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(604) 520-5400

 

 

 

System
identifies
hazardous
materials
at College

hat’s your reaction to the
chemicals in your
workplace?

You may think there are no
harmful substances around you to
worry about, but that may not be
the case, according to Jean Allan, a
Douglas College Chemistry Tech-
nician.

"It’s the insidious substances,"
she says. "When you smell ammon-
ia, you react. Your eyes water, and
you know it’s bad. But not all sub-

sive INSIDE

AUGUST 21, 1990

 

   
     

YEARS OF
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE

  

 

 

 

 

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You don’t have to look far to find hazardous substances in any area of the College.

stances will alert you that way."

Allan is concerned about haz-
ardous substances in the work-
place because she understands
their dangers. She is responsible
for bringing Douglas College up to
WHMIS standards.

WHMIS (pronounced wim-
mis), stands for Workplace Hazard-
ous Materials Information System.
It’s the result of federal and provin-
cial legislation to alert employers
and employees about hazardous
materials in the workplace. For
several months, Allan has been im-
plementing the program at the Col-
lege.

It’s a big job. Allan has wound
her way through every room and
peeked in every cupboard in the
College taking stock of materials
that need to be properly identified.

"I had to look at all the stock,

and bring it up to par with exist-
ing regulations," says Allan. "Our
list is updated once a month, be-
cause according to WHMIS proce-
dures, you have to know what's
on site at all times."

While many substances may
seem harmless, they could be ex-
tremely dangerous. "You don’t
have to work in a lab to come in
contact with hazardous materials,”
says Allan. "They’re everywhere.
We thought the Chemistry Depart-
ment would be the worst area to
deal with, but I found that no
other area in the College knew ex-
actly what substances they had in
their cupboards and the fact that
they’re hazardous."

continued on page 2

 

700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, B.C.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2503, New Westminster, B.C. V3L 5B2