Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Installations Regulations (SOR/95-191)

Escape Routes

19 On every manned installation,

• (a) every work area shall have at least two well-marked separate escape routes that are situated as far apart as is practicable;

• (b) all escape routes shall lead to the open deck and from there to an evacuation station;

• (c) in addition to the escape routes required by paragraph (a), clear passage shall be provided, where practicable, to the helicopter deck and sea level and other embarkation locations;

• (d) all corridors that are more than 5 m long, all accommodation areas and, where practicable, all work areas shall have at least two exits, located as far apart as is practicable, that lead to escape routes;

• (e) every escape route and embarkation station shall be free of all obstructions, and each exit door along the route shall be a sliding door or designed to open outwards;

• (f) every escape route leading to an upper level shall, where practicable, be provided in the form of ramps or stairways;

• (g) every escape route leading to a lower level shall, where practicable, be provided in the form of ramps, stairways or chutes of sufficient width to accommodate stretcher bearers with stretchers;

• (h) suitable means shall be provided, where practicable, for persons to descend from the installation to the water;

• (i) materials used for escape routes shall have a level of fire durability equivalent to steel;

• (j) the survival craft evacuation stations located adjacent to the accommodation areas and the associated escape routes from the accommodation areas shall provide fire protection for a period of at least two hours; and

• (k) all escape routes and associated stairwells shall be appropriately sheltered from the effects of fire and explosion.

Protection Against Impact

• 20 (1) Subject to subsection (4), every platform shall be designed to withstand accidental impacts with a vessel.

• (2) Where practicable, every platform shall have a fender system, buoyage system or similar arrangement that will permit the transfer of goods to and from the production installation and a vessel without endangering that production installation or vessel or any person or goods.

• (3) Subject to subsection (4), every platform, including any fender system, shall be capable of absorbing the impact energy of not less than 4 MJ from a vessel without endangering any person or the environment.

• (4) Subsections (1) and (3) do not apply to an unmanned platform if any impact described by those subsections will not cause major damage.

• (5) Every platform shall be designed so that the impact energy referred to in subsection (3)

  • (a) can be totally absorbed in the permanent deformation of the structural element impacted and by the elastic deflection of the platform; and

  • (b) will not be absorbed in the permanent deformation of the vessel.

• (6) Where a fender system is used to comply with subsection (2), its size and arrangement shall be such that a vessel cannot be trapped under it at low tide.

Navigational Equipment

21 Every installation shall be equipped with the navigation lights and sound signal systems that are required by

• (a) in the case of a mobile platform, the Collision Regulations, as if the installation were a Canadian vessel; or

• (b) in the case of a fixed platform, sections 8, 9 and 10 of the Navigable Waters Works Regulations, as if the installation were in waters to which those Regulations apply.

Lifesaving Equipment for Installations

• 22 (1) Every installation shall be provided with

  • (a) subject to subsection (2), in the case of a manned installation, two or more totally enclosed survival craft that have a combined carrying capacity of at least 200 per cent of the total number of persons on board the installation at any one time, and in the case of a unmanned installation, one or more totally enclosed survival craft that have a combined carrying capacity of at least 100 per cent of the total number of persons on board the installation at any one time;

  • (b) one or more inflatable liferafts, that have a combined capacity for accommodating at least 100 per cent of the total number of persons on board the installation at any one time, and that

    • (i) meet the requirements for inflatable liferafts set out in Schedule XI to the Life Saving Equipment Regulations, as if the liferafts were in waters to which those Regulations apply,

    • (ii) have float free capability,

    • (iii) if embarkation is more than 4.5 m from the waterline at the survival draft, are equipped with a launching device, and

    • (iv) are equipped with Class A equipment as described in Schedule II to the Life Saving Equipment Regulations;

  • (c) in the case of a manned installation, immersion suits for 200 per cent of the total number of persons on board the installation at any one time, that conform to National Standard of Canada CAN/CGSB-65.16-M89, Marine Abandonment Immersion Suit Systems, and that are stowed such that one suit is readily available adjacent to each bed and the remaining suits are equally distributed among evacuation stations;

  • (d) in the case of an unmanned installation, immersion suits for 100 per cent of the total number of persons on board the installation at any one time, that conform to the National Standard of Canada CAN/CGSB-65.16-M89, Marine Abandonment Immersion Suit Systems, and that are equally distributed among evacuation stations;

  • (e) a lifejacket for each of the persons on board the installation at any one time; and

  • (f) in the case of a manned installation,

    • (i) a motor-propelled rescue boat that

      • (A) meets the requirements for rescue boats set out in Regulation 47 of Chapter III of International Maritime Organization International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea,

      • (B) is located under a device capable of launching and retrieving the boat when the boat is fully loaded with equipment and complement, and

      • (C) is self-righting,

    • (ii) lifebuoys that are distributed on the decks of the installation, and that are stowed in a bracket or cleats, in at least the following numbers, namely,

      • (A) 8 lifebuoys for an installation that is 100 m or less in length,

      • (B) 10 lifebuoys for an installation that is more than 100 m but less than 150 m in length,

      • (C) 12 lifebuoys for an installation that is 150 m or more but less than 200 m in length, and

      • (D) 14 lifebuoys for an installation that is 200 m or more in length,

    • (iii) a rescue basket capable of accommodating at least six persons,

    • (iv) 12 Type A distress signals, as defined in the Life Saving Equipment Regulations,

    • (v) a Class I emergency position indicator radio beacon, as defined in the EPIRB Regulations, in each control station,

    • (vi) at least two radar transponders stowed in two widely separated locations, except in the case of surface mobile platforms,

    • (vii) in the case of surface mobile platforms, at least one radar transponder, and

    • (viii) two buoyant personnel transfer baskets.

• (2) Each of the totally enclosed survival craft provided on an installation shall

  • (a) meet the requirements for Class I lifeboats as set out in Schedule V to the Life Saving Equipment Regulations, as if the survival craft were in waters to which those Regulations apply;

  • (b) be equipped with

    • (i) a compression ignition engine with two independent starting methods and with sufficient power to propel the craft when fully loaded,

    • (ii) an engine block heater, a head bolt heater or any other means of ensuring prompt engine start in cold weather,

    • (iii) a two-way fixed radio capable of permitting communications with other survival, support and rescue craft,

    • (iv) a towing attachment,

    • (v) the equipment required by Schedule I to the Life Saving Equipment Regulations, as if the installation were a Class I ship to which those Regulations apply,

    • (vi) a launching device,

    • (vii) a radar reflector,

    • (viii) a Class II emergency position indicator radio beacon, as defined in the EPIRB Regulations, and

    • (ix) a hand-held radio;

  • (c) be self-righting;

  • (d) be fire-protected;

  • (e) be capable of a speed of not less than 6 knots;

  • (f) have a self-contained air supply sufficient for at least 10 minutes;

  • (g) be stored or equipped

    • (i) in the case of a column-stabilized mobile platform and a fixed platform, so as to launch in a bow out aspect, and

    • (ii) in the case of a self-elevating mobile platform, so as to clear each leg, column, footing, brace or mat and any other similar structure below the hull;

  • (h) be positioned so that half the survival craft are close to the accommodation areas and the other half are appropriately located on the other side of the installation, taking into consideration the shape of the installation and the type of associated facilities;

  • (i) be stowed in a secure and sheltered position that is protected from damage by fire or explosion; and

  • (j) be stowed in such a manner that two crew members can carry out preparations for embarkation and launching in less than 5 minutes.

• (3) The launching devices for the totally enclosed survival craft, the rescue boat and the inflatable liferafts provided on an installation shall

  • (a) meet the requirements for launching devices set out in Schedule IX to the Life Saving Equipment Regulations, as if the launching devices were located in waters to which those Regulations apply;

  • (b) be sufficiently strong to permit each survival craft, rescue boat or liferaft to be safely launched or lowered into the water when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment; and

  • (c) situated so as to permit each survival craft, rescue boat or liferaft to be launched clear of any obstruction resulting from damage of the extent described in the Code referred to in subsection 56(9).

• (4) Half of the lifebuoys provided on an installation shall be equipped with self-igniting lights, and not fewer than two of those lifebuoys shall be equipped with self-activating smoke signals.

• (5) Two lifebuoys provided on an installation not equipped with lights and smoke signals shall be fitted with a buoyant lifeline, the length of which shall be at least one-and-a-half times the distance from the stowage deck to the waterline at the transit draft, or 30 m, whichever is greater.

• (6) There shall be posted on every installation, including in the control station and in each accommodation area and work area, copies of a plan showing the position of all the lifesaving appliances.

Passive Fire and Blast Protection

• 23 (1) In this section,

  class A-0 division

  class A-0 division means a division formed by a bulkhead or deck that is constructed

  • (a) of steel or an equivalent material and suitably stiffened, and

  • (b) to prevent the passage of smoke and flame after 60 minutes of exposure to a standard fire test; (cloisonnement de classe A-0)

  class A-60 division

  class A-60 division means a division formed by a bulkhead or deck that is

  • (a) constructed of steel or an equivalent material and suitably stiffened,

  • (b) constructed to prevent the passage of smoke and flame after 60 minutes of exposure to a standard fire test, and

  • (c) insulated with non-combustible materials so that, if either side is exposed to a standard fire test, after 60 minutes the average temperature on the unexposed face will not increase by more than 139°C above the initial temperature and the temperature at any point on the unexposed face, including any joint, will not increase by more than 180°C above the initial temperature; (cloisonnement de classe A-60)

  class B-15 division

  class B-15 division means a division formed by a bulkhead, ceiling or lining that is

  • (a) constructed and erected entirely from non-combustible materials,

  • (b) constructed to prevent the passage of flame after exposure to a standard fire test for 30 minutes, and

  • (c) insulated so that if either face is exposed to the first 30 minute period of a standard fire test, the average temperature on the unexposed face will not increase at any time during the first 15 minutes of the test by more than 139°C above that initial temperature, and the temperature at any point on the unexposed face, including any joint, will not increase by more than 225°C above the initial temperature after exposure for 15 minutes; (cloisonnement de classe B-15)

  class H-120 division

  class H-120 division means a division formed by a bulkhead or deck that is

  • (a) constructed of steel or an equivalent material and suitably stiffened,

  • (b) constructed to prevent the passage of smoke and flame after exposure to a hydrocarbon fire test for 120 minutes, and

  • (c) insulated with non-combustible material so that, if either face is exposed to a hydrocarbon fire test, after 120 minutes the average temperature on the unexposed face will not increase by more than 139°C above the initial temperature, and the temperature at any point on the unexposed face, including any joint, will not increase by more than 180°C above the initial temperature; (cloisonnement de classe H-120)

  hydrocarbon fire test

  hydrocarbon fire test means a test in which a specimen division, which division resembles as closely as possible the intended construction of the division, includes, where appropriate, at least one joint and has an exposed surface of not less than 4.65 m² and a height or a length of not less than 2.44 m, and is exposed in a test furnace to temperatures corresponding approximately to a time-temperature relationship defined by a smooth curve drawn through the following temperature points measured above the initial furnace temperature, namely,

  • (a) at the end of the first 3 minutes, 880°C,

  • (b) at the end of the first 5 minutes, 945°C,

  • (c) at the end of the first 10 minutes, 1032°C,

  • (d) at the end of the first 15 minutes, 1071°C,

  • (e) at the end of the first 30 minutes, 1098°C,

  • (f) at the end of the first 60 minutes, 1100°C, and

  • (g) at the end of the first 120 minutes, 1100°C; (essai de résistance au feu d’hydrocarbures)

  low flame spread

  low flame spread in respect of a surface, means that the surface restricts the spread of flame; (à faible indice de propagation des flammes)

  standard fire test

  standard fire test means a test conducted in accordance with Regulation 3.2 of Chapter II-2 of International Maritime Organization International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea. (essai standard de résistance au feu)

• (2) Subject to subsection (3), on an installation,

  • (a) the wellhead and process areas on a production installation shall be separated from other areas by class H-120 divisions;

  • (b) all control stations shall be separated from other areas by class A-60 divisions;

  • (c) the accommodation areas shall be separated from other areas by class A-60 divisions;

  • (d) every machinery space and every storeroom containing paint, oil, any gaseous substance or other flammable material shall be separated from galleys or accommodation areas by class A-60 divisions and from each other by class A-0 divisions;

  • (e) galley supply and exhaust ventilator trunking within the accommodation areas or any other enclosed spaces shall be made of steel covered with a fire-resistant insulation material of a type and thickness equivalent to that in a class A-60 division;

  • (f) every deck and its supporting structure within the accommodation areas that is not required to be a class A-60 division shall be constructed of material that by itself or due to insulation provided will not lose its structural stability and fire integrity when subjected to a 60 minute standard fire test;

  • (g) every corridor bulkhead that is not required to be a class A-60 division shall be a class B-15 division and extend from deck to deck or, when continuous class B-15 divisions that are ceilings are fitted, from the deck to the continuous ceiling;

  • (h) every door in every class B-15 division that is a bulkhead shall meet the standard for a class B-15 division, except that a door to a cabin or to a public space other than a stairway may have ventilation openings or a louvre in the lower half;

  • (i) no door of a division forming any part of a stairway enclosure shall be provided with ventilation openings or louvres;

  • (j) every opening in every bulkhead and deck in the accommodation areas shall have permanently attached to it a means of closing that will maintain the fire integrity of the bulkheads and decks;

  • (k) where a class A-0 division, class A-60 division, class B-15 division or class H-120 division is pierced for the passage of electric cables, pipes, trunks or structural elements or for other purposes, arrangements shall be made so that the fire resistance of the division is not impaired;

  • (l) air spaces enclosed behind ceilings, panelling or linings shall be divided by close-fitting draught stops that are spaced not more than 14 m apart and that are fitted transversely if the length of the space exceeds 14 m and lengthwise if the width exceeds 14 m;

  • (m) every internal stairwell, ladderwell and crew elevator trunk within the accommodation areas shall be constructed of steel or equivalent material;

  • (n) every stairwell in the accommodation areas shall be enclosed within a trunk constructed of class A-60 divisions and shall have self-closing doors, except that a stairwell connecting only two decks need only be fitted at one deck level with a division that has the same fire integrity and structural stability as the deck and self-closing doors;

  • (o) for compartments that contain or are affected by oil and oil vapour, the surface of insulating materials fitted to the inside of bulkheads and decks and forming the casings and crowns shall be impervious to oil and oil vapour;

  • (p) every door and shutter in a bulkhead opening to hatches in the galley and pantry shall be constructed so that the fire integrity of the bulkhead is maintained, and shall be capable of being readily closed from a position outside the galley or pantry;

  • (q) primary deck coverings shall be of a type that will not readily ignite;

  • (r) paints, veneers and other finishes used on surfaces on concealed or inaccessible spaces and on exposed surfaces, except furniture, furnishings and floor coverings, shall be such that the surfaces are of a low flame spread type;

  • (s) overboard scuppers, sanitary discharges or other outlets close to the water shall be of material unlikely to fail in the event of fire;

  • (t) every load-bearing steel structural element shall be fire protected; and

  • (u) blast-resistant panels and explosion venting systems shall be provided in locations that are susceptible to an explosion.

• (3) Subsection (2) does not apply to an unmanned installation, if the passive fire and blast structural protection provided will prevent major damage in the case of a fire or explosion.

• (4) Galleys on an installation shall be provided with fire blankets.

• (5) Notwithstanding subsections (2) to (4), every installation shall be arranged in such a way that a fire in one area on the installation will be prevented from spreading to other areas and the consequences of an explosion on the installation are minimized, taking into account the fire or explosion hazard of any particular area.