Oil and Gas Occupational Safety and Health Regulations (SOR/87-612)

4.11 (1) The erection, use, dismantling or removal of a stage shall be carried out by or under the supervision of a qualified person.

(2) Every stage shall

• (a) have a working surface that is even and horizontal and is capable of supporting any load that is likely to be imposed on it;

• (b) be fitted with an effective means of holding the stage away from the working area; and

• (c) subject to section 3.10 of Part III, where the stage is to be used at a height of more than 3 m, be fitted with guardrails.

(3) The supporting structure and the ropes or tackle supporting a stage shall have a safety factor of not less than six.

4.12 (1) Commercially manufactured portable ladders shall meet the standards set out in CSA Standard CAN3-Z11-M81, Portable Ladders, the English version of which is dated September 1981, as amended to March 1983, and the French version of which is dated August 1982, as amended to June 1983.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), every fixed and portable ladder shall, while being used,

• (a) be placed on a firm footing; and

• (b) be secured in such a manner that it cannot be dislodged accidentally from its position.

(3) Every fixed or portable ladder shall be positioned in such a manner that it is not necessary for a person to use the underside of the ladder.

(4) Where a fixed or portable ladder provides access from one level to another

• (a) the ladder shall extend, where practicable, at least three rungs above the higher level; or

• (b) where it is not practicable to comply with paragraph (a), handholds shall be provided.

(5) No metal or wire-bound fixed or portable ladder shall be used where there is a hazard that it may come into contact with any live electrical circuit or equipment.

(6) No employee shall work from any of the three top rungs of any single or extension portable ladder or from either of the two top steps of any step ladder.

(7) No non-metallic fixed or portable ladder shall be coated with a material that may hide flaws.

4.13 (1) Before the commencement of work on an excavation, trench or tunnel or the creation of an opening in a bulkhead, deck or similar structure, the employer shall mark the location of all pipes, cables and conduits in the area where the work is to be done.

(2) Where an excavation, trench or opening constitutes a hazard to employees, a barricade shall be installed around it.

(3) Where an employee is required to enter an excavation or trench that is more than 1.4 m deep and the sides of which are sloped at an angle of 45° or more to the horizontal, or a tunnel,

• (a) the walls of the excavation, trench or tunnel, and

• (b) the roof of the tunnel

shall be supported by shoring and bracing that is installed as the excavation, trench or tunnel is being excavated.

(4) Subsection (3) does not apply in respect of a trench where the employer provides a system of shoring composed of steel plates and bracing, welded or bolted together, that can support the walls of the trench from the ground level to the trench bottom and can be moved along as work progresses.

(5) The installation and removal of the shoring and bracing referred to in subsection (3) shall be performed or supervised by a qualified person.

(6) Tools, machinery, timber, excavated materials or other objects shall not be placed within 1 m from the edge of an excavation, trench or opening.