Newsletter - February 2011 Edition

GEMC’s online training program is live! GEMC will continue to work closely with our clients to develop customized training programs but we know that there is the need out there for individuals that require a quick solution to their training needs! Visit our Online Training Application to start your TDG training today.
 

ARE YOU READY FOR GHS! OSHA’S GHS FINAL RULE EXPECTED FOR AUGUST 2011
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a date to implement the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Currently the American and Canadian systems are not consistent with international standards adopted by several countries including the European Union, which have already adopted GHS. A report from OSHA outlining the need for adoption of the GHS as well as the rulemaking timetable can be viewed at: DOL/OSHA

GHS Labels


The labels are designed specifically to comply with the upcoming Globally Harmonized System (GHS). These regulations are already accepted as law in many countries, and will soon be adopted in others, Canada and the USA.

Carbon monoxide can be deadly are you and your family safe. A man found dead in a North York home on Sunday is likely the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning. A faulty furnace was the source of the gas and was sending CO through the ducts of the home.  Two police officers and a paramedic needed to be treated after attempting to revive the victim. They have since been released from hospital. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can happen within a matter of minutes and is responsible for more deaths than any other single poison. This odourless, colourless poison can hurt you slowly in low levels, cause permanent neurological dysfunctions in moderate levels or take lives in higher levels. Protection against this deadly poison is as easy as installing a simple carbon monoxide detector in your home or office. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a serious threat that people need to get informed about.

IMDG Code 2010 Edition 35th Amendment Authorized January 2011 • Mandatory January 2012
This version of the Code, which incorporates amendment 35-10, will enter into force from 1 January 2012; however, in order to facilitate the multimodal carriage of packaged dangerous goods, its provisions may be applied on a voluntary basis from 1 January 2011. It should be noted that other international and national modal regulations exist and that those regulations may recognize all or part of the provisions of this Code. In addition, port authorities and other bodies and organizations should recognize the Code and may use it as a basis for their storage and handling by-laws within loading and discharge areas. Call our office to order.

OTTAWA - News Release The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and Pierre Poilievre, Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton, announced new regulations that will restrict the use of six phthalates in toys and child care articles in order to limit exposure to children and infants. Phthalates are a family of chemicals commonly used to make vinyl plastic, otherwise known as polyvinyl chloride or PVC, soft and flexible. Research suggests that certain phthalates may cause health effects in young children when soft vinyl toys and child care articles are sucked or chewed.

Planning A Holiday – as reported by, Associated Press Maria Danilova, KIEV, Ukraine – Want a better understanding of the world's worst nuclear disaster? Come tour the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Beginning next year, Ukraine plans to open up the sealed zone around the Chernobyl reactor to visitors who wish to learn more about the tragedy that occurred nearly a quarter of a century ago. Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 exploded on April 26, 1986, spewing radiation over a large swath of northern Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people were resettled from areas contaminated with radiation fallout in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Related health problems still persist. The so-called exclusion zone, a highly contaminated area within a 30-mile (48-kilometer) radius of the exploded reactor, was evacuated and sealed off in the aftermath of the explosion. All visits were prohibited. Today, about 2,500 employees maintain the remains of the now-closed nuclear plant, working in shifts to minimize their exposure to radiation. Several hundred evacuees have returned to their villages in the area despite a government ban. A few firms now offer tours to the restricted area, but the government says those tours are illegal and their safety is not guaranteed. Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman said experts are developing travel routes that will be both medically safe and informative for Ukrainians as well as foreign visitors. "There are things to see there if one follows the official route and doesn't stray away from the group," Yershova told The Associated Press. "Though it is a very sad story." The United Nations Development Program chief Helen Clark toured the Chernobyl plant together and said she supported the plan because it could help raise money and tell an important lesson about nuclear safety.

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This newsletter is published by GEMC Inc. info@gemc.ca 1-866-271-4362 Managing Directors: Patrick Wallwork & Noreen Byers