health and safety representative training for a selected employee in an Ontario workplace. Eligible employers can now apply to be reimbursed for the course registration cost of $25 for the representative and $150 toward the cost of the representative’s training time, for a total reimbursement of $175

• Ontario nominates new WSIB Chair and President

Ontario has nominated Grant Walsh as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and Jeffery Lang as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr. Walsh and Mr. Lang will play key leadership roles in implementing important initiatives at the WSIB, such as using best practices and scientific evidence to help identify and recognize occupational illnesses, implementing surplus distributions and premium rate reductions for safe employers, and delivering a better customer service experience for workers and businesses.

• New Brunswick seeks public’s input on regulatory review

WorkSafeNB is seeking stakeholder feedback to understand the economic and business impacts of proposed amendments to General Regulation 91-191 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

• Prince Edward Island offers wage rebate for impacted industries and extends programs

The province is launching a new COVID-19 support program for industries impacted by the latest public health restrictions

• EPA Releases Screening Methodology to Evaluate Chemical Exposures and Risks to Fenceline Communities

WASHINGTON (Jan. 21, 2021) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for public comment and peer review version 1.0 of a proposed screening level methodology to evaluate potential chemical exposures and associated potential risks to fenceline communities in Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluations.

• Seafood Safety Updates Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the Guidance for Industry: Seafood HACCP and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA) document to explain the connection between the FDA FSMA regulations and pre-FMSA regulation.

• FDA efforts to ensure product safety

The Food and Drug Administration uses a robust, risk-based oversight approach to ensure the continued safety of the nation’s food and medical product supply. FDA issued an updated report in November 2021, which provides information on the current state of FDA oversight, and focuses on how we have exceeded the goals set in May 2021 for completing domestic surveillance inspections in FY2021.

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration proposing fee reductions for carrier registration

FMCSA is proposing reductions in the annual registration fees States collect from motor carriers, motor private carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement for the 2023 year and subsequent registration years.

• Europe adds 4 chemicals to Candidate List

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern now contains 223 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies are responsible for managing the chemicals safely and providing sufficient information to their customers and consumers.

• Europe updates SCIP Candidate List

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has released a new package of reference substances aligned with the additional substances to the Candidate List. This helps you to create SCIP notifications including these new substances.

Safety Share

• Addressing Employee Burnout During Challenging Times

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety – Burnout often happens when a person is under stress for a long period of time. It can be caused by work-related stress, or stress outside of the workplace, such as adapting to changing conditions and regulations during a pandemic. Employees affected by burnout often feel overwhelmed, listless, unable to cope, emotionally drained, anxious, tired, or indifferent. If left unaddressed, burnout can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or depression. It rarely gets better on its own.

• CVSA webinar on Part 177 Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations February 18, 2022 1pm ET

The roadside hazardous materials inspector enforces Carriage by Public Highway, Title 49 Part 177 in the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations. There are a few specific codes inspectors use on a regular basis.

• European safety data sheets – mandatory changes for 2022 February 24, 2022

The webinar provides an overview of new changes in REACH and CLP in terms of safety data sheets.

• Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) show is on February 28-March 2, 2022

The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) confirmed today that the Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show is on for February 28-March 2, at the Omni in Fort Worth, TX.

• Safe and sustainable by design criteria for chemicals and materials March 22, 2022

The European Commission is hosting its second stakeholder workshop on Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals and materials. The workshop is organised remotely and will present the draft methodology to define safe and sustainable by design criteria for chemicals and materials.

• 10th American Food Sure Summit scheduled for March 28-29, 2022 in Chicago

The agenda for the 2022 American Food Sure Summit in Chicago is now live!

• Chemspec Europe May 31-June 1, 2022 Frankfort, Germany

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.