Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR WEEK OF MARCH 11, 2020
Canadian Federal News
This training session will be held on March 11th from 10:30 – 12:30. To participate in this training session please use the following link: https://collaboratevideo.net/HC-SC-200311
Subdivision H of Division 9 of Part 4 amends the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA),41 adjusting the process that a supplier or an employer must follow to claim that certain information required under the Hazardous Products Act should be exempt from disclosure because it is confidential business information (CBI). This is meant to harmonize the provisions of the HMIRA relating to the communication of CBI with similar provisions in other Acts.
Clause 198(2) of Bill C-97 adds to section 10(1) of the HMIRA a definition of “confidential business information,” which is not defined in the current HMIRA.
Clause 200 of Bill C-97 amends section 11 of the HMIRA to provide that a supplier or an employer who wishes to file a claim for such an exemption does so through the Minister of Health, rather than through the Chief Screening Officer.
Canadian Provincial News
You can now report potentially serious, mine or mine site incidents, apply for acceptances or approvals or, if you’ve received an OHS order, submit your report on compliance online.
As the weather warms and the daylight-hours increase, truckers and shippers are being reminded to begin reducing truck loads on some provincial highways. During this time of year, secondary highways revert back to regulation weights, which will prevent damage to these roads.
This year’s Budget will demonstrate progress on the government’s plan to put the province back on sound financial footing, create the conditions for businesses to grow and create jobs, and make smart investments in key priorities.
Ontario has been monitoring and reporting on the development of COVID-19 since initial cases of a viral pneumonia were reported in China in late December 2019. Every weekday at 10:30 a.m. Ontario has been updating its dedicated web page with the most up-to-date information on the status of cases in Ontario, including: the number of cases currently under investigation; and the number of confirmed positive, negative and resolved cases.
Zone 1 – The thaw period for zone 1 for 2020 begins on 9 March 2020 and ends on 8 May 2020.
The River Watch program, which officially started today, will provide New Brunswickers with information on the status of rivers, potential ice jams and other flood issues across the province over the coming weeks.
US News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Products appearing on EPA’s list registered disinfectant products have qualified for use against COVID-19 through the agency’s Emerging Viral Pathogen program.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing requirements for regulated entities to substantiate certain confidential business information (CBI) claims made under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to protect the specific chemical identities of chemical substances on the confidential portion of the TSCA Inventory, and the Agency’s plan for reviewing certain CBI claims for specific chemical identities. The substantiation requirements describe the applicable procedures and provide instructions for regulated entities. The Agency’s plan sets out the review criteria and related procedures that EPA will use to complete the reviews within the five-year timeframe set in TSCA. DATES: This final rule is effective on May 5, 2020.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) s supplementing a proposed significant new use rule
(SNUR) issued under section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) chemical substances to make inapplicable the exemption for persons who import a subset of LCPFAC chemical substances as part of surface coatings on articles. This subset of LCPFAC chemical substances also includes the salts and precursors of these perfluorinated carboxylates.
International News
EUCLEF will be launched on 11 March. It is a new online service from ECHA that places 40 pieces of EU chemicals legislation at your fingertips, enabling you to find out how your substances are regulated in the EU and what legal obligations you have.
The substances and examples of their uses are:
- 1-vinylimidazole (EC 214-012-0, CAS 1072-63-5) – used in formulations and as a monomer in the production of polymers;
- 2-methylimidazole (EC 211-765-7, CAS 693-98-1) – used as a catalyst and in the production of coating products;
- 3.dibutylbis(pentane-2,4-dionato-O,O’)tin (EC 245-152-0, CAS 22673-19-4) – used as a catalyst and as an additive in the production of plastics;
- butyl 4-hydroxybenzoate (EC 202-318-7, CAS 94-26-8) – used in cosmetics, personal care products and pharmaceuticals; and
- resorcinol (EC 203-585-2, CAS 108-46-3) – used to manufacture rubber compounds, resins, coatings, adhesives and sealants, and cosmetics.
The deadline for comments is 17 April 2020.
Other Relevant Information
Safety Share
We see trucks of all shapes and sizes on our roads every day, but what do we really know about safety in this critical Ontario industry? Although federal and provincial laws and the corporate rules that apply to trucking contain many safety requirements, there are gaps and omissions that can increase the risk of an incident or injury.
According to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, in 2018 more than 67,000 days were lost from injury in the General Trucking rate group; the average claim was over $8,600. It is even more sobering that 18 lives were lost.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, 16,379 large truck collisions have been the result of driver inattention. And preliminary data for 2018 shows that 87 road deaths were attributed to inattentive driving—that’s 15 per cent of all road deaths in Ontario for that year.
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