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To english users
Only a portion of the contents of the Service du répertoire toxicologique site is available in English. The pages that are available in English are marked with an
More specifically:
- The search engine of the product databank is in French. However, English instructions are available on the search page, and you can search for products by their English name. If an English summary on the product exists, a hyper-link will be displayed.
- The search page at the site contains tips for searching (in English).
- Some documents are available in English in the SIMDUT (WHMIS) section:
- WHMIS, what is it?
- WHMIS - Classification of chemical substances (English names and CAS list)
- Material Safety Data Sheet User's Guide
Presentation of the Service du répertoire toxicologiqueIts mandate
The mandate of the Service du répertoire toxicologique of the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) is to provide information on chemical or biological products used in the workplace. This information allows Québec employers and workers to have a better knowledge of the health and safety risks associated with the products that they use, thereby promoting the putting in place of appropriate prevention methods.
The Service also provides specific information concerning the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and offers occupational health and safety officers specialized support for their interventions.
Its clientele
The Service is offered to any person interested in obtaining information on the products used in the workplace, in particular to employers, workers, health and safety committees, joint sector-based associations, employers' and union associations, participants in the occupational health and safety network, CSST and IRSST personnel.
Its services
The Service makes available to its clientele access to its databank on chemical or biological products. Various themes are dealt with, and information is found in both popular and specialized form. Users can have access to either comprehensive or partial information on over 8,000 products. Among other things, this information concerns the physical characteristics of a product, its toxic effects, its specific effects such as cancer, the means that should be taken to protect oneself, the applicable regulations in Québec.
Three information formats are proposed:
- the default format, which groups all of the available information compiled on a product;
- a summary format, available in French and English, which summarizes the main risks associated with a product;
- a PMSD format, which allows access to information useful for decision-making as it relates to the application of the Safe Maternity Program.
To respond to the various requests for information and to provide information on the commercial products used in Québec, the clientele can also consult a telephone information service. The professionals of this Service can offer advice and recommendations concerning the safe use of products and take steps with suppliers, if necessary, to compile relevant information. More than 5,000 requests for information are processed each year.
Finally, the Service prepares and makes available various information or reference documents to meet specific needs in the workplace. These documents deal with various aspects related to WHMIS, general themes such as toxicology or specific themes such as occupational asthma. The purpose of these documents is to promote the understanding and rapid identification of dangers in the workplace, to provide information tools during interventions and to encourage labour circles to take responsibility for prevention.
Access to services
The Service du répertoire toxicologique is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an interruption between 12h00 and 13h00, from Monday to Friday inclusively, except for statutory holidays. The clientele can contact the Service by telephone, by mail, by e-mail or by fax, or can go to its offices.
The information available at the Web site is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be printed easily. In addition to the information profiles, the various documents prepared by the Service are also accessible. We invite our clientele to visit this site often, as the available information is updated on a regular basis.
Its team, its operation
The Service is made up of a multidisciplinary scientific team specialized in chemistry and toxicology, allowing it to provide a broad range of occupational health and safety information.
To make the information on chemical or biological products accessible, the team compiles and analyzes scientific documentation, and determines the risks that products pose for health and safety. To achieve this goal, the professionals consult a multitude of information sources such as general or specialized documentation, specific databases, articles published in scientific journals, etc.
Moreover, to provide a rapid response to requests concerning commercial products, the professionals can access information on more than 100,000 commercial products compiled in the Service's databank.
The processing of requests for information is done by order of priority. Requests concerning refusals to work and the Safe Maternity Program are processed on a priority basis, within 24 hours generally. Other requests are dealt with as quickly as possible, and a response can be expected in a few days.
