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

Marginal note:Cranes and hoists

• 122 (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

123 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

• 124 (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

• 125 (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.

Marginal note:Personnel transfer

• 126 (1) Every employer must ensure, with respect to every personnel transfer at, to or from a workplace under its control, that

  • (a) the loading and landing areas are clear of all obstacles;

  • (b) the personnel transfer device is raised and lowered, to the extent feasible, over water;

  • (c) there is continuous communication between both points of transfer;

  • (d) a fast rescue boat and crew are available nearby and prepared to launch if needed;

  • (e) each person assigned to plan, manage, participate in or supervise the personnel transfer has been trained or instructed on the procedures applicable to their role in the transfer, including with respect to the use of any equipment;

  • (f) the personnel transfer device is

    • (i) non-collapsible,

    • (ii) made of corrosion-resistant material suitable for use in the environmental conditions in which it is used,

    • (iii) designed to be buoyant,

    • (iv) designed to protect the persons being transferred in it from falling and landing impact,

    • (v) designed to allow persons to ride securely inside of it, either standing or seated,

    • (vi) large enough to accommodate a person on a medical stretcher and one other person, and

    • (vii) used only for carriage of persons and, if designed for that purpose, their personal baggage; and

  • (g) the safety devices referred to in subparagraph 121(1)(a)(ii) with which the crane used to carry out the transfer is equipped include a retention device installed from above the load block to the upper master link of the sling assembly.

• Marginal note:Availability of personnel transfer devices

  (2) Every employer must ensure that at least two personnel transfer devices that meet the requirements set out in paragraph (1)(f) are available at all times at each workplace under its control that is a marine installation or structure used for drilling or production or as a living accommodation.

• Marginal note:Personal protective equipment

  (3) The personal protective equipment that every employer must provide to a person who is being transferred by personnel transfer includes either a helicopter passenger transportation suit system that conforms to the Airworthiness Manual published by the Department of Transport or a properly fitted immersion suit that conforms to paragraph 46(b).

Marginal note:Signalling

• 127 (1) Every employer must ensure, before any materials handling equipment is used at a workplace under its control, that

  • (a) all persons at the workplace know the hand signal for “emergency stop”; and

  • (b) if the equipment is to be used in circumstances that will require the use of a signaller,

    • (i) a code of hand signals is established, and

    • (ii) every signaller and every person operating the equipment is instructed in the use of that code.

• Marginal note:Emergency stop signal

  (2) Every person who operates materials handling equipment at a workplace must obey the signal for “emergency stop” given by any person.

• Marginal note:Other means of communication

  (3) If it is not feasible for a signaller to use hand signals to communicate to a person operating materials handling equipment, including due to the distance between them, the employer must ensure that

  • (a) the signaller and the person operating the equipment are provided with a primary and backup telephone, radio or other device that provides the signaller with a continuous means of communicating with the person operating the equipment while the equipment is in use;

  • (b) any radio codes used by the signaller to communicate with the person operating the equipment are included in the code referred to in paragraph (1)(b); and

  • (c) if the signalling is to be done by means of a two-way radio system, it is operated on a dedicated radio channel.

• Marginal note:Copy of code

  (4) The employer must ensure that a copy of the code referred to in paragraph (1)(b) is kept readily available for examination by all persons at the workplace.

• Marginal note:Signaller not understood

  (5) Any person who does not understand a direction given to them by a signaller must consider it to be a direction to stop.

Marginal note:Inspection

• 128 (1) The competent person who carries out the thorough safety inspection referred to in subparagraph 87(1)(e)(ii) in respect of materials handling equipment must be independent of the operator and the employer.

• Marginal note:Increased frequency

  (2) Every employer must ensure, despite subparagraph 87(1)(e)(ii), that

  • (a) the thorough safety inspection referred to in that subparagraph is also carried out in respect of materials handling equipment

    • (i) before the equipment is used at the workplace for the first time,

    • (ii) before it is returned to service after repairs or modifications have been made to its load carrying components, and

    • (iii) before it is returned to service after being in contact with an electric arc or current; and

  • (b) all loose lifting gear, personnel transfer devices and safety devices that are used in conjunction with personnel transfer devices are subject to the thorough safety inspection referred to in that subparagraph at least once every six months.

• Marginal note:Identification system

  (3) The employer must implement, at every workplace under its control, a system that facilitates the identification of materials handling equipment that is due for inspection.