Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Search

Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Area Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/2021-248)

Regulations are current to 2024-03-06 and last amended on 2022-01-01. Previous Versions

PART 24Materials Handling (continued)

Marginal note:Materials handling equipment

  •  (1) Every employer must ensure, with respect to all materials handling equipment used at a workplace under its control, that

    • (a) the equipment is, to the extent feasible,

      • (i) designed and constructed to prevent the failure of any of its parts, and

      • (ii) equipped with safety devices that will ensure that any such failure does not result in a loss of control of the equipment or its load or in any other hazardous situation;

    • (b) the equipment is marked in a manner that identifies its manufacturer and model;

    • (c) the equipment’s rated capacity — or, in the case of equipment that can be operated in a range of positions or configurations, the greatest of its rated capacities — is clearly marked on a permanent part of it, in a position where the mark can be easily read;

    • (d) if the equipment can be operated in a range of positions or configurations, a chart indicating the rated capacities across that range is posted within view of the person operating it;

    • (e) the equipment’s use in existing environmental conditions, including wind, sea state and temperature, is continually assessed by the person operating it, having regard to the limitations indicated under subsection 120(2), to determine whether those conditions have reduced the load that the equipment is able to safely handle or support to below its rated capacity and, if so, the extent to which the load has been reduced;

    • (f) the equipment is operated in accordance with its rated capacity or, if applicable, its reduced capacity as determined under paragraph (e);

    • (g) any braking, steering and other control systems with which the equipment is equipped can safely control and stop the load’s movement;

    • (h) if the equipment is used for lifting, moving or positioning persons, it is equipped with at least two independent braking systems and a fail-safe control system;

    • (i) if the equipment is used for lifting, moving or positioning persons, it has — before its first use and after any repair or modification — been certified by a competent person who is independent of the operator and employer as being safe for that use, including in conjunction with any other equipment or device with which it is used;

    • (j) if the equipment is powered, it is equipped with

      • (i) an audible signalling device within easy reach of the person operating the equipment, and

      • (ii) an emergency stopping device that, when engaged, will immediately shut down and isolate the equipment and that is within easy reach of the person operating it as well as at any other location from which it is reasonably foreseeable that a person may need to stop the equipment;

    • (k) if operation of the equipment could result in a fire, it is equipped, in a location that is readily accessible to the person operating it, with firefighting equipment that is appropriate to all fire hazards that may arise;

    • (l) the equipment is designed and constructed, to the extent feasible, so that any vibration, jolting or other uneven movement of it will not cause injury to any person or impair the ability of the person operating the equipment to control it;

    • (m) any glass in the equipment’s doors, windows and other parts is of a type that will not shatter into dangerous pieces on impact;

    • (n) if the equipment is regularly used outdoors and has an operator’s compartment or position that would expose the person operating it to an environmental condition that could be hazardous to their health or safety, the compartment or position is fitted with a roof or other structure that will protect the person from the environmental condition and is constructed from non-combustible or fire-resistant material;

    • (o) any hook with which the equipment is used or equipped has

      • (i) if it is used for lifting persons, a spring-loaded latch that is locked and pinned in the closed position before use to prevent the connecting shackle from dislodging from the hook, or

      • (ii) in any other case, a spring-loaded latch or other equally effective means of preventing the load from falling off the hook;

    • (p) any self-locking eye hooks with triggers with which the equipment is used or equipped are designed to prevent the trigger from being accidentally activated;

    • (q) if there is a risk that the person operating the equipment or a person being lifted, moved or positioned by it could be struck by an intruding, falling or flying object or a shifting load, it is equipped, if feasible, with a structure that is constructed from non-combustible or fire-resistant material and that will, under all foreseeable conditions, protect the person from that risk;

    • (r) any place on the equipment to which an employee requires regular access, including any operator’s compartment or position, is equipped with a safe means of access and egress that

      • (i) does not require the employee to jump,

      • (ii) would permit the emergency evacuation and rescue of the employee, and

      • (iii) can accommodate the employee’s body dimensions while they are wearing personal protective equipment;

    • (s) any item used in any operator’s compartment or at any operator’s position on the equipment provides an adequate range of adjustability to accommodate the person using it;

    • (t) the placement and design of any displays and controls on the equipment do not hinder or prevent the person operating the equipment from doing so safely;

    • (u) any pendant control with which the equipment is equipped is not hung or supported solely by its electrical wiring;

    • (v) any wire rope drum or sheave with which the equipment is equipped has a spooling device or other device to maintain the wire rope in the groove;

    • (w) all loads handled by the equipment are secured as necessary to prevent them from sliding or falling in a manner that would present a risk to the health or safety of any person;

    • (x) if the equipment is operated remotely, it is operated at a safe distance from the load being lifted;

    • (y) all tools, tool boxes, spare parts or other items carried on the equipment are securely stored;

    • (z) the equipment is not left unattended unless adequate measures have been taken to prevent it from moving;

    • (z.1) if the person operating the equipment does not have a clear and unobstructed view of the load and the area in which it is being operated, including the area through which the load is being moved, that person is directed by a competent person designated by the employer as a signaller who

      • (i) is clearly recognizable as a signaller,

      • (ii) has a continuous view of the person operating the equipment and remains in that person’s line of sight,

      • (iii) has a clear and unobstructed view of the load and the area in which the equipment is being operated, including the area through which the load is being moved, or, if that is not feasible, a continuous view of another signaller who has a clear and unobstructed view of, as the case may be, the load or the portions of the area that are not within the first signaller’s view, and

      • (iv) has no duties other than signalling while the equipment under their direction is in motion;

    • (z.2) any fuel tank, compressed gas cylinder or similar container containing a hazardous substance mounted on the equipment is

      • (i) located or protected so that it is not hazardous to the health or safety of any employee who operates or rides on the equipment,

      • (ii) connected to fuel overflow and vent pipes that are located to ensure that fuel spills and vapours

        • (A) cannot be ignited by hot exhaust pipes or other hot or sparking parts, and

        • (B) are not hazardous to the health or safety of any employee who operates or rides on the equipment, and

      • (iii) marked on its caps or covers as to its contents; and

    • (z.3) the equipment is not used in an area in which it may come into contact with an electrical cable, pipe or other supply line, structure or other thing that could, if struck, constitute a hazard to the health or safety of persons unless the person operating the equipment and, if applicable, the signaller have been informed of

      • (i) the hazard and its location, and

      • (ii) the distance that must be maintained to avoid accidental contact with the thing that constitutes the hazard.

  • Marginal note:Exception to rated or reduced capacity

    (2) Despite paragraph (1)(f), the materials handling equipment may be used to handle a load in excess of its rated capacity or reduced capacity for the purposes of testing and inspection.

  • Marginal note:Protection against contact

    (3) If the employer is unable to determine with reasonable certainty the location of the hazard referred to in paragraph (1)(z.3) or the distance referred to in subparagraph (1)(z.3)(ii), or if it is necessary for the materials handling equipment to be used in closer proximity than that distance, the materials handling equipment may be used in the area only if

    • (a) every electrical cable with which there is a risk of coming into contact is de-energized;

    • (b) every pipe or other supply line containing a hazardous substance with which there is a risk of coming into contact has been shut down and drained; and

    • (c) every other thing that could, if struck, pose a hazard is protected against impact from the equipment.

Marginal note:Cranes and hoists

  •  (1) Every employer must ensure, with respect to each lift by a crane or hoist that is carried out at a workplace under its control, that

    • (a) a competent person inspects the load before the lift to ensure that it is adequately secured by means of appropriate loose lifting gear;

    • (b) tag lines or similar devices are used to control the load’s swing unless their use poses a hazard to the safety of any person;

    • (c) the person operating the crane or hoist does not leave the load suspended from the equipment while they are not at the controls;

    • (d) the load is safely landed and stabilized before being detached; and

    • (e) only persons who are essential to the conduct, supervision or safety of the lift are, while it is in progress, in the area in which it is being carried out.

  • Marginal note:Area marked and secured

    (2) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(e), the employer must ensure that all approaches to the area in which the lift is being carried out are posted with universally recognized warning signs prohibiting access by unauthorized persons and are secured to prevent inadvertent access.

  • Marginal note:Presence of non-essential persons

    (3) A person who operates a crane or hoist must not start a lift if a non-essential person is in the area in which the lift is being carried out. If such a person enters that area while a lift is in progress, the person operating the crane or hoist must immediately take measures to mitigate the risk to all persons, discontinue the lift as soon as it is safe to do so and not resume the lift until the area is cleared of non-essential persons.

  • Marginal note:Crane near helicopter deck

    (4) Every employer must ensure that, when a helicopter is landing or taking off, any crane at a workplace under its control that could pose a physical or visual hazard to the helicopter or its crew remains stationary and, if feasible, has its boom stowed.

  • Marginal note:Offshore pedestal crane

    (5) Every employer must ensure that every offshore pedestal crane used at a workplace under its control

    • (a) is equipped with

      • (i) appropriate travel limiting devices for its boom, hoist, blocks and slewing mechanism,

      • (ii) a device for measuring and indicating the weight of its load,

      • (iii) a device for measuring and indicating its boom extension or load radius, if its rated capacity varies on that basis,

      • (iv) a device for accessing anemometer readings, if the load that it is able to safely handle or support is susceptible to being reduced by wind, and

      • (v) a gross overload protection system, if it is used to move persons or things to or from a supply vessel; and

    • (b) has posted conspicuously and, if feasible, inside the crane control cab, the location of all approved laydown areas and restricted areas, the limitations indicated under subsection 120(2) and the chart referred to in paragraph 121(1)(d).

  • Marginal note:Manually operated hoist

    (6) Every employer must ensure, with respect to any manually operated hoist used at a workplace under its control, that

    • (a) it is equipped with a mechanism to hold the load at the desired height; and

    • (b) if it is equipped with a crank handle and not equipped with automatic load brakes,

      • (i) it is equipped with a means of preventing the crank handle from slipping off the crank shaft while in use, and

      • (ii) no load is lowered on it unless the crank handle has been removed from the shaft or the hoist has otherwise been designed to eliminate the risk of a person being struck by the handle.

Marginal note:Wire rope clips

 Every employer must ensure that any wire rope clips used at a workplace under its control are

  • (a) of sufficient strength to withstand the full weight that the wire rope with which they are used is capable of supporting; and

  • (b) made from a material that is suitable for the environmental conditions to which they are exposed.

Marginal note:Mobile equipment

  •  (1) Every employer must ensure, with respect to all mobile equipment that is used at a workplace under its control, that

    • (a) it is equipped with seat belts, a rear-view mirror and operating and warning lights;

    • (b) it is used only in areas in which the overhead and side clearances are sufficient to permit the equipment and its load to be manoeuvred safely;

    • (c) while it is in motion,

      • (i) no person gets on or off it except in the case of an emergency, and

      • (ii) nothing is picked up from or placed on it unless expressly permitted by the manufacturer’s instructions; and

    • (d) any load that is transported by it while raised or suspended is carried as close to the floor as feasible and, in any case, not in a manner that renders the equipment unstable.

  • Marginal note:Blind corners

    (2) The employer must ensure that mirrors are installed at all blind corners that may be taken by mobile equipment to permit the person operating that equipment to see any approaching person or equipment.

  • Marginal note:Guards

    (3) If mobile equipment is used on the deck of a marine installation or structure or on an elevated area, the employer must ensure that guards sufficient to prevent the equipment from falling over the edge are installed at the edge of the deck or area.

  • Marginal note:Forklift load

    (4) The employer must ensure that

    • (a) any unitized load that is transported on a forklift projects a distance no greater than half the height of the load above the top of the fork carriage, back rest or back rest extension of the forklift; and

    • (b) no part of a load that is transported on a forklift and consists of loose objects projects above the top of the fork carriage, back rest or back rest extension of the forklift.

Marginal note:Additional standards

  •  (1) Every employer must ensure, at each workplace under its control, that

    • (a) the design, use, maintenance, inspection and testing of overhead, jib and gantry cranes, monorails and hoists conform to CSA Group standard B167, Overhead cranes, gantry cranes, monorails, hoists, and jib cranes;

    • (b) the design, construction, installation, use, maintenance and inspection of conveyors, cableways or other similar materials handling equipment conform to ASME standard B20.1, Safety Standard for Conveyors and Related Equipment; and

    • (c) the design, construction, use, maintenance and inspection of forklifts conform to CSA Group standard B335, Safety standard for lift trucks.

  • Marginal note:Loose lifting gear

    (2) Every employer must ensure that the construction, use, maintenance, inspection and testing of all loose lifting gear used at a workplace under its control conforms to the following standards, as applicable:

    • (a) ASME standard B30.9, Slings;

    • (b) ASME standard B30.10, Hooks;

    • (c) ASME standard B30.20, Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices; and

    • (d) ASME standard B30.26, Rigging Hardware.

 

Date modified: