Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 30, 2023
Workplace Safety & Prevention Services set out to identify the top health and safety risks facing the food and manufacturing industry, with a goal to develop the solutions and controls needed to protect workers and reduce lost time injuries (LTIs) across this high-risk sector. The number one threat to worker safety was inadequate or improper lockout/tag out (LOTO). There are two words that are making their way across Canada’s workplaces, filtering into boardrooms, factory floors, watercooler chats, and everywhere in between: Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, unlike years passed when revolutions transformed our economies by utilizing coal, gas, and electricity, this transformation is happening through technology, changing the way humans live, connect, and work. What does this mean for the future of work and the health and safety of workers? The October 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. You may be interested in the Product Monograph Updates. This enactment designates the Saturday before the first Monday in August in each and every year as “Food Day in Canada”. This enactment amends the Feeds Act, the Seeds Act and the Pest Control Products Act to provide for provisional registration or approval of feeds, seeds and pest control products that are already approved by two or more trusted jurisdictions. Five occupational health and safety regulations (OHS regulations) under the Canada Labour Code (the Code) require updating. The hazardous substances sections of the OHS regulations are outdated and contain unclear language which may lead to misinterpretation and contribute to a reduction in the health and safety protection provided to employees within federally regulated workplaces. The proposed Regulations would harmonize the hazard investigation and air sampling report retention time in the five OHS regulations by requiring the employer to maintain records of air sampling for internal use for 30 years. You can now use Transport Canada’s Client Identification Database (CID) platform to register your organization that imports, offers for transport, handles, or transports dangerous goods in Canada. On October 28, 2023, Health Canada published a Notice of Intent proposing to control the derivatives and analogues of 4-piperidone and its salts, a known fentanyl precursor, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Under this proposal, the existing listing for 4-piperidone and its salts in Schedule VI to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Schedule to the Precursor Control Regulations would be expanded to include its derivatives and analogues, including 1-boc-4-piperidone, 3-methyl-4-piperidone, and 1-benzyl-4-piperidone. Evidence shows that these substances are being imported into Canada and/or detected in clandestine laboratories and being used to synthesize fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. It is proposed to conclude that these substances do not meet any of the criteria set out in section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). This includes Titanium Dioxide (CASRN 13463-67-7), one of the most common pigment/extenders used in the coatings sector; as a permitted food additive and in pharma applications. The next meeting of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UNSCEGHS) will be held from December 6-8, 2023. Working Documents have now been posted online for review. These documents are important as they may form the basis of decisions taken by the UNSCEGHS. Written comments on the Working Documents and any of the Informal Documents are needed by November 17, 2023 by email to: [email protected] The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada. The public registry is where you can learn more about all pest control products registered for use in Canada.
Each year, approximately 20 percent of workplace injuries are related to slips, trips, and falls. In the past six years, almost 41,000 workers in B.C. suffered slip-trip-and-fall injuries, including fractures, sprains, and dislocations. The ministry, in partnership with organizations across Ontario, provides general information sessions on the Employment Standards Act (ESA). On November 1, people across the province of Ontario will be bringing Grade 9 students into work with them. While this day is about exploring the career options available to them, it’s also never too early to start teaching our emerging young workers about their rights to safety and fair treatment at work. If you have a Grade 9 in your life, these resources may help. WorkSafeNB is pleased to announce the launch of a practical tool designed to assist employers throughout our province in ensuring the knowledge and competency of their supervisors. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (Chapter 38) recently clarified the responsibilities of supervisors. The Province wants input from Nova Scotians on improving the workers’ compensation system and preventing harassment in the workplace. The Controlled Substances Act provides for civil penalties for the distribution of a laboratory supply to a person who uses, or attempts to use, that laboratory supply to manufacture a controlled substance or a listed chemical, if that distribution was made with reckless disregard for the illegal uses to which such laboratory supply will be put. The term laboratory supply is defined as a listed chemical or any chemical, substance, or item on a special surveillance list published by the Attorney General which contains chemicals, products, materials, or equipment used in the manufacture of controlled substances and listed chemicals. The Drug Enforcement Administration is hereby publishing a final notice to update the Special Surveillance List. This Special Surveillance List is effective October 24, 2023. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the Agency. With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology. Comments on the collection of information must be submitted by December 26, 2023. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of and soliciting comment on the near-term strategies described in this document to help the Agency meet its obligations and commitments under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which requires, among other things, that EPA screen for and protect against endocrine disrupting effects in humans. An important part of these obligations and commitments is the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), which EPA established in 1998 as a two-tier endocrine screening and testing process for pesticides and other chemicals. Through this notice and to help implement its strategies, EPA is also seeking additional endocrine data on two groups of active ingredients currently undergoing registration review, or explanations of why the additional data are unnecessary for EPA to make its FIFRA and FFDCA decisions. DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 26, 2023. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) solicits public comments concerning its proposal to the revision the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval for the information collection requirements specified in the Anhydrous Ammonia Storage and Handling Standard. Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by December 26, 2023. Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on November 14, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. EST for a webinar on the Agency’s proposal to protect people from exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), an extremely toxic chemical known to cause serious health risks including three types of cancer, immunotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published updated Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data about toxic chemical waste management, including releases, and pollution prevention activities that occurred during 2022 at more than 20,000 industrial and federal facilities across the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is issuing final regulations to implement certain provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, as enacted on December 27, 2020. This rulemaking restricts the use of hydrofluorocarbons in specific sectors or subsectors in which they are used; establishes a process for submitting technology transitions petitions; establishes recordkeeping and reporting requirements; and addresses certain other elements related to the effective implementation of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act. These restrictions on the use of hydrofluorocarbons address petitions granted on October 7, 2021, and September 19, 2022. DATES: This rule is effective December 26, 2023. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to amend the procedural framework rule for conducting risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The purpose of risk evaluations under TSCA is to determine whether a chemical substance presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, without consideration of costs or non-risk factors, including unreasonable risk to potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations identified as relevant to the risk evaluation by EPA, under the conditions of use. Comments must be received on or before December 14, 2023. The proposal intends to make the Proposition 65 short-form warning more informative to consumers, clarify existing safe harbor warning requirements for products sold on the internet and in catalogs, add signal word options for food warnings, clarify that short-form warnings may be used to provide safe harbor warnings for food products, and provide new tailored safe harbor warnings for passenger or off-highway motor vehicle parts and recreational marine vessel parts. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has adopted a No Significant Risk Level (NSRL) of 0.13 micrograms per day for exposures to antimony trioxide by the inhalation route (adopted in Title 27, Cal. Code of Regs., Section 25705(b)). NSRLs provide guidance for determining when a warning is required for exposures to chemicals listed as causing cancer. For more information on NSRLs, visit the OEHHA NSRLs page. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is pleased to announce Meeting 137, Hydrochlorothiazide, Voriconazole, and Tacrolimus, of the IARC Monographs. The meeting will be held on 5–12 November 2024. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), with the aim of improving the EU’s implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation, that governs the export and import of hazardous chemicals and pesticides, is making recommendations for changes to the legal text. ECHA’s third report on the operation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation shows that the overall workload of implementing the regulation, despite a slight decrease of export notifications, has continued to increase due to the constant addition of new chemicals subject to PIC and the increase in substances subject to explicit consent from non-EU importing countries prior to export. Safety Share Learn about your duties on the management of opioid use in your workplace, including the steps you can take to address impairment and support employees. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. IHSA welcomes you to join us via Zoom for the second annual NCSO®/NHSA™ Educational Conference on Thursday, Nov. 23rd at 8:00 a.m. This half-day event will provide NCSO/NHSAs with an opportunity to increase their knowledge of relevant health and safety topics and learn more about some of the key areas important to maintaining their NCSO®/NHSA™ status. As Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada begins to organize logistics around the Wrap-up Conference, we ask that parties interested in attending please reply to this message by September 8, 2023 email to: [email protected] The Forum is an annual event and brings together scientists and public and private stakeholders with expertise on endocrine disruptors to exchange information and best practices, identify challenges and build synergies. This year the Forum will include sessions on regulatory updates by the European Commission and Agencies; global developments; research; national, regional and local initiatives; and a specific focus on PFAS. The next European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Conference will take place on 28 February 2024 in Helsinki. As we are preparing the programme, we want to hear what would be the most important topics for you. So, fill in our short survey and help us shape a relevant and inspiring stakeholder event. The 2024 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo will take place March 10–14, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit the 2024 website to view upcoming deadlines. The Baking Association of Canada’s national baking industry event will feature a bustling trade show and conference, inspirational speakers, education sessions, competitions and demonstrations and countless opportunities to network and benefit your business.Advocacy
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