Voluntary Standards under the Hazardous Products Act

Act: Hazardous Products Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. H-3
Regulation: Various

 

To Whom Does This Apply?

Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers.

Eligible Area

All Canadian provinces and territories.

Eligible Activities

The manufacturing, import, sale, or advertising of articles which are designated as having voluntary standards according to the Hazardous Products Act.

Summary

The purpose of the Hazardous Products Act is to protect the health and safety of consumers by prohibiting or regulating the sale, advertising or import of hazardous or potentially hazardous consumer products, and to ensure the protection of Canadian workers from the adverse effects of hazardous materials through the provision of precautionary labelling and material safety data sheets.

It is the manufacturer's obligation to ensure that their product meets any general safety guidelines set out in industry standards that may exist. It is recommended that manufacturers maintain good records of distribution and appropriate testing which support compliance with these guidelines. In the event there are no specific industry standards that apply directly to the product in question, they are reminded that under general health and safety guidelines, the manufacturer must ensure that the materials used in their products are safe under any foreseeable conditions of use.

The following items have voluntary standards applicable for import, sale, or advertisement in Canada:

Glass carbonated soft drink bottles (750 ml)	must incorporate an education program, a used bottle standard and compliance monitoring
Glass fibre insulation	asphalt-impregnated kraft paper backing is no longer allowed
Indoor carpets (and other textile floor coverings)	gas emissions and total amounts of chemicals must be within certain limits; information and certification required
Manufactured firelogs	warning labels are required
Particle board	must meet reduced formaldehyde emissions
Polystyrene foam board insulation	have labelling, require fire retardants and must provide point of sale educational material
Upholstered furniture	UFAC flammability standards must be met; furniture construction techniques; required labelling; compliance monitoring and support for research

More information

For more information, visit the Consumer Products Safety page and the Guide to the Hazardous Products Act of Health Canada's Web site.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this section is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. For particular questions, the users are invited to contact their lawyer. For additional information, see contact(s) listed below.

Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact.

 

---

National Contact(s):
Ms. Gail Salminen
Head, Information and Education Unit
Health Canada
123 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0K9
Telephone: 613-957-1502
Fax: 613-941-4376
Toll-free (information): 1-866-225-0709
TTY Toll-free (hearing impaired): 1-800-267-1245
E-mail: gail_salminen@hc-sc.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index_e.html