Products and Services FAQs

Chemical and other health and safety information changes regularly and new and updated records are frequently added to the databases.

By subscribing, you have access to most current information available in the database. After your subscription expires, so too does your access to that information.

Unlimited client and technical support is included with your subscription.

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Yes, subscription fees are calculated based on the number of licenses required. You can choose from a single license subscription up to an unlimited number of licenses.

Although we do not support this function, some users will export information for their own use. Please note that when subscribing to CCOHS databases, you agree that information will not be re-sold or used for any commercial purpose or posted on a website. Please see our full terms and conditions.

Yes, some of our products allow you to choose selected fields from the record's Table of Contents.

CCOHS is a not-for-profit organization and provides its products & services at the lowest possible price. However, we do offer an Academic Support Program (ASP) designed specifically for colleges and universities.

Yes, we offer free trials on all database products. Contact us or to request a trial.

Yes, training can be arranged with one of our Account Managers. Contact us for details.

Direct databases provide discrete information on a specific substance (e.g. for gasoline: physical properties, LD50, fire hazards, environmental effects, safety procedures, etc.). Bibliographic databases list references and sometimes summaries of reports, journal articles, publications, on a particular topic. Sometimes the topic is a chemical. For example, searching on the subject of gasoline might provide a number of database records which reference printed sources on gasoline or topics related to gasoline (e.g. hazards of underground gasoline storage tanks, gasoline accident reports, incidents of gasoline poisoning).

SDS Database is best for users who need safety data sheets on specific chemical products used in their workplaces.

CHEMINFO provides detailed health and safe handling information on industrial chemicals and ingredients found in products.

CHEMpendium is best for users with a wider range of chemical data needs, such as for both workplace and environment safety, or for workplace, transport and emergency response. It contains numerous and distinct databases all searchable by the chemical name or CAS registry number.

RTECS is best for users who need specific toxicity data on a large number of chemicals. Summaries citing irritation, LD50s, carcinogenicity tests, plus some regulatory data like exposure limits are available for a very large number of chemical substances.

Direct databases provide discrete information on a specific substance (e.g. for gasoline: physical properties, LD50, fire hazards, environmental effects, safety procedures, etc.). Bibliographic databases list references and sometimes summaries of reports, journal articles, publications, on a particular topic. Sometimes the topic is a chemical. For example, searching on the subject of gasoline might provide a number of database records which reference printed sources on gasoline or topics related to gasoline (e.g. hazards of underground gasoline storage tanks, gasoline accident reports, incidents of gasoline poisoning).

The SDS Database contains a wide variety of English and French safety data sheets. You can subscribe to just the English or the French collection, or both.

Can I search by CAS number?

Yes. If the product itself has a CAS number, in most cases, this will be found in the Product Name/ID index. CAS numbers for individual ingredients often appear in the Safety Data Sheet index. Since many of the data sheets are for chemical products with several ingredients, only a small percentage have product CAS numbers.

Where do the data sheets come from?

Safety data sheets are obtained from manufacturers and suppliers, and they are responsible for the content of their safety data sheets.

Where can I find the lists of companies in the SDS Database?

You can find a list of manufacturers and suppliers in the search area on the left side of the page. You can also search by manufacturer or supplier name using the top search bar.

Some data sheets are older than 3 years. Is this permissible?

The requirement to update a material safety data sheet every three years, as was the case under WHMIS 1988, no longer applies. For WHMIS 2015, the safety data sheet must be accurate at the time of every sale or importation of the hazardous product. Suppliers have an ongoing responsibility to make sure safety data sheets and labels are accurate and compliant.

Do you have lab chemicals? Pesticides? Pharmaceuticals?

The SDS Database contains data sheets for all kinds of chemical products -- industrial products, consumer products, laboratory chemicals, paints, petroleum products, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, food additives, etc.

Can I use the SDS Database instead of keeping paper data sheets?

Yes. Online access to safety data sheets meets WHMIS regulations which require that safety data sheets be readily available in the workplace. However, not all products used in your workplace may be included in the SDS Database. For customized safety data sheet needs, our CANManage service may be a better option.

What makes CCOHS’ SDS Database different? Why should I use this database when there are safety data sheets freely available on the Internet?

• There are many sources of data sheets available these days, and sometimes we’re asked to include miscellaneous collections of data sheets in the SDS Database. However, the quality and currency is often questionable, and we frequently already have more current information in the database direct from the original source.
• Some other databases contain ”safety data sheets” for non-chemical products, such as pencils, desks, etc., and are not necessarily intended for health and safety purposes. Some contain many outdated data sheets, often decades old. Often there is no indication of how, or from where, the data sheets were acquired.
• Some companies may make their own data sheets available online for their customers, each using their own search engine. If you have many different suppliers, it is more convenient and efficient to be able to access and search many collections of data sheets in a single place.

As a subscriber, how can I add my suppliers’ data sheets that are not currently in the SDS Database?

For customized safety data sheet needs our CANManage service may be a better choice. CANManage is a customized online solution that pulls all your safety data sheets into one central location to help you meet your compliance requirements.

CHEMINFO is provided through two CCOHS products - CHEMINFO and CHEMpendium. For more information on these products, also refer to the CHEMpendium FAQs.

Who writes CHEMINFO Profiles?

CCOHS staff write CHEMINFO Profiles. Scientists and professionals with expertise in toxicology, human health hazard assessment, chemistry, fire hazard assessment and control and occupational hygiene write and review CHEMINFO Profiles. These chemical profiles are currently an exclusive CCOHS product.

What sources do you use to write CHEMINFO Profiles?

CHEMINFO Profiles are written using rigorous procedures to ensure high quality. The hazard assessment sections (fire, reactivity and health) are written by scientific staff following extensive consultation of original literature, reliable reviews and textbooks. We rely almost exclusively on peer-reviewed, primary scientific data to write the hazard assessment sections in each CHEMINFO Profile. The key original literature is referenced. Some of the hazard control sections, for example Personal Protective Equipment, are written using specific sources which we feel set the industry standard for a particular type of information. Other hazard control sections, for example Storage and Handling, are written by scientific staff at CCOHS following consultation of relevant literature and a complete evaluation of the specific hazards and properties of a chemical.

A list of sources we commonly consult in developing CHEMINFO Profiles can be found in the database’s Help section. The original literature and other specific sources used are referenced in the bibliography of each record.

Why do you have short and long records?

Short records contain readily available information from sources which CCOHS has identified as being reliable and credible. Therefore, the short records require less evaluation by scientific staff, yet provide good quality, useful information for many important chemicals. Typically, these records contain identification information, physical and chemical properties, occupational exposure limits, methods for sampling and analysis, selected fire fighting information, carcinogenicity evaluations, respiratory selection guidelines, information on resistance of materials for glove selection, U.S. and Canadian transportation information and European Union classification information. As resources permit, short records are turned into long records based on our priority list.

In long records, the hazard assessment sections are completed following extensive consultation of original literature, reliable texts and reviews. The hazard control measures are determined based on the hazard assessment information and a complete summary is written. Development of long records takes more time because the hazards of each chemical are evaluated and summarized individually.

Do CHEMINFO records have exposure limits?

Yes, you will find exposure limits in the "Exposure Guideline" part of Section 8 - Exposure Control. In CHEMINFO, you will find:

1. Threshold Limit Values (TLV) from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).
2. The Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) from the United States government.
3. The Workplace Environmental Exposure Level Guides (WEEL) from the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

The CHEMpendium collection provides complete chemical hazard information for your workplace and the environment in one convenient location.

Why are there so many different databases available in CHEMpendium?

All of the databases contain complementary chemical data and were selected for inclusion based on the scope of the information they provide. With ever-changing requirements in workplaces, many users need data outside the scope of workplace health and safety, such as transport or environmental data. This collection of databases was designed to meet these broad needs.

What types of databases are provided in CHEMpendium?

• Databases on workplaces and the environment:
  • CHEMINFO - the best evaluated and summarized database for health and safety, on over 1,800 chemicals
  • NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - NIOSH's most popular print publication, providing workplace exposure limits and respirator selections in an easy-to-use format
  • New Jersey Hazardous Substances Fact Sheets - general overview of hazards and safety precautions for 1000 important chemicals
  • CESARS - a unique and comprehensive database with emphasis on environmental toxicity data, containing reports over 50 pages long on chemicals of environmental concern (eg. DDT, Mercury, Lead),
  • HSDB - a source of health, safety and environmental data for 4,700 important chemicals, including medications, food additives, industrial chemicals and environmental contaminants. The records are very detailed with over 100 different information fields (many records over 50 pages in length).

• Hazard data, emergency response and transportation guidance:
  • CHEMINFO - the best evaluated and summarized database for health and safety, on over 1,800 chemicals.
  • CHRIS - a guide to hazards and emergency response for 1,300 chemicals from the US Coast Guard
  • Transport TDG and Transport 49CFR contain key regulatory data on transport of hazardous materials in Canada and the USA, plus emergency response guidelines for thousands of materials
  • HSDB - a source of hazard, safety and regulatory data for 4,700 important chemicals. The records have an emergency or regulatory record format, which includes useful emergency response and transportation information.

• Canadian environmental inventory:
  • DSL/NDSL - Canada's environmental inventory, the Domestic/Non-Domestic Substances List contains over 75,000 chemicals.

• Tool to help you locate chemical information:
  • CHEMINDEX - exclusive directory of CCOHS databases provides one source to identify and locate chemical information. Over 200,000 chemicals are included from up to 20 databases or products.

How often is Environment Canada's Domestic Substances List/Non-Domestic Substances List (DSL/NDSL) database updated?

The database is updated as amendments are published in the Canada Gazette and are reflected in the next quarterly update of the product. Changes to the inventory are made through the New Substances Program under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA, 1999), a shared responsibility between Environment Canada and Health Canada.

What kinds of substances are in RTECS?

Generally, RTECS includes drugs, food additives, preservatives, ores, pesticides, dyes, detergents, lubricants, soaps, plastics, extracts from plant and animal sources, plants and animals which are toxic by contact or consumption, and industrial intermediates and waste products from production processes. Users will not find Trade Name products representing compounded or formulated mixtures (pure chemical trade name products are listed).

There is a lot of detailed data in RTECS®. Is there a guide on how to use and interpret this information?

A tab called GUIDE in the database includes a publication called "RTECS - A Comprehensive Guide". This document provides information about the format, content and policies of the Registry. It can help you understand the meaning behind the content of each record (eg. the "Mild" category for the Skin Irritation tests means a well-defined erythema and slight edema (edges of area well defined by definite raising) and the reason for its inclusion.

What is the difference between RTECS and HSDB?

RTECS contains toxicity and regulatory information on over 194,000 chemicals, while HSDB has a wider range of subject coverage (over 100 fields) such as medical surveillance, first aid, emergency response, safety measures, health hazards, etc. for 6,000 chemicals. RTECS is a better choice if you need toxicity information on a very large number of chemicals, but HSDB is better if you need safety and other related details.

Direct databases provide discrete information on a specific substance (e.g. for gasoline: physical properties, LD50, fire hazards, environmental effects, safety procedures, etc.).

Bibliographic databases list references and sometimes summaries of reports, journal articles, publications, on a particular topic. Sometimes the topic is a chemical. For example, searching on the subject of gasoline might provide a number of database records which reference printed sources on gasoline or topics related to gasoline (e.g. hazards of underground gasoline storage tanks, gasoline accident reports, incidents of gasoline poisoning).

What is the focus and currency of the databases in OSH References?

Each bibliographic database has a different emphasis in coverage. Some of the databases are no longer updated and are archive files. See currency notes below:

OSHLINE is an archive database which provides references to international literature with an emphasis on peer-reviewed research literature. [Updated to 2007]

NIOSHTIC is an archive database which provides references to international literature spanning over 100 years. [Updated to 1998]

NIOSHTIC-2 provides references to NIOSH published or sponsored reports. [Updated to present]

Canadiana is an archive database which provides references to occupational health and safety documents published in Canada, about Canadian subjects, or by Canadian authors. [Updated to 2007]

HSELINE is an archive database which provides references to international references with an emphasis on publications from Europe, including the UK Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive. [Updated to 2018]

CISILO is an archive database which provides bilingual references to international literature with an emphasis on training and policy materials in many different languages. [Updated to 2011]

INRS Bibliographie provides references to international scientific and technical literature with an emphasis on French-language materials. [Currently updated]

PubMed Subset offers current references derived from the National Library of Medicine's PubMed service with a focus on biomedical and related topics. [Currently updated]

The series includes a wide range of topics affecting the environmental and workplace health and safety of Canadians. Topics include environmental protection, hazardous products, workplace health and safety, WHMIS, transportation of dangerous goods, workers' compensation, pesticides, noise levels, cannabis, Canada Labour Code, and more.

The Legislation series provides critical information on the legal requirements for your workplace so you can stay in compliance. The series saves you valuable time by identifying the legislative information you require to remain current and in compliance. The series provides the most up-to-date, consolidated text of acts, regulations, and guidelines for all Canadian jurisdictions. Information on one or all jurisdictions is available instantly and you can print or read the complete text of every document. The Legislation series is invaluable for preparing for critical audits and due diligence.

Several provincial governments along with the federal government now make their legislation available on the Internet for free or at low cost. However, the CCOHS enviroOSH Legislation service makes environmental and occupational health and safety legislation from all jurisdictions available in one place. Users can easily cross-reference cited texts by clicking on hypertext links between documents, view and print graphics and tables, and easily capture data for downloading. Cross-jurisdictional comparisons are very easy. Legislation is updated as soon as amendments and new legislation are available. The Legislation Monthly Report, included with the subscription, helps you to monitor changes made to the legislation so you can implement them in your workplace. The enviroOSH Legislation PLUS standards series offers subscribers access to full-text CSA Group, the BC Workers' Compensation Board (BC WCB), and the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standards cited in the collection.

Since the enviroOSH Legislation service includes the full text of environmental legislation from all jurisdictions across Canada, it helps organizations meet the requirements specified in section 4.3.2 of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems Standard.

Legislation from the various Canadian jurisdictions includes Acts and Regulations. Acts are bills which are passed by the various parliaments (i.e., receive "Royal Assent"). Acts can be either new (original) Acts or amendments of existing ones. Regulations are laws under Acts, but do not require parliamentary approval (they are executive instruments of the governments). Like Acts, Regulations can be new (original) documents or amendments of existing Regulations.

ACTS

Typically Canadian jurisdictions cite Acts in a similar way, by assigning a year and chapter number to them. Chapter numbers are assigned in the order in which statutes receive Royal Assent each year. For example, "S.C. 2001, c. 34" stands for "Statutes of Canada 2001, chapter 34" and indicates that this statute was the 34th statute to be enacted in Canada in 2001.

Some jurisdictions still issue "revised statutes" which simply consolidate the changes made by any amendments since the last revision. Revised statutes are also assigned a year and chapter number, however, the chapter number will often take the form of a letter and number combination based on the Act title and where it falls in the revision. For example, the Canada Labour Code, last revised in 1985, would be cited as "R.S.C. 1985, c. L-2" or "Revised Statutes, 1985, chapter L-2".

REGULATIONS

Regulations follow a similar pattern to Acts. Annual regulations are assigned a Regulation number in the order in which they are filed that year. For example, "Alta. Reg. 28/2012" was the 28th regulation filed in Alberta in 2012.

Revised or Consolidated Regulations are typically cited in a manner similar to revised statutes, with the year or volume of the Revision and a Regulation Number reflecting where the document falls in the revision. Alternatively, some jurisdictions cite their regulations using the chapter number of the statute that they fall under, instead of a revision year. For example, "R.R.S. c. E-10.2, Reg. 9" stands for "Revised Regulations of Saskatchewan, chapter E-10.2, Regulation number 9".

In enviroOSH Legislation service documents, the original document citation appears directly under the name of the document.

Example (Statutes of Ontario):
ENVIRONMENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS, 1993 --> Act title
S.O. 1993, c. 28 --> original citation

Example (British Columbia Regulations):
Waste Discharge Regulation --> Regulation title
B.C. Reg. 320/2004 --> original citation

When you search using the search window at the top of the enviroOSH Legislation service home page, you are searching the entire legislation collection. To search for documents from a particular jurisdiction, use a filtered search by first clicking on the jurisdiction name found in the left-side menu on the home page and it will give you all the documents for that jurisdiction. Enter search terms using the search window on that filtered page to narrow your results to documents on a particular topic.

To begin a new search, you must first clear your previous search. To clear any search, remove your search term filter(s) by clicking on the “x” that is found beside each term (terms appear at the top of the page). Once you have cleared your search by removing all the search term filter(s), you can begin a new search by selecting new search term filters.

When an act or regulation is amended, an amendment history is provided at the top of the document after the citation, for example "As amended by: S.C. 2012, c. 19". An amendment history to an individual section or schedule is also indicated immediately after the amended section or schedule.

The latest amendment to the document is highlighted by the CCOHS team of legislative specialists in purple in the amendment history at the top of the document. As well, throughout the document the amended text is highlighted in purple to indicate where amendments have been applied. To locate the amendments, you can scroll down the document looking for purple text, however, for large documents it is easier to perform a "Find" on the document (Ctrl + F) for the amendment number. For example, if the latest amendment is "S.C. 2012, c. 19", click Ctrl + F to search "2012, c. 19" and it will take you to the end of each section or schedule where this amendment takes place. Scroll up to see the purple amended text.

A CCOHS team of legislative specialists monitors official gazettes, legislative web sites and news services of Canadian jurisdictions to identify legislation in the field of occupational health, safety, and environment. Selection is based primarily on whether the legislation has a core occupational health, safety, and environmental characteristic.

Legislation relating primarily to fees, or with limited geographic scope is not generally included.

Yes, CCOHS provides the complete text of all Acts, Regulations, guidelines, and codes of practice in the enivroOSH Legislation service. As such, you can determine the context of your requirements and be certain of comprehensive coverage. In a very few cases, we may include excerpts of the legislation if only one or two sections are relevant to health, safety, and the environment.

At present, over 5,000 Acts, Regulations, and other documents including codes of practice, guidelines and Standards are available. Once you have logged into the service, use the search window at the top of the home page to search across the entire collection to find a specific document.

These documents are critical to many clients of the enviroOSH Legislation service, however we are currently unable to arrange with the National Research Council to reproduce them. You must contact the National Research Council directly for print or electronic versions.

The enviroOSH Legislation service is also available by some regional geographic areas including Ontario, Eastern Canada, and Western Canada. Each of these regional collections also contain all the federal legislation since it applies to all jurisdictions in Canada.

A CCOHS team of legislative specialists reviews the latest gazettes from the jurisdictions for the most recent legislation and amendments. Legislation in the service is updated daily. Subscribers to the service receive a free monthly update report listing the progress of proposed legislation, amendments incorporated in the previous month, recently repealed legislation, and new documents added to the collection. Amended text is indicated in purple.

The enviroOSH Legislation PLUS Standards service includes all the legislation in the enviroOSH Legislation service and includes the full text of standards referenced in the legislation (with some exclusions). To date, over 1,500 standards from the CSA Group, the BC Workers' Compensation Board (BC WCB), and the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) are included.

Yes, standards are also available with the regional collections.

All CSA Group and Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standards referenced in the legislation are included in the collection along with any amendments. Standards from the BC Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia have also been incorporated.

Standards are cited in legislation in various ways:

• reference to a standard generally, for example the Canadian Electrical Code,
• a specific version, "as amended from time to time",
• or a specific version of a standard in legislation, for example, CSA Standard Z91- M1980 although there may be a newer version.

CCOHS acquires the cited versions as well the most recent version of a standard to ensure that all subscribers have access to the most recent information.

Reaffirmed indicates that the CSA Group has reviewed the standard and there have been no edits made to that edition. The enviroOSH Legislation service includes Reaffirmed standards if they continue to be cited in the collection.

A CSA standard marked as Withdrawn indicates that the product has been withdrawn from active sale on CSA's online store.

This status is used if:

• The standard is withdrawn and not replaced
• There has been a change in the product designation, e.g. if CSA A123-1990 is superseded by CSA 2345-2012
• It is no longer supported by a CSA committee (interpretations, amendments or new edition)
• CSA Group makes no claim as to its relevancy with regards to current technologies or practices

Note: CSA Group makes withdrawn standards available for informational purposes as special orders on their website.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) has been implemented within the enviroOSH Legislation PLUS Standards service. DRM is a systematic approach to copyright protection for all CSA Group standards referenced in the enviroOSH Legislation service. DRM will prevent unauthorized redistribution of these CSA Group Standards and will restrict the ways clients can access this information. When clients subscribe to the enviroOSH Legislation PLUS Standards service, they have the following rights and restrictions:

Access Rights:

1. enviroOSH clients have access to CSA Group Standards referenced within the legislation collection during the subscription period.
2. Multiple users are authorized to access CSA Group Standards depending on the subscription type ordered (e.g. 5 user, 10 user).

Access Restrictions:

1. Users are not authorized to download, print, copy or paste CSA Group standards upon accepting the enviroOSH Subscriber Agreement Terms of Use.
2. Users are not allowed to recreate the document in any way without direct authorization from CSA Group.

CCOHS licenses the standards from the CSA Group, who requires your company name, city, and province. No other personal information is provided to them, and this information is only shared with the CSA Group. No third parties have access. You would have to provide this same information if you were purchasing standards directly from the CSA Group. If you choose not to provide this information, we can provide you with access to the Legislation-only product.

Legislation by Topic documents are pathfinders prepared by CCOHS legislative staff to help guide users to specific legislative references on relevant health, safety, and environmental topics across all Canadian jurisdictions. In each topic document, subscribers can click through on the hypertext links to access the full text of the legislative references. These documents are tools that can help users save time searching on a topic, view the scope of legislative coverage on a topic, and easily start or help focus their legislative research. Find the Legislation by Topics under References in the left-side menu on the service home page. Topics range from ergonomics to first aid, from ladder safety to climate change legislation, and much more. Topics documents are updated at regular intervals.

Yes, the enviroOSH Legislation service includes French documents where the legislation is available in both official languages from the jurisdiction. Most recently, for Ontario jurisdiction, core occupational health and safety legislation French documents have been incorporated into the service. To search across the French documents, use a filtered search by clicking on “French” under Language in the left-side menu on the service home page.