I strolled into receiving one dry cold sunny day
Packages and boxes in total disarray
They had no WHMIS labels
Or identifying marks
I got out of there with that boom boom boom to avoid the sparks
I got out of there with that boom boom boom to avoid the sparks

When I entered the labor force I had no WHMIS smarts
All around the flammables
I would play lawn darts
Didn’t know the government had a master plan
To label nasty bottles and leave Afghanistan
To label nasty bottles and leave Afghanistan

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
It sure is a mouthful
But you better listen
Substances must be labeled at your place of work
It’s a legal responsibility that you cannot shirk
It’s a legal responsibility that you cannot shirk

WHMIS became a law in the 1980’s
Mulroney was the PM and I was making babies
The main focus is
The worker’s right to know
So everything is labeled, from head right down to toe
Yes everything is labeled, from head right down to toe

Supplier labels list precautionary measures
First aid procedures and other sordid treasures
Risk phrases are shown like may explode if held
Highly irritating, like Newman on Seinfeld
Highly irritating, like Newman on Seinfeld

Workplace labels don’t need as much detail
But still give instructions if the safeguards fail
Product’s i.d. is printed with good inks
And notice should be given if the compound stinks
And notice should be given if the compound stinks

Material Safety Data Sheets contain 9 sections
Listing ingredients and safety directions
They must be updated every third year
I guess battery acid could turn into root beer
I guess battery acid could turn into root beer

We keep MSDS in binders and online
You know what to do if you’re drenched in turpentine
Consult MSDS, take the correct action
Workplace safety is concrete, not an abstraction
Workplace safety is concrete, not an abstraction

WHMIS icons are arranged alphabetically you know
Class A - compressed gas from a breakfast burrito
Class E – corrosive from high molarity
F - dangerously reactive like Brad Pitt and Jolie
F - dangerously reactive like Brad Pitt and Jolie

Class B is combustible like gasoline.
C ‘s an oxidizer like oxygen or bromine
Store B and C together, you better leave these parts
Cuz you might get a boom boom boom that is off the charts
Yes, you might get a boom boom boom that is off the charts

Class D refers to poisons, toxic things
D3 is biohazardous - deep-fried onion rings
D1’s immediate serious effects – that sucks
And D2 is the sequel to the Mighty Ducks
And D2 is the sequel to the Mighty Ducks

Now WHMIS has a rich vocabulary
There’s even a symbol if you can’t eat dairy
Terms like Lethal Dose 50 and pH play a role
Hey! Affix them to my wife’s tuna casserole
Hey! Affix them to my wife’s tuna casserole

Hazards can enter your body in many ways
Like absorption- soaking in mayonnaise
What? You think that problem is rather small.
Imagine the increase in your cholesterol.
Imagine the increase in your cholesterol.

Women of WHMIS. Men of MSDS
Learn the rules now, avoid a legal mess
At the xmas party, show off what you know
And you might get a great big kiss under WHMISletoe
And you might get a great big kiss under WHMISletoe


So, what was the boom boom boom
It is fair to ask
Handling it- should you wear goggles and a mask?
Read the WHMIS labels , they’ll tell you every time
It was my Baba’s chicken soup and that’s my final rhyme
It was my Baba’s chicken soup and that’s my final rhyme

THE END !