Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2020
The first session of the 43rd Parliament was prorogued on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. The second session is scheduled to open at 2 p.m., on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. For more information, please consult the Prorogation of Parliament section of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice.
Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Homeland Security will work together to promote harmonization of Precursor Chemical Regulations where achievable, and collectively limit impact on commerce.
The objective of this collaboration is to ensure that the Canadian and U.S. requirements for hazard classification and communication remain aligned to the greatest extent possible with each other and with the GHS as it is updated. Where possible, the objective is to have one label and one safety data sheet (SDS) that would be acceptable in both countries, while respecting the legislative and regulatory requirements of each country and without reducing the level of safety or protection to workers.
The Government of Canada has announced the establishment of an Essential Services Contingency Reserve for all critical infrastructure sectors, including the food sector. Beginning August 3rd, the ESCR will be accepting applications and will assist essential services providers outside the health sector that urgently require personal protective equipment (PPE) to obtain supplies and continue operations.
This letter is to inform you of the publication on August 19th, 2020 of the Order amending the Domestic Substances List (DSL) to apply the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) to 4,4’-[(1-methylethylidene)bis(4,1-phenyleneoxy)]bis- (also known as “BAPP”, CAS Registry No. 13080-86-9), in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The Order requires any person that intends to manufacture, import, or use BAPP in the manner and quantity specified in the Order to provide prescribed information to the Minister of Environment 90 days prior to the commencement of the significant new activity. The Order outlines the information requirements, including a description of the new activity.
The purpose of this notice is to inform you that in the week of August 24, 2020, the organic import requirements and admissibility requirement for eggs and shell egg products will be incorporated into AIRS, in accordance with clause 357(3) of Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Importers of organic products will be required to submit copy of organic certificate (electronic copy) when declaring import of organic products using the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) database.
If you have any questions, please contact the Canada Organic Regime team at [email protected].
The Government of Yukon is releasing the What We Heard report following engagement on the Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). The report demonstrates strong support for proposed new legislation that would combine and modernize the two existing acts focused on workplace safety.
Stakeholders also expressed the desire for legislation that reflects the diversity of Yukon employers and workers, and increased communication, education and training around the proposed changes.
Distracted driving and speeding can be fatal. DRIVR-X at Work, our new app created in partnership with Manitoba Public Insurance, helps drivers understand how their choices have consequences when they drive for work. Try it today! Using your mobile device, go to safemanitoba.com/drivrxatwork to download the app for Apple/iOS devices or Android devices.
This new made-in-Ontario mobile privacy-first app, a joint initiative of the Governments of Ontario and Canada, lets you know quickly if you may have been exposed to COVID-19. You can then get tested, sooner, to help protect yourself and those around you. By alerting more Ontarians faster of potential exposure to COVID-19 and providing direct access to public health resources, COVID Alert can help keep us safe and help reduce community spread.
Ontario changed the Pesticide Regulation to align themselves with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) with regards to the Classes. Training certifications Class A is now Class 1. Due to some of these changes, some pesticides were exempt and did not require training / certification to distribute / purchase. With these changes, companies who were exempt may need to take the “Pesticide Vendor Certification Course”.
New approach methodologies (NAMs), such as quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models based on chemical structure information, are commonly used to predict hazard in the absence of experimental data. QSAR models are developed and validated using experimental (i.e., in vitro or in vivo) toxicity data. However, variability in experimental toxicity data introduces limitations in the development, evaluation, validation, reliability and regulatory acceptance of computational models. Experimental variability can arise from biological (e.g., test species, environmental conditions) and/or technical (e.g., measurement errors, different experimental protocols) sources. Characterization of various sources of data variability, adequate incorporation of variability in computational model development, and quantification of data-driven uncertainty in model predictivity are critically needed to improve the reliability and acceptance of computational models. This talk will present these ideas using repeat dose toxicity studies and also illustrate the use of variability to quantify uncertainty in developing QSAR models for points of departure and neurotoxicity equivalency values for polychlorinated biphenyls. Register for the August 27, 2020 webinar.
In July 2020, EPA released the draft IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds for public review and comment. An IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) communicates to the public the plan for assessing each individual chemical and includes summary information on the IRIS Program’s scoping and initial problem formulation; objectives and specific aims for the assessment; the PECO (Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes) criteria that outlines the evidence considered most pertinent to the assessment; and identification of key areas of scientific complexity.
On Aug. 21, 2020, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a notice and request for comments on an information collection request (ICR) on driver interactions and behaviors when engaging with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The ICR is to allow NHTSA to conduct an experiment monitoring drivers to determine their responses to various ADAS warning signals. Comments are due by Sept. 21.
The California Education Code Section 32064 prohibits schools from ordering or purchasing any product that contains toxic or carcinogenic substances for use in grades K-6. The law also restricts the purchase of such products in grades 7-12, allowing the use only if the product bears a label informing the user of the presence of hazardous ingredients, the potential health effects, and instructions for the safe use. This restriction applies whether or not the product is included on the list of unacceptable art and crafts supplies.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is adopting new Reference Exposure Levels (RELs) for Toluene for use in the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program. RELs are airborne concentrations of a chemical that are not anticipated to result in adverse noncancer health effects for specified exposure durations in the general population, including sensitive subpopulations.
We’ve published a new self-guided tool to help you categorise your chemical importation or manufacture. It will help you work out your human health exposure band (HHEB), part of Step 4.3 of the categorisation process.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Board of Appeal has adopted two important decisions which examine the links between REACH and the Cosmetics Regulation with regard to the requirements for testing on animals.
The organochlorine pesticide dicofol (EC 204-082-0, CAS 115-32-2) has been added to the regulation on the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) without specific exemptions.
The entry for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS) (EC 206-397-9 and others, CAS 335-67-1 and others) has also been amended with regards to a specific exemption for its use in hard chromium (VI) plating in closed loop systems.
Exporters of the substances now have to notify their designated national authority before exporting them. In most cases, consent from the importing country is also needed. In addition, exports from the EU of a series of mercury-containing articles, such as fluorescent lamps, have also been banned.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed three new Learning Path programs to help different professionals prepare for certification credentials at their own pace and at the level they deem necessary. Stakeholders looking to prepare for Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS®), Certified Fire Inspector (CFI-I), and Certified Fire Plan Examiner (CFPE) exams can customize their studying approach to include individual online training modules or a full program with more comprehensive educational content.
Safety Share
August 23, 2020 is the start of Brake Safety Week, which is Aug. 23-29. Throughout the week, law enforcement personnel will conduct roadside safety inspections to identify commercial motor vehicles with brake violations. Vehicles discovered to have critical brake violations, or other critical vehicle inspection item conditions, as outlined in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, will be removed from roadways until those violations are corrected.
Are flare-ups of COVID-19 across the country and elsewhere early warning signs of a second wave? Epidemiologists warn it may be inevitable, but the severity could depend on how ready we are.
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