Canada – Nova Scotia Offshore Marine Installations and Structures Occupational Health and Safety Transitional Regulations  (SOR/2015-2)

Application

2 These Regulations apply in respect of employees working within the offshore area for the purposes of the exploration or drilling for — or the production, conservation or processing of — petroleum within the offshore area.

Records and Reports

3 When an employer keeps a record, report or other document referred to in the Act, the employer must retain the record, report or other document in such a manner that it is readily available for examination by a health and safety officer and by the committee or the coordinator for the workplace to which it applies.

Inconsistent Provisions

4 In the event of an inconsistency between any standard incorporated by reference in these Regulations and any other provision of these Regulations, that other provision of these Regulations must prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

PART 2Building Safety

Doors

5 Every double-action swinging door that is located in an exit, entrance or passageway used for two-way pedestrian traffic must be designed and fitted in a manner that will permit persons who are approaching from one side of the door to be aware of persons who are on the other side of the door.

Floor and Wall Openings

• 6 (1) The following definitions apply in this section.

  floor opening

  floor opening means an opening measuring 300 mm or more in its smallest dimension in a floor, platform, pavement or yard. (ouverture dans un plancher)

  wall opening

  wall opening means an opening at least 750 mm high and 300 mm wide in a wall or partition. (ouverture dans un mur)

• (2) If an employee has access to a wall opening from which there is a drop of more than 1.2 m or to a floor opening, guardrails must be fitted around the wall opening or floor opening or the opening must be covered with material capable of supporting all loads that may be imposed on it.

• (3) The material referred to in subsection (2) must be securely fastened to a supporting structural member of the building.

• (4) Subsection (2) does not apply to the loading and unloading docks.

• (5) Subject to section 13, guardrails must be installed around the perimeter of every workplace, other than a helicopter deck, when there is a drop of more than 1 m from the workplace to an adjacent area.

Open-Top Bins, Hoppers, Vats and Pits

• 7 (1) If an employee has access to an open-top bin, hopper, vat, pit or other open-top enclosure from a point directly above the enclosure, the enclosure must be fitted with a fixed ladder on the inside wall of the enclosure and must be

  • (a) covered with a grating, screen or other covering that will prevent the employee from falling into the enclosure; or

  • (b) provided with a walkway that is not less than 500 mm wide and is fitted with guardrails.

• (2) A grating, screen, covering or walkway referred to in subsection (1) must be so designed, constructed and maintained that it will support a load that is not less than the greater of

  • (a) the maximum load that is likely to be imposed on it; or

  • (b) a live load of 6 kPa.

Ladders, Stairways and Ramps

8 If an employee in the course of employment is required to move from one level to another level that is more than 450 mm higher or lower than the former level, the employer must install a fixed ladder, stairway or ramp between the levels.

9 If one end of a stairway is so close to a traffic route used by vehicles, to a machine or to any other hazard as to be hazardous to the safety of an employee using the stairway, the employer must

• (a) where practicable, install a barricade that will protect employees using the stairway from the hazard; or

• (b) if it is not reasonably practicable to install a barricade, post a sign at that end of the stairway to warn employees of the hazard.

• 10 (1) Subject to subsection (5), a fixed ladder that is more than 6 m in length must, where reasonably practicable, be fitted with a protective cage for that portion of its length that is more than 2 m above the base level of the ladder.

• (2) Subject to subsection (5), a fixed ladder that is more than 9 m in length must have, at intervals of not more than 6 m, a landing or platform that

  • (a) is not less than 0.36 m² in area; and

  • (b) is fitted at its outer edges with a guardrail.

• (3) A fixed ladder, cage, landing or platform referred to in subsection (1) or (2) must be designed and constructed to withstand all loads that may be imposed on it.

• (4) A fixed ladder must be

  • (a) vertical;

  • (b) securely held in place at the top, bottom and at intermediate points; and

  • (c) fitted with

    • (i) rungs that are at least 150 mm from the wall and uniformly spaced at intervals not more than 300 mm, and

    • (ii) side rails that extend not less than 900 mm above the landing or platform.

• (5) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to a fixed ladder that is used with a fall protection system referred to in section 176.

Docks, Ramps and Dock Plates

• 11 (1) Every loading and unloading dock and ramp must be

  • (a) of sufficient strength to support the maximum load that is likely to be imposed on it;

  • (b) free of surface irregularities that may interfere with the safe operation of mobile equipment; and

  • (c) fitted around its sides that are not used for loading or unloading with side rails, curbs or rolled edges of sufficient height and strength to prevent mobile equipment from running over the edge.

• (2) Every portable ramp and every dock plate must be

  • (a) clearly marked or tagged to indicate the maximum safe load that it is capable of supporting; and

  • (b) installed so that it cannot slide, move or otherwise be displaced under the load that may be imposed on it.

Guardrails

• 12 (1) Every guardrail must consist of

  • (a) a horizontal top rail or line not less than 900 mm and not more than 1 100 mm above the base of the guardrail;

  • (b) a horizontal intermediate rail or line spaced midway between the top rail or line and the base of the guardrail; and

  • (c) supporting posts spaced not more than 3 m apart at their centres.

• (2) Every guardrail must be designed to withstand the greater of

  • (a) the maximum load that is likely to be imposed on it; and

  • (b) a static load of not less than 890 N applied in any direction at any point on the top rail or line.

13 If it is not reasonably practicable to install guardrails as required by subsections 6(5) or 25(1) or paragraph 28(2)(c), cables or chains must be installed in a manner that will prevent employees from falling from the workplace.

Toe Boards

• 14 (1) Subject to subsection (2), if there is a hazard that tools or other objects may fall from a platform or other raised area onto an employee, the employer must, if reasonably practicable, install

  • (a) a toe board that

    • (i) extends above the floor of the raised area, and

    • (ii) will prevent tools or other objects from falling from the raised area; or

  • (b) when the tools or other objects are piled to such a height that a toe board will not prevent the tools or other objects from falling, a solid or mesh panel that extends from the floor of the raised area to a height of not less than 450 mm.

• (2) If the installation of a toe board is not reasonably practicable on a platform or other raised area, all tools or other objects that could fall must be

  • (a) fastened in such a manner that, if they fall, employees beneath the platform will be protected; or

  • (b) placed in such a way that, if they fall, they will be caught by a safety net positioned so as to protect from injury any employee on or below the platform or other raised area.

Housekeeping and Maintenance

• 15 (1) Every stairway, walkway, ramp and passageway used by employees must, to the extent reasonably practicable, be kept free of accumulations of ice and snow.

• (2) All dust, dirt, waste and scrap material in a workplace must be removed as often as is necessary to protect the health and safety of employees and must be disposed of in such a manner that the health and safety of employees is not compromised.

• (3) Every travelled surface in a workplace must be maintained free from splinters, holes, loose boards and tiles or similar defects.