Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/2010-120)

Levels of Lighting

• 155 (1) The level of lighting at any place in an area must not be less than one third of the average level of lighting prescribed by this Part for the area.

• (2) The average level of lighting in a work area set out in column 1 of the table to this subsection must not be less than the level set out in column 2.

  	Column 1	Column 2
  Item	Work Area	Average Level in lx
  1	Office
  	(a) General	200
  	(b) At the surface of desks	500
  2	Dry Provision Storage Area	100
  3	Workshops
  	(a) General	300
  	(b) At the bench in an area in which medium or fine bench work or machine work is performed	500
  4	Service Space — at the head of every stairway, ladder and hatchway	200
  5	Galleys
  	(a) General	300
  	(b) At working position	1000
  6	Crew Accommodation	200
  7	Sanitary Facilities
  	(a) General	100
  	(b) At mirror	200
  8	Dining Area and Recreational Facilities
  	(a) General	100
  	(b) At the surface of tables and desks	200
  9	Boiler Rooms	200
  10	Engine Rooms
  	(a) General	200
  	(b) At control stations, switchboards and control boards	300
  11	Generator Rooms	200

Working, Walking and Climbing Areas

156 Unless otherwise specified, all working, walking and climbing areas must be illuminated to

• (a) an average level of 50 lx; and

• (b) a minimum level of 30 lx at any place in those areas.

Visual Display Terminals

• 157 (1) The average level of lighting at a task position set out in column 1 of the table to this subsection must not be more than the average level set out in column 2.

  	Column 1	Column 2
  Item	Task Position	Average Level in lx
  1	VDT Work
  	(a) Task positions at which data entry and retrieval work are performed intermittently	500
  	(b) Task positions at which data entry work is performed exclusively	750

• (2) Reflection glare on a VDT screen must be reduced to the point where an employee at a task position is able to read every portion of any text displayed on the screen and see every portion of the visual display on the screen.

• (3) If VDT work requires the reading of a document, supplementary lighting must be provided where necessary to give a level of lighting of at least 500 lx on the document.

PART 12Prevention of Noise and Vibration

Application

158 The following provisions do not apply in respect of vessels constructed before the day on which the MLC 2006 comes into force in Canada:

• (a) section 160; and

• (b) subsection 161(5).

Interpretation

159 The following definitions apply in this Part.

A-weighted sound pressure level

A-weighted sound pressure level means a sound pressure level as determined by a measurement system which includes an A-weighting filter that meets the requirements set out in the International Electrotechnical Commission International Standard IEC 61672-1:2002(E), 1^st edition 2002-2005 Electroacoustics – Sound Level Meters. (niveau de pression acoustique pondérée A)

dBA

dBA means decibel A-weighted and is a unit of A-weighted sound pressure level. (dBA)

noise exposure level (L_ex,8)

noise exposure level (L_ex,8) means 10 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the time integral over any 24-hour period of a squared A-weighted sound pressure divided by 8, the reference sound pressure being 20 µPa. (niveau d’exposition (L_ex,8))

sound level meter

sound level meter means an instrument for measuring levels of sound and impulse sound that meets the standards set out in CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z107.56-06, Procedures for the Measurement of Occupational Noise Exposure. (sonomètre)

sound pressure level

sound pressure level means 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the root mean square pressure of a sound to the reference sound pressure of 20 µPa, expressed in decibels. (niveau de pression acoustique)

General

• 160 (1) Crew accommodation must be located as far as possible from the engines, steering gear rooms, deck winches, ventilation, heating and air conditioning equipment and other noisy machinery and apparatus.

• (2) Acoustic insulation or other appropriate sound-absorbing materials and self-closing noise-isolating doors for machinery spaces must be used in the construction and finishing of bulkheads, deckheads and decks within the sound-producing spaces.

• (3) Engine rooms and other machinery spaces must be provided, if feasible, with soundproof centralized control rooms for engine-room personnel.

• (4) Working spaces, such as the machine shop, must be insulated, if feasible, from the general engine-room noise and measures must be taken to reduce noise in the operation of machinery.

• (5) Crew accommodation must not be exposed to excessive vibration.

Levels of Sound

• 161 (1) Subject to subsections (2) to (4), the level of sound in a work place must be less than 85 dB.

• (2) Subject to subsection (3), if it is not feasible for an employer to maintain the sound level in the work place at less than 85 dB, an employee must not be exposed in any 24-hour period

  • (a) to a level of sound set out in column 1 of the table to this section for a number of hours that is more than the number set out in column 2; or

  • (b) to any combination of the different levels of sound set out in column 1 of the table to this section, if the number of hours of exposure to each level of sound divided by the maximum number of hours of exposure for that level per 24-hour period set out in column 2 of the table to this section is more than one.

• (3) An employee must not be exposed to a continuous level of sound in crew accommodation that is more than 75 dB.

• (4) If the level of impulse sound in a work place is more than 140 dB, the employer must provide every employee entering the work place with a hearing protector that

  • (a) meets the standards set out in CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.2-02 (R2007), Hearing Protection Devices — Performance, Selection, Care and Use; and

  • (b) reduces the peak level of impulse sound reaching the employee’s ears to 140 dB or less.

• (5) Unless otherwise specified, the limits for noise levels for working spaces and crew accommodation must fall within the ILO international guidelines on exposure levels, including those in the ILO code of practice entitled Ambient factors in the workplace, 2001, and, if applicable, the specific protection recommended by the IMO, and any subsequent amending and supplementary instruments for acceptable noise levels on board vessels.

• (6) A copy of the documents in English and in French referred to in subsection (5) must be kept on board the vessel and be made available to employees.

  	Column 1	Column 2
  Item	Levels of Sound in dB	Maximum Number of Hours of Exposure per Employee per 24-hour Period
  1	85 or more but not more than 90	8
  2	more than 90 but not more than 92	6
  3	more than 92 but not more than 95	4
  4	more than 95 but not more than 97	3
  5	more than 97 but not more than 100	2
  6	more than 100 but not more than 102	1.5
  7	more than 102 but not more than 105	1
  8	more than 105 but not more than 110	0.5
  9	more than 110 but not more than 115	0.25
  10	more than 115	0

Hazard Investigation

• 162 (1) If it is not feasible for an employer to maintain an employee’s exposure to a sound level at or below the levels referred to in section 161, the employer must

  • (a) appoint a qualified person to carry out an investigation of the degree of exposure;

  • (b) notify the work place committee or the health and safety representative of the investigation and of the name of the person appointed to carry out the investigation; and

  • (c) provide every employee entering the work place with a hearing protector that

    • (i) meets the standards set out in CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.2-02 (R2007), Hearing Protection Devices, Performance, Selection, Care and Use, and

    • (ii) reduces the level of sound reaching the employee’s ears to less than 85 dB.

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the measurement of the A-weighted sound pressure level in a work place must be performed instantaneously, in normal working conditions, using the slow response setting of a sound level meter.

• (3) During the investigation referred to in subsection (1), the following matters must be considered:

  • (a) the sources of sound in the work place;

  • (b) the A-weighted sound pressure levels to which the employee is likely to be exposed and the duration of that exposure;

  • (c) the methods being used to reduce the exposure;

  • (d) whether the exposure of the employee is likely to be more than the limits prescribed by section 161; and

  • (e) whether the employee is likely to be exposed to a noise exposure level (L_ex,8) equal to or greater than 85 dBA.

• (4) On completion of the investigation and after consultation with the work place committee or the health and safety representative, as the case may be, the person appointed to carry out the investigation must set out in a written report signed and dated by the person

  • (a) observations respecting the matters considered under subsection (3);

  • (b) recommendations respecting the measures that are to be taken in order to comply with section 161; and

  • (c) recommendations respecting the use of hearing protectors by employees who are exposed to a noise exposure level (L_ex,8) equal to or greater than 85 dBA and not greater than 87 dBA.

• (5) The report must be kept by the employer at the work place where it applies for a period of 10 years after the day on which the report is submitted.

• (6) If it is stated in the report that employees are likely to be exposed to a noise exposure level (L_ex,8) equal to or greater than 85 dBA, the employer must, without delay,

  • (a) post and keep posted a copy of the report in a conspicuous place in the work place where it applies; and

  • (b) provide the employees with written information describing the hazards associated with exposure to high levels of sound.