📚 Guide by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety — The Chlorine Awareness is an online workplace safety course delivered by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety, Calgary’s Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider. Self-paced, mobile-friendly, same-day certificate upon exam completion. Available across Canada.
🔗 Related Safety Mom courses & guides: H2S Alive Calgary · Standard First Aid Calgary · Oil Sands Safety Certs · Instructor: Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC
COURSE OVERVIEW
Chlorine has a huge variety of uses. Its chemical properties make it an extremely effective disinfectant and an essential component in the chemical manufacture of literally thousands of vital products used every day. However, there are some hazards associated with chlorine and you need to know about them and how to protect yourself against them. This course presents information about the hazards of chlorine and how to handle it safely.
COURSE TOPICS
This online Chlorine Awareness course covers the following topics:
- Physical Properties
- Storage and Handling
- Health Effects
- Emergency and First Aid Response
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify and list the physical properties of chlorine
- State the health effects of chlorine exposure
- Identify the appropriate personal protective equipment for chlorine exposure
- Summarize the HAZCOM regulatory guidelines for chlorine
- Discuss the use of chlorine and emergency procedures
- Describe appropriate first-aid measures for chlorine-related emergencies
ONLINE COURSE DURATION
Approximately 20 minutes
PASS MARK
Testing conducted throughout this online course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to pass this course. The course is able to be taken three times in efforts to achieve the pass mark. Printable resources are available in the form of a comprehensive student manual. The manual is a valuable resource for future use and knowledge retention.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available for download and printing.
COURSE PREVIEW
Additional Safety Knowledge
Chemical Hazard Classification in Canada
Under WHMIS 2015 aligned with the Globally Harmonised System (GHS), chemicals are classified into physical hazards (16 classes including flammability, oxidising, explosive, gases under pressure) and health hazards (10 classes including acute toxicity, skin corrosion, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, specific target organ toxicity). Each class has categories (1 = most severe, 4 or 5 = least severe) that determine label pictograms and signal words.
Occupational Exposure Limits in Alberta
Alberta OHS Schedule 1 lists Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) for over 700 hazardous substances. Each substance has:
- 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA): the average concentration over an 8-hour shift.
- Short-term exposure limit (STEL): the maximum 15-minute average.
- Ceiling limit: concentration that must never be exceeded even briefly.
Some substances also carry a Skin (S) notation indicating dermal absorption risk, or a Sensitiser (Sen) notation. Compliance requires air monitoring, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE.
The Hierarchy of Chemical Controls
Alberta OHS Code requires controls in this priority order: (1) elimination or substitution — use a less hazardous product; (2) engineering controls — ventilation, enclosure, process modification; (3) administrative controls — work procedures, training, rotation; (4) personal protective equipment — respirators, gloves, chemical suits. PPE alone is not adequate compliance where higher-order controls are practicable.
Chlorine Awareness — Emergency Preparedness
Every workplace handling chemicals must have accessible Safety Data Sheets, spill response equipment matched to the products in use, eyewash and safety showers where corrosives are handled (within 10 metres of the hazard, delivering 1.5 gallons per minute for 15 minutes minimum per ANSI Z358.1), and trained personnel available on every shift. Fire departments and mutual aid partners should be informed of chemicals stored on-site above regulated quantities.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
