Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 12, 2020
Transport Canada is launching a regulatory sandbox on electronic shipping documents. This project will allow us to test the use of electronic shipping documents for dangerous goods shipments in a safe way. As the transportation sector evolves, Transport Canada is looking at ways regulations can be updated to help keep Canada competitive and encourage innovation, while keeping Canadians safe.
The Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) Science Committee (the committee) met face-to-face on November 28-29, 2018. This meeting focused on considerations for a public health approach to chemicals management in Canada. The committee was asked a number of charge questions, including what fundamental elements would be required to develop a roadmap to advance a public health approach to chemicals management. This approach could support the Government of Canada’s post-2020 program for chemicals management. The meeting included presentations from core and ad hoc members identifying considerations, tools and fundamental elements related to the development of a public health approach to chemicals management in Canada.
The 2020 Customs Tariff has been released and came into effect on January 1st.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will be hosting two one-day webinar information sessions regarding the federal fuels regulations. One session will be offered in English and the other session offered in French. The webinar is intended for those individuals who were unable to attend the in-person information sessions that were scheduled at various locations throughout Canada in December 2019. Dates for the information sessions are as follows:
· Tuesday January 21 2020 – This presentation will be held in English
Start: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
· Wednesday January 22 2020 – This presentation will be held in French
Start: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
The Regulations broadly prohibit the import or manufacture of products containing mercury, or any of its compounds, with some exemptions. It is the responsibility of Canadian importers and manufacturers to determine whether the Regulations apply to them and to ensure that the products manufactured or imported respect the requirements of the Regulations. As set out in section 12 of the Regulations, imports and manufacture of exempted or permitted products containing mercury must be reported on or before March 31, 2020.
Environmental indicators on air, climate, water, nature, and human health
Effective January 1, 2020, the Employment Insurance (EI) premium rate for employees will be reduced to $1.58 per $100 of insurable earnings – a decrease of four (4) cents compared to the 2019 rate of $1.62 per $100 of insurable earnings.
This bulletin provides guidance for verifying compliance with the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)
Agreement during a roadside inspection and encourages roadside enforcement for the 2020 registration year, effective Jan. 1, 2020.
The CRTC required telecommunications service providers to implement this system within their networks by December 19, 2019. With the implementation of this system, calls with caller identification (caller ID) information that either exceeds 15 digits or does not conform to a number that can be dialed (for example, 000-000-0000) will be blocked before reaching the subscriber. Providers that offer their subscribers call filtering services, which provide more advanced call management features, will not have to implement call blocking.
An international scientific forum on preventing, assessing and cleaning up spills of oil and hazardous materials in every environment.
The TRANSCAER® awards program is designed to recognize the achievements of individuals, companies, and organizations which have gone beyond the normal call of duty to advocate, demonstrate, and implement the principles of TRANSCAER.
Keeping your team safe and healthy at work is good for business. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) new Health and Safety Excellence program integrates the strength of previous incentive programs into one and provides a clear roadmap for businesses to improve safety in the workplace, whether you are just getting started or want to improve systems and processes you already have in place. The program offers a rebate of at least $1,000 for small businesses, to encourage businesses to invest in health and safety improvements. This initiative builds on the ministry’s Supporting Ontario’s Safe Employers program.
In May 2009, orders to pay were issued to the company for about $490,000. In July 2009, orders to pay were issued to the company’s directors, they were not paid resulting in the fine + a 25% victim surcharge.
Ontario has published the following regulations:
- O.Reg 449/19 Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents
- O.Reg 450/149 Designated Substances – Asbestos
- O.Reg 457/19 Vehicle Emissions
- O.Reg 460/49 Dry Cleaners
From January 6 to March 13, 2020, the ministry will run an initiative focusing on the lack and misuse of personal protective equipment such as foot, eye, hearing and respiratory protection devices.
Québec has published draft amendments to make changes to the following regulations:
- Safety representatives in establishments
- Prevention programs
- Health and Safety Committees
- First Aid minimum standards
Nova Scotia has extended paper clearance letters until March 31, 2020. In early 2020, clearance letters will only be available through MyAccount. From MyAccount, you will be able to:
- Save, print, and email your clearance letter;
- Check clearance status of contractors. Accounts will remain in good standing for the full quarter, unless the account is closed;
- Save, print, and email contractor clearance letters; and
- See expiry date directly on the clearance letter.
You will need access to MyAccount to obtain your clearance letter. If you’re not already registered for MyAccount, visit my-account.ns.ca to sign up.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the next 20 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of and soliciting public comment on a document entitled: “TSCA New Chemical Determinations: A Working Approach for Making Determinations under TSCA Section 5” (the “Working Approach”). This document builds upon EPA’s November 2017 document entitled: “New Chemicals Decision-Making Framework: Working Approach to Making Determinations under section 5 of TSCA”. Feedback received will help inform the Agency’s ongoing efforts to improve policy and processes relating to the review of new chemicals under TSCA. DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 18, 2020.
This Notice identifies the final designations and rationale for substances.
EPA is announcing the availability of the Systematic Review Protocol for the PCBs Noncancer IRIS Assessment for a 30-day public comment period.
Employers who electronically submit OSHA Form 300A must provide an Employer Identification Number as of Jan. 2, 2020.
The EPA is revising regulations designed to reduce the risk of accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. These regulations are part of the EPA’s Risk Management Program (RMP), which the EPA established under authority in the Clean Air Act and recently amended on January 13, 2017. EPA is rescinding recent amendments to these regulations that EPA no longer consider reasonable or practicable relating to safer technology and alternatives analyses, third-party audits, incident investigations, information availability, and several other minor regulatory changes. EPA is also modifying regulations relating to local emergency coordination, emergency response exercises, and public meetings. In addition, EPA is changing compliance dates for some of these provisions. This final rule is effective on 19 December 2019.
At a public meeting on December 11, 2019, the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee in its official capacity as the “state’s qualified experts” determined that cannabis (marijuana) smoke and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) were shown to cause reproductive toxicity based on the developmental endpoint.
Read our new assessments. The public comment period is until 21 February 2020.
An EU-wide Forum enforcement project has found significant non-compliance in the classification and labelling of mixtures.
The following REACH restrictions start applying next year. If you are affected, make sure you understand the conditions of the restriction, including derogations for specific uses. For more information, click on the links below.
- BPA in thermal paper – applies as of 2 January 2020;
- D4, D5 in wash-off cosmetics – applies as of 31 January 2020;
- 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) – applies as of 9 May 2020; and
- 33 CMRs in textiles and footwear – applies as of 1 November 2020.
The OECD releases a video tutorial on how to find GHS information in eChemPortal through the substance search and how to search by GHS classification. Currently 11 databases provide GHS information, independent of whether the classifications have undergone a review by a regulatory body or intergovernmental organisation or are based on self-classifications by the producers or importers. In addition, two data sources have submitted structured GHS information that can directly be queried.
Safety Share
Outdoor work requires proper preparation, especially in severe winter weather conditions. Employers have a responsibility to provide workers with employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards, including winter weather related hazards, which are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to them.
If you’re having trouble parting with your Christmas tree, here’s a fact to motivate you: Nearly one-third (29 percent) of U.S. home fires that begin with Christmas trees occurs in January. With this potential fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) strongly encourages everyone to remove Christmas trees from their homes promptly after the holiday season.
Comments are closed